Meet the Comedian Putting Trump Voter Regret to Music

When TikTok creator Franchesca Ramsey pops onto people’s for-you-pages, ukulele in hand, most people expect to hear a short but gospel tinged song about a fictitious political party themed on vicious and face-eating leopards. But this satirical song has a real-life story behind its rise on TikTok — and it starts with gay Black conservative influencer Rob Smith. 

In December 2023, Smith — an avid defender of Republican policies and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump — was attending Turning Point USA’s 2023 AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona. There, he said in posts on X (formerly Twitter), he was surrounded by “some white supremacists” who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him. Smith later posted a short clip of the event to his social media accounts, which got 6.2 million views, later telling CNN reporter Abby Phillip that he felt afraid for his life and was the victim of a “hate crime.” While Smith derided the attack, he blamed the men as bad faith actors instead of the state of Republican politics or any of the countless racial rhetoric from Trump himself. 

When Ramsey read the story, she was immediately reminded of a viral tweet from illustrator Adrian Bott that swept X (formerly Twitter) ahead of the 2016 Presidential election: “I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.” After the chaos of Hillary Clinton’s narrowing battle (and eventual loss) to Trump, the tweet became popular shorthand for  people publicly regretting their votes. The subreddit r/LeopardsAteMyFace, which was started in 2017, has continued to share news stories of politicians and voters facing the consequences of their own actions and has since grown to 1.3 million members. Ramsey saw a post poking fun at Smith and and could have just retweeted and kept moving, but there was already a gospel tune in her head. Plus…her ukulele was right there.  

Thus Ramsey’s “I Never Thought (The Leopards Would Eat My Face)” song was born. The song takes most of its lyrics directly from Bott’s original tweet, but Ramsey adds in the twang of her ukulele and some clear gospel influences, as well as the line, “We bonded over bigotry but they weren’t supposed to turn on me.” Since she posted the first clip in December 2023, Ramsey’s song has been used tens of thousands of times on TikTok, usually to accompany videos of Trump voters crashing out over policies that have hurt them, like chaotic tariffs, DOGE’s mass layoffs, or increasingly harsh immigration policies. Ramsey has actually become so synonymous for soundtracking Trump regret that people in the comments usually summon her well before she has time to stumble upon her next target. “Where’s the Leopards Ate My Face Girl? ” said one TikToker posting rumors of a fissure between Elon Musk and Trump. “Who’s the lady with the ukulele that sings that song?” said another. “Somebody find her, because she is about to be booked and busy these next four years.” 

Making jokes might seem at odds with a corner of the internet that feels like the nation is on faire, but Ramsey tells Rolling Stone the song has allowed a lot of people to find a bit of joy amidst the chaos. “We are, unfortunately, all going to feel the consequences of this administration, but [the song] has kind of been a bright spot in the midst of all of these terrible things happening,” she says. “People are realizing that there are consequences to their vote, that things don’t happen in a vacuum. The realization is that a lot of people knew that Trump’s policies would hurt people. They just didn’t think they would hurt them and that’s why they didn’t care.”

Ramsey’s song has become popular at a time where videos of MAGA voters upset or hurt by Trump’s policy decisions tend to go viral, with comments often filled with taunts or jokes at their expense. This response to Trump regret has been criticized by moderates and former Trump supporters as even more ostracizing, but Ramsey thinks it’s not her job — nor that of other left-leaning creators — to gently hand-hold Trump voters through their feelings. “If people are willing to admit that they made a mistake and they want to learn, they can absolutely do that,” she says. “I just don’t believe it’s my job [to console them]. And I don’t think it’s unreasonable for people to not trust folks who are now only wanting to be in [the] community because they felt the consequences. I don’t trust [them] at all. Go to some other Ex-MAGA and y’all can kumbaya together. You’re not coming over here.” 

A lot of this energy comes from Ramsey’s extended time in online spaces dedicated to identity, race, and politics. Back in 2012, Ramsey first went viral with her YouTube video “Shit White Girls Say…to Black Girls,” a parody of the popular “Shit Girls Say” skit that saw Ramsey don a shock-blonde wig and poke fun at common microaggressions Black women can experience. She also worked on MTV’s 2015 news and politics series Decoded, during an internet era dominated by content that explained or educated political and cultural issues to viewers. While many of these original channels built platforms that helped a new generation approach politics and social issues from a different lens, like John and Hank Green’s CrashCourse, it popularized the format to the point that many creators of color felt pressured to center their videos around education, even if they were attempting to post about beauty or fashion. The internet doesn’t automatically require that of Black creators anymore, and it’s something Ramsey says she’s glad about. 

“I’m really thankful that there are so many creators that don’t feel like they need to make educational content. They’re just doing soft life, travel stuff, beauty, or food,” she says. “Just being a black person, your content is [inherently] political in the sense that you’re taking up space and showing that we are multifaceted and that’s really beautiful. A lot of people are personally in the space where it’s like, ‘I don’t want to teach you anymore.’ If you don’t get it by now, you don’t want to get it.” 

Ramsey’s repertoire of leopard songs continues to grow, with the creator adding new versions very almost every political story about Trump regret. She’s also released a full version backed with a gospel choir and is in rehearsal with queer queer band Mariachi Arcoiris to make a version in the mariachi style. But as the ditty’s message of schadenfreude continues to pick up speed, Ramsey says she’s determined to take the laughs where she can get them. 

“I’m not sorry for people who have spent the past decade gleefully relishing in the mistreatment and oppression of others, whether it be people supporting queer people losing their jobs, or not baking cakes, or spreading rumors and hateful lies about trans people,” Ramsey says. “I have watched conservatives delight in seeing black people murdered and turn Trayvon Martin’s dead body into a meme. Absolutely, I’m gonna sing my fucking song and get these jokes off on you. I do not care.”