American Chopper: The Chair Throwing Argument That Led To The Viral Meme
Even if you've never actually seen an episode of "American Chopper" you've likely seen the iconic meme that shows series lead Paul Teutul Sr. (usually known as "Senior") and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (usually just called "Junior") having a bitter argument that causes Junior to throw a chair across the office. Longtime fans of the series will know that the tumultuous relationship between Senior and Junior is a staple of "American Chopper" — as the two argued constantly while creating custom motorcycles or "choppers" for Senior's company Orange County Choppers.
Their bickering came to a head in Season 6 when Junior showed up 45 minutes late to work, erupting into a full-scale row in which Junior and Senior screamed at each other in front of the entire office. During that argument, where Senior demeaned his son's work ethic, and Junior claimed that his father would run the company into the ground without his help, Junior ended up throwing a chair across the office and storming out, with his father running after him to tell him he'd been "terminated."
As surprising as it might seem, this viral meme is actually one of the most pivotal moments of the entire series, as the firing of Paul Teutul Jr. would split up the father-son duo for more than 10 years, and lead to the spinoff series "American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior." To think that such an important moment (and such a popular meme) all started because of Junior's tardiness is certainly very shocking — though it can be said that the chair throw and Junior's termination were a long time coming.
The Teutuls have grown to appreciate the iconic meme
Ten years after their explosive argument sent a chair flying through the office of Orange County Choppers, Paul Teutul Sr. and Paul Teutul Jr. sat down with Discovery's official YouTube channel to discuss the impact that this meme had on their lives and the series as a whole.
"We look crazy," said Junior. "We're obviously very angry and spitting and talking, and then they roll in these little cutesy like these philosophical arguments... I do think it makes me feel a little better because I feel like, well, all that craziness, I mean, it seems to be having a positive impact on people." Junior also praised some of the funny memes he'd seen using their fight and admitted that he had even seen professors using that same meme to explain their arguments in class. Senior echoed these sentiments, saying he was hesitant about the meme at first, thinking that people were making fun of the duo's argument, but has since come to appreciate the fact that this meme makes light of the pair's most extreme argument.
This particular interview comes from around the same time that the father-son duo reunited for a short-lived reboot of the original "American Chopper" series in 2018, putting aside their differences after several seasons of "Senior vs. Junior." Although it's likely that the infamously quarrelsome Teutuls still argue from time to time, it's certainly very heartwarming to know that this meme has helped them deal with one of their most vicious fights.