Overview

• Social media users compiled and circulated clips of Pascal holding Kirby’s hand during interviews, generating “hot girl anxiety” jokes and amassing over 24 million views on X.
• Some fans criticized Pascal’s behavior as predatory, questioning whether his touch is authentic or performative.
• Pascal has openly described using touch to calm his anxiety, including a 2023 Last of Us screening moment when he placed a hand on his chest.
• In a July 24 interview, Kirby insisted Pascal’s hand-holding serves a protective purpose, not as an anxiety-management technique.
• The meme resurgence highlights shifting fan perceptions and taps into broader discussions of celebrity coping mechanisms and online scrutiny.