Talking Ben comes from the Talking Ben the Dog mobile app, part of the Talking Tom style of character apps that became widely recognizable online. The hang-up moment spread in meme clips, reposts, and short-form edits because the joke is immediately clear even in a second or two. People use it as a fast rejection cue, often in the same reaction-sound space as nope, especially when a creator wants a cleaner and more character-based punchline than a spoken comeback.