Brain Rock Replaced With Tribute to Smiling Friends

It has been almost a month since the creators of the Adult Swim TV Series “Smiling Friends” announced that the show would come to an abrupt end. Billions weeped on February 25th, 2026, when the creators decided to end the show early due to burnout, just after the show was greenlit for two more seasons.

The world has entered what seems to be an eternal period of mourning, a never-ending sorrow with no outlet or relief from the pain. White people everywhere live in agony as they are forced to watch old MoistCritikal videos while eating dinner instead of the newest Smiling Friends episode.

At the University of Iowa, some students took it upon themselves to display their grief, replacing the famed “brain rock” sculpture with a replica of the Smiling Friends headquarters.

The University of Iowa claims to have had nothing to do with this drastic change, but they welcome this wonderful tribute with open arms.

“Everyone in my department has been so down since the cancellation of Smiling Friends. Academic advisors somehow found a way to be even less helpful, they’re so depressed. They’re actually harming students and pushing their course selection date even later,” An anonymous UI staff member tells us.

“Instead of peeing on the brain rock and leaving piss stains on the concrete, people will gather at the Smiling Friends tribute to pour one out, connect with loved ones, process this loss, and most importantly, smile. Everyone at Iowa fully supports the replacement of the brain rock.”

We decided to ask some students on campus how their lives have changed since the announcement, and what they think of the new tribute on campus.

“I haven’t gotten out of bed since smiling friends ended. I don’t know if I can even grin anymore, let alone smile. When will the darkness end?” Says one student, going by the name Mr. Napkin.

When we informed Mr. Napkin of the new Smiling Friends tribute that took the place of the brain rock, he immediately left the interview to “pray at the altar of the Friends” and mumbled something about making a pilgrimage to the site.

“The ending affected me because I really liked that little pink guy and was hoping he’d start living a happy life,” Maria the 2st (pronounced “the toost”) explains.

“The other guys kinda freaked me out, but that doesn’t mean they had to die.”

We reminded Maria the 2st that they aren’t actually killing the characters, just no longer creating episodes of the show, but she refused to comment any further.

In a world full of sadness and frowns, the Smiling Friends tribute continues to be a symbol of hope and healing for Iowa students.