A mega-viral argument over a $4,600 dinner bill has sparked heated debate about how you're supposed

• A TikToker said he was asked to split the cost of a $4,600 birthday dinner bill in a viral video.
• The clip prompted a huge online debate, with thousands of users arguing about who should have paid.
• Many questioned whether the scene was real or just a controversial skit designed to generate views.

A video that appeared to show a group of diners arguing about splitting the check for an expensive meal blew up on TikTok and prompted a massive online debate — but some users say the drama may have been fabricated for views.

On Monday, a TikToker who goes by Viccgotti posted a video of diners arguing whether they should split the cost of a birthday meal.

"I'm only paying for what's on the check, I'm not splitting the bill," Viccgotti, whose real name is Victor Christian, could be heard saying at the start of the video. Christian and another diner said they should only pay for what they had eaten, but others at the table argued they should split the cost.

In the caption of the video, which received more than 13.5 million views, Christian wrote that the bill came to $4,600 and appealed to his viewers to ask who was wrong.

For further context, he uploaded a longer version of the argument the same day, which received 3.1 million views. The new video appeared to show one of the guests saying that she shouldn't have to pay because it was her birthday. Christian argued that the bill should have been divided based on who ordered what — and that since he and another attendee didn't drink, they should be exempt from paying for the expensive liquor bottles ordered that evening.

Many viewers agreed that the TikToker was right and that the diners should only be expected to pay for what they had ordered. As one commenter put it, "Why pay 500$ when I only ate a 20$ salad???"

Others said it would've been a nice gesture to cover the cost of the birthday girl's dinner. And a third faction suggested the birthday girl had a responsibility to pay for everyone at the table because she had presumably invited them to begin with.

Some said the whole thing could have been avoided if they had communicated properly beforehand. "Yall should've had that established before sitting down," one viewer pointed out in a comment that received more than 21,600 likes.

The heated debate soon spread to Twitter, where the clip was reshared the same day by the user @shannonsharpeee and racked up a further 15.9 million views as well as 8,500 quote tweets. Viewers echoed similar points made on TikTok and asked why people couldn't just pay for their own food. But others suggested the whole thing was fake.

"We probably did maybe over exaggerate a little bit for camera," Christian told Insider, but insisted they did really argue over the topic while dining, and said he personally contributed $24.58 for his own meal, which he said he paid in cash and was therefore unable to provide a receipt for Insider to verify. He added the meal took place at the MCK Restaurant and Bar in Atlanta, Georgia, who did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a further update posted to TikTok Christian said he was shocked by how the video had blown up and he had stuck to his guns and only paid for his food but ended up ruining his friendship with one of the diners whom he'd known since the third grade.

Viccgotti has 1.4 million followers on TikTok and has posted multiple videos in the past that present a divisive topic before appealing to viewers to ask who was in the wrong. 

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

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