How Apple's iPhone Is Responsible For Futurama's Most Memed Moment

"Futurama" has one of the most interesting histories of any TV show, being canceled and rebooted twice now. After a decade off the air, "Futurama" returned in 2023 and can be found on Hulu. It's no wonder "Futurama" keeps coming back, as the animated sci-fi sitcom is responsible for lots of hilarious and relatable memes.

Among the most iconic is "Shut up and take my money," which comes from Season 6, Episode 3 (sometimes listed as Season 7 due to a discrepancy between the show's broadcast and production seasons) titled "Attack of the Killer App." In the episode, Fry is trying to buy a new eyePhone when the store clerk tries to explain the downsides of the device. Before he can finish, Fry interrupts him by holding out a wad of $100 bills and saying, "Shut up and take my money!" Not much different from Apple users being warned about iPhone apps slowing down their phones and not blinking an eye.

Since the episode aired in 2010, "Shut up and take my money!" has been used to react to pretty much any highly-anticipated product announcement like the Nintendo Switch 2 and, of course, new iPhone models. It's also used to criticize those who blindly purchase or preorder the latest gadgets even if they might have serious flaws, which fits with the context of the episode, whether intentional or not. It's a moment even those who have never watched an episode of "Futurama" are probably familiar with, and Apple inspired more of it than you realize.

The Apple references in "Attack of the Killer App" didn't end with the eyePhone's name. The entire episode was based on early reaction to the iPhone and iPad, from the long lines outside Apple stores to get new products to the false scarcity (or perception of it) that drove up demand. The issues the store clerk brought up about the eyePhone were also criticisms of early iPhones. Though it seems like ancient history now, you used to only be able to get an iPhone if you had AT&T, as they had an exclusivity deal that lasted until 2011, hence the clerk saying "you have no choice in carrier."

In an interview with Cracked, Patric Verrone, who wrote the episode, discussed how it started with "Futurama" playing catch-up after getting back on the air. The show's original run on Fox ended in 2003, and it was picked up by Comedy Central in 2009 for a season that began airing the following year. That meant a show that ended before flip phones were popular was coming back amid the rise of the smartphone and just months after the original iPad's release.

That's what inspired "Attack of the Killer App," which was the first episode Verrone wrote for the reboot. As he explained, "we thought we'd do an episode about that tech development and take advantage of the pervasive cultural phenomenon that was: every time a new iPhone came out, there was a line around the block to get the newest model, even though it probably had very little that was new." The line "Shut up and take my money!" perfectly encapsulates any excitement you've felt or witnessed from others, which is why it's remained so recognizable after 15 years.