What is #TWUG?: The Twitter Trend Explained

The hashtag TWUG began trending on Twitter late Tuesday, March 31 after actor and producer Donnie Wahlburg called for his 1.5 million followers to send virtual hugs out through the platform.

Just one hour after his initial tweet, the hashtag was trending number 1 in the United States. He started by calling his followers to action by tweeting, “Twitter hugs – aka #TWUGs – have never been needed more! Spread your virtual arms – it’s #TWUG time! Let’s go! (Make sure you use the hashtag #TWUG).”

Users quickly replied to Wahlberg with gifs and comments. One popular response was the viral “you get a car” gif of Oprah Winfrey with one user captioning the media “You get a #twug! You get a #twug! Everybody gets a #TWUG!”

Wahlberg later retweeted people pointing out that the trend was number one in the United States.

Other Celebrities Got in on the Trend

Celebrity news blogger Perez Hilton tweeted out just what TWUG meant for those who were unfamiliar with the trend. He wrote, “If you’re wondering what a #TWUG is, it’s a Twitter hug, and Donnie Wahlberg is giving lots. We could all use some #twugs today (and this week, and this month, and all of next month, and probably after.”

Wahlberg responded to many people tweeting at him with #TWUG as well, sometimes even upping the ante to #TWUG x 2 like when a user sent him a photo of their dog saying it had been a “ruff day.”

Wahlberg Originally Used #TWUG After Having a Twitter Fight With Himself

Now is not the first time #TWUG has been a trend on Twitter. Back in December 2013, Wahlberg coined the term after beginning a Twitter argument with himself over some typos that occurred in a Tweet containing his disdain for Mondays.

After a lengthy argument in which he criticized his own spelling, wake up routine and “pathetic” math skills, he apologized to himself, writing “I’m sorry too @DonnieWahlberg. Make up #Twugs?”

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