Today is Ed Balls Day, an annual day on which Twitter users come together to celebrate an iconic social-media moment.
It’s a day to mark a blunder from 2011 that has continued to make social-media users chuckle for more than a decade —and nobody is more in on the joke than Ed Balls himself.
But what happened on April 28 and why is it Ed Balls Day?
Why is April 28 Ed Balls Day?
On April 28, 2011, former MP Ed Balls tweeted out “Ed Balls”, leading many to believe he was trying to search for his own name on Twitter, but accidentally posted it instead.
Twitter users were delighted with the gaffe, and affectionately declared April 28 “Ed Balls Day”.
Ed Balls
— Ed Balls (@edballs) April 28, 2011
Rather than delete his mistake, Balls left the tweet up, and it is still online 12 years later. At the time of writing, the tweet has more than 111,000 likes and has been retweeted more than 118,000 times.
Balls himself is well in on the joke and has been tweeting “Ed Balls” on this day for the past few years.
In 2021, on the 10th anniversary of the blunder, he tweeted: “Ed Balls #10LongYears”.
Ed Balls #10LongYears pic.twitter.com/T4rubBUUK8
— Ed Balls (@edballs) April 28, 2021
Every year on this date, Twitter users share jokes and memes, and often tweet their own names in Ed Balls’s honour.
This twitter user took to the platform this morning to share an Ed Balls Day message:
Wishing the happiest of Ed Balls Days to you all. May it bring you all the joy you deserve. Now, more than ever, as we go through difficult times, it's important to remember the true meaning of this wondrous day.#EdBallsDay #EdBalls pic.twitter.com/mAe0vYlcUe
— Ben Marsh (@BenMarshUK) April 28, 2023
Reaction on last year’s Ed Balls Day 2022
Last year as normal, others enjoyed jumping on the bandwagon. Labour MP Wes Streeting said: “#EdBallsDay seems to get earlier each year…” and shared a GIF of Ball on the BBC show Celebrity Best Home Cook.
#EdBallsDay seems to get earlier each year… pic.twitter.com/JQMek8ALPu
— Wes Streeting MP (@wesstreeting) April 28, 2022
BBC journalist Alistair Coleman said: “It’s #EdBallsDay and Father Ballsmas has been!” and shared a photo of fruit-scented toys advertised as “smelly balls”.
It’s #EdBallsDay and Father Ballsmas has been! pic.twitter.com/2hA5AT7tOj
— Alistair Coleman (@alistaircoleman) April 28, 2022
Journalist Kate Bevan said: “It’s the best holiday of the year!! Happy #EdBallsDay to those who celebrate, and especially to [Kamahl Santamaria]!!”
It's the best holiday of the year!! Happy #EdBallsDay to those who celebrate, and especially to @KamahlOnTV !! pic.twitter.com/ASNZEZcw0j
— Kate Bevan (@katebevan) April 28, 2022
Poet Brian Bilston even wrote a poem to celebrate the occasion.
Happy Ed Balls Day to you. #EdBallsDay pic.twitter.com/V3M3PDsCPT
— Brian Bilston (@brian_bilston) April 28, 2022
Who is Ed Balls?
Ed Balls is a writer, broadcaster, economist, and former politician, who served as Secretary of State for Children, Schools, and Families and as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.
He was a Labour MP from 2005 until 2015.
Balls is married to Yvette Cooper, an MP who is currently serving as Shadow Home Secretary. They have three children.
