The Truman Show is a 1998 American film starring Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man whose entire life has been filmed for a television show without his knowledge. Directed by Peter Weir, the movie became a lasting cultural reference for surveillance, reality television and manufactured authenticity. Clips and sounds from the film spread online in meme edits and reaction videos, where they are used to comment on moments that feel staged, monitored or unreal, keeping the reference recognizable decades after its release.