You're fired!

For the 1919 film, see You're Fired (film). For television spinoff of the UK version of The Apprentice, see The Apprentice: You're Fired!

"You're fired!" is an informal exclamation commonly associated with an employer informing the employee of his or her dismissal, an involuntary termination of employment for a reason and or reasons often perceived to be the fault of the employee.

Catchphrase

The exclamation is popularly associated with the following people as their catchphrase:

• Vince McMahon, an American professional wrestling promoter and the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, who utters the line in a raspy voice as part of a wrestling angle when "terminating" one of his wrestling personalities of his or her job or when threatening to do so. This was later used by Eric Bischoff, and finally Paul Heyman.
• Cosmo Spacely, the fictional chief executive of Spacely Sprockets and boss to George Jetson from the animated TV series The Jetsons. Usually said with much bluster whenever Mr. Spacely is really annoyed with his employee, and prefixed with "JETSON!!..."
• Mr. Slate, a fictional character and boss to Fred Flintstone, from the animated TV series The Flintstones, at a construction company where he works. Usually said with much bluster whenever Mr. Slate is really annoyed with his employee, and prefixed with "FLINTSTONE!!..."
• Private Eye, a British satirical magazine, which has the editor use the phrase at the end of articles spoofing lazy or repetitive journalism: (You're fired. Ed.)
• Benson, a fictional anthropomorphic gumball machine in Cartoon Network's Regular Show, who shouts the line with much anger whenever he's threatening the show's main characters, Mordecai and Rigby, who work as groundskeepers at a park under his supervision.
• Vice Principal Crubbs, a character on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, uses this phrase often when he's mad at Gordy, the School's Janitor. The most common variation that he uses is "GORDY! YOU'RE FIRED!"

The phrase is also well-known for eliminating candidates on the Mark Burnett Productions and FremantleMedia programme The Apprentice worldwide:

• • Donald Trump, on the U.S. version of the show
  • Lord Alan Sugar, on the UK version of the show
  • Tony Fernandes, on the Asian version of the show