The Wyoming Incident began as a creepypasta story and short video circulated online in the late 2000s, presented as leaked footage of a hijacked local television broadcast in Wyoming. Viewers claimed the strange tones and distorted faces caused headaches and paranoia, which helped the legend spread across forums and horror channels. Its audio has since become shorthand for analog horror and cursed broadcasts, often mentioned alongside the X files for its paranoid, unexplained atmosphere, and it remains popular in Halloween edits and scary story videos.