How Can You Respond to “Show Me the Receipts”?


“Show me the receipts!”


If you’re still lost, don’t worry. We’ll go over the origin of the phrase, as well as what it means to show someone receipts. We’ll also show you how to show someone the receipts when or if it’s ever demanded of you.

So, buckle up, and read on!

What Does “Show Me the Receipts!” Mean?

You’re probably thinking that a receipt is something that proves you purchased an item. It’s often itemized, and you get them when shopping or when you go out to eat. You may even be up to your ears in receipts come tax season, especially when you need to write off purchases if you’re self-employed or own your own business.

You’re also probably thinking that a literal paper receipt isn’t exactly what this means. And you’d be right.

Asking someone to show you the receipts is basically asking them to show you proof of something. In a literal sense, you can ask this when you’re claiming items back from work, or when you’re showing the cashier an item that you’re returning.

But when you show someone the receipts in terms of an argument, it means to show them proof. The proof can be a photo, a text message conversation or a video.

The Origin of the Term “Show Me the Receipts”

The very first time anyone demanded to “see the receipts” in popular culture was during a 2002 interview between Whitney Houston and Diane Sawyer.

During the interview, Houston was requested to comment on an allegation that she had a $730,000 per year drug habit.

In response, Houston told Sawyer, “I wanna see the receipts.”

Although this wasn’t what would launch the phrase into popular vernacular, it was still the first time many people had heard it.

Sawyer couldn’t provide the world with the receipts, or undeniable proof that Houston had a $730,000 a year drug habit. As a result, Sawyer ultimately let it go, and no one could say for sure whether the allegations were true.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift, the 2016 Origin of the Current Concept of Receipts

While Whitney Houston may have been the first to demand receipts in popular culture, the idea came out during the famous fight between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. During the public feud, Kim Kardashian showed “the receipts” that Taylor Swift publicly lied about her husband and his song, and the idea was born.

If you’re new to the whole Taylor Swift vs. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West saga, well catch you up to speed as quickly as possible.

Kanye West put out a lyric in the song “Famous” in which talked about wanting to have sex with Taylor Swift and calling her a derogatory and misogynistic name. He also states that he made her famous.

Once the song was released, Swift publicly stated that she had never approved the lyrics to the song. But, Kim Kardashian showed the world “the receipts,” a conversation between Kanye and Swift in which she clearly states that she did approve of the lyrics.

While that’s a very glossed over version of the events, it does give you the gist of the conflict. And, it gives you an idea of how the word “receipts” entered the popular vernacular.

What to Do If Someone Asks You for the Receipts?

“The receipts” can mean a wide variety of things, depending on the situation. In some cases, it could be an incriminating video that shows exactly what you claim about someone. It could be screenshots of a text message conversation. It could be a chain of emails.

“The receipts” are just undeniable proof that someone said or did something that you, or someone else, is claiming.

For example, if you know your friend’s boyfriend is cheating on her and tell her that it’s the case, she may ask for proof. And if you have it, you’ll be “showing her the receipts.” It isn’t always fun to show the receipts, but sometimes it’s necessary.

How Can You Show the Receipts?

If you don’t have an incriminating video, but you have incriminating text messages or emails, you may wonder how you show the receipts.

A popular way to do this is via screenshot. This is a snapshot of the conversation you had between friends or between yourself and the person in question. Taking a screenshot depends on your type of phone or computer. If you use an iPhone or Android, it depends on your model as well, as different generations have different ways to take a photo.

If you have a Mac computer, you can read this website to help you understand how to take a screenshot:

Staying Up-To-Date with Entertainment News

We hope that this article helped you understand the idea behind the demand of, “Show me the receipts.” And if anyone asks you to do so, you know exactly what to do.

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