“I’d Be Laughing”: Proposal Prank on McDonald’s Staff Humours South Africans

• A local woman shared a TikTok video of how she and a man pranked staff members at a McDonald's restaurant
• The man got down on one knee to propose to the woman, and her answer left many people in disbelief
• Some social media users were quite amused, while others weren't aware that it was all a prank

A couple pranked the staff members at a McDonald's restaurant in Johannesburg by carrying out a fake proposal. The woman's answer to the man left a cloud of awkwardness hanging in the air.

On 6 January 2026, TikTok user @maybelin_in uploaded a video showing how she and the man sat at a table, which the staff approached with a tray of ice cream. The man then got down on one knee, leaving the prankster in 'shock.' The staff members shouted and jumped with joy; however, the woman didn't seem as joyful. She shook her head no and walked away from the kneeling man, leaving many people stunned and begging her to say yes.

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Watch the TikTok video posted on @maybelin_in's account below:

Internet reacts to fake proposal at McDonald's

Several members of the online community gathered in the comment section, with some people still believing that the proposal was real.

@tt_leg, who was one of the believers, said:

"I find this to be very disrespectful. I'm very proud of you, my sister. Do not propose to someone in public if you haven't had a conversation to see if there's consensus regarding marriage and a timeframe."

@tho_bilee7 confessed in the comments:

"Sorry to say, but I'd be laughing my lungs out."

@kumaranpillay1 stated with laughter:

"Try KFC, maybe she will say yes."

@kegno3 heard the staff beg and wrote:

"'Say yes, please?' Are they going to be in the marriage with you?"

@mgdlomtd jokingly remarked:

"That's after he bought her a Happy Meal."

3 Other stories about pranks

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a TikTok prank involving AI imagery led to the police being called.
• Taxi passengers were left stunned when a prankster pretended to speak to a tokoloshe, creating a mix of fear and laughter.
• A young woman admitted that she had taken a prank too far when she told her parents about a strange man in the house.

Source: Briefly News