The phrase comes from actor Wilford Brimley, who appeared in television commercials for Liberty Medical diabetes supplies and pronounced diabetes in a way listeners heard as diabeetus. Clips and remixes spread online in the mid 2000s on forums and early meme sites, where the stern, folksy delivery was repurposed far beyond the original advert. This longer uhh version leans into the hesitation before the word, and it remains a shorthand reaction for sugary food, dubious health claims and mock serious medical warnings in edits and streams.