Why RIP Shredder is trending on X (formerly Twitter) Hint: It has nothing to do with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
X users were very confused on Thursday when they saw a trend titled “Rip Shredder”.
X users were very confused on Thursday when they saw a trend titled “Rip Shredder” which for people of certain generation meant the arch-nemesis of Sensei Splinter and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, reality was a little different and the X trend had nothing to do with the TMNT character.
It would seem that trend was to commiserate the loss of Shredder, a canine best friend of podcaster and Youtuber Ethan Klein. For the uninitiated, Ethan Klein runs the YouTube channel h3h3Products which is hosted by him and his wife Hila Klein, and largely consists of reactions videos and sketch comedies. Klein had shared a heart-wrenching Instagram post about the loss of his best friend which went viral on X.
He wrote on Instagram: “I lost my best friend Shredder today. I am in immense pain but also grateful for the time we shared. Shredder was the physical embodiment of mine and Hila’s love, it’s not hyperbole to say he was our first child. He changed me, made me softer, more loving, more empathetic. I knew true companionship, and unconditional love. He died young, almost 6 years old, from kidney failure. It feels bitterly unfair, but I know people lose loved ones early all the time, so I am trying my best to remain grateful for the beautiful life and times we had. He was a fierce protector, often times lunging even at my own family, if they reached for me too quickly (clearly a behavioral problem, but it was his nature to love and protect us.”
He added: “He was also too small to hurt anyone so it was more endearing than troublesome.) He would bark at delivery trucks driving by, convinced that he alone had scared them off (at 10 pounds). He first fell ill with stage 4 kidney disease 6 months ago and he fought with all his love to pull through. When he first came back home, we thought he may make a full recovery. But soon the blood tests showed his kidney had not recovered and the disease would ultimately take him. It’s been a desperately difficult 6 months as I wondered when the unthinkable would happen. Hoping and dreaming, against my better judgement, that he would magically recover, or stabilize for a significantly longer time. That’s sadly not what happened. But what did happen is that we had a wonderful, love filled 6 months together, the majority of time he was his incredible self. All this rambling to say this: I love you forever shredder, our perfect beautiful boy.”
Several users expressed their sadness at Shredder’s passing on X. X wrote: “The pain is so devastating, I feel for Ethan. I’m bawling. RIP Shredder.”
Another wrote: “Hold your fur babies tight tonight family.”
A third wrote: “Why am I actually crying. Losing a pet is so difficult and I just empathize with people who are going through it so much. RIP Shredder.”
A fourth user wrote: “I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to lose a pet. Shredder was their first baby and anyone who watches the podcast for 5 minutes could see just how much they adored him. My heart is with Ethan and Hila tonight.”