Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Not My Rodrick Meme Explained — How It "Ruined" Charlie Wright's Career

The "Not My Rodrick" meme was one of those over-the-top internet hashtags that take on a life of its own, but unfortunately, this meme ended up hurting the Diary of a Wimpy Kid actor at the center. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise began with the 2007 book of the same name by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Since then, there have been 18 more books, all in the funny diary style the series has come to be known for. There are now seven movies in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie franchise, four live-action and three animated.

Kinney's books and the movies they spawned feature an ensemble cast of characters, including the titular wimpy kid, Greg Heffley; his best friend Rowley Jefferson; Greg's mother and father, Susan and Frank; Greg's younger brother, Manny; and Greg's older brother, Rodrick. Rodrick is a rude punk who plays drums in the band Löded Diper and often plays pranks on his younger brother. There have been several iterations of the Heffley family and each character has been recast multiple times. For some reason, it's the Rodrick recasting that earned the most ire.

The Not My Roderick Meme Began When The Long Haul Cast Was Announced

Fans Did Not Want Charlie Wright To Replace Devon Bostick

The "Not My Rodrick" meme is a meme that first gained traction in March 2017 when 20th Century Fox posted the trailer for Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul on YouTube (via KnowYourMeme). In the comments, many fans posted their disappointment with the cast change, as the first three films in the series featured an entirely different cast. They seemed to have a particular problem with the Rodrick casting. Rodrick had previously been played by Devon Bostick, but in The Long Haul, he is played by Charlie Wright.

The meme gained traction over the next few days and was a parody of the hashtag #NotMyPresident which was popular at the time among anti-Donald Trump internet users. #NotMyRodrick even led to a petition complaining about the casting that amassed over 10,000 signatures in 72 hours. While Bostick wished the new Rodrick the best, the fan base was still angry.

Charlie Wright Discussed How The Meme Changed His Life

Wright Became Depressed From The Negative Attention

While the meme may have been played as a bit tongue-in-cheek, it still gained a lot of traction and there were plenty of online users who were legitimately mad about the recasting. None of this escaped Charlie Wright, who only revealed his feelings about the hate campaign on March 25th, 2024. He responded to the "Not My Rodrick" meme in a YouTube video on his channel @chawlie where he described what it felt like to be at the center of the meme,

"I did go through a depressive episode for almost 3 years, um afterwards. And it kind of ruined my acting career, but I'm still alive. I'm still here."

It's absolutely absurd that Wright had to go through such a mean-spirited and nihilistic experience when all he wanted to do was act. There are shades of the Jake Lloyd Star Wars saga in Wright's story, where the young Anakin actor was bullied mercilessly for not being what the fandom wanted. Wright did nothing wrong, and was absolutely fine as Rodrick, putting in an excellent performance. The internet has a mind of its own, however, and it's often a negative mind. Wright appears to have moved past the meme, however, saying,

"...that experience is still the greatest acting experience I've had."

It takes a mature sense of self to get over something so personal and if Charlie Wright has shown anything, it's that he has a lot of courage and inner strength.

What Charlie Wright Has Been Doing Post-Rodrick

Wright Has Only Had Two Roles Since Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

Rodrick (Charlie Wright) smiling over his shoulder in Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Long Haul.

After Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Charlie Wight only appeared in two more roles: in one episode of Yellowjackets as Kevyn and as a special guest judge in the short film The Great American Mud Wrestle. Since 2021, he hasn't been in anything, likely a result of the vitriol he received from his part in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. He does still actively post to his Instagram account and has 71.2K followers, generally posting memes. He's also the Editor-in-Chief of the meme page @poxworldwide.

Devon Bostick's Post-Rodrick Career

Bostick appeared in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer

Devon Bostick as Jasper holding onto a railing in The 100 — Devon Bostick as Jasper in The 100

Devon Bostick has been very busy since Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. His movie career has included plenty of notable roles, like Roy Gray in Regression, Silver in Okja, Billy in Tuscaloosa, and Seth Neddermeyer in Oppenheimer. He later earned one of his most notable TV roles, Jasper Jordan in The 100. His other TV roles include Alan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ryan in A Teacher, Green in Most Dangerous Game, and Oscar in FUBAR.

Bostick also has four upcoming movies in the pipeline. The first is Salvation, which is about a snake-handling Pentecostal community. The second is Mile End Kicks, about a music critic who gets involved with members of the indie band she's writing about. The third is Crime 101, about a detective pursuing a jewel thief who adheres to a very strict set of rules. The final film on Bostick's slate is Western, about a high-society woman who goes out west to meet her husband only to find she has been catfished by a teenage boy.

What's Next For The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Franchise

Jeff Kinney Teased A New Animated Movie

greg's family on christmas day in diary of a wimpy kid christmas cabin fever

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise has proven to be a popular and lucrative one for nearly two decades after the first book was published. While it seems like interest in the live-action movies has dried up, there have been three animated movies in the 2020s. Each has been released on Disney+ and it seems like that streamer is the right home for the films. Animation appears to be a better option for the stories as well, considering Kinney's artwork was so integral to the humor of the books.

Hunter Dillon voices Rodrick in the animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies.

It appears that Disney+ will be getting another animated Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie as well. In an exclusive interview with OneTakeNews, Jeff Kinney said,

"Yeah, I don't know how much I'm allowed to say but I will say that yes, The Last Straw is in the works and I'm hoping to do lots and lots of [animated Wimpy Kid films] over time."

That interview occurred in December 2022, before even Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever came out, so some things may have changed since then. But with 19 books in total and Kinney clearly still having an interest, it's highly likely that there will be more Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies coming out soon. Hopefully, they aren't met with the same internet anger that Charlie Wright had to face with the "Not My Rodrick" meme.