It all started during Taylor Swift’s eras tour when Travis Kelce attempted to covertly pass his phone number to her via a friendship bracelet. While he didn’t get a chance then, Taylor Swift got word of this through a podcast featuring Kelce and accepted his invitation to attend one of his Chiefs games.
The relationship that blossomed has been a joy to millions of Swifties across the nation, but for die-hard football fans, and let’s face it – haters - it’s a relationship that has detracted from the game. But perhaps they just haven’t accepted that this is Taylor’s world now, and we are all just supporting players in it.
Rihanna gave an unforgettable performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, which was also the most-watched halftime show ever. Its broadcast attracted 121 million viewers, narrowly beating Katy Perry’s previously-held record.
Her pregnancy didn’t stop her from dressing her best and giving the performance of a lifetime to a huge stadium of football fans and television viewers nationwide. She gave it her all, and it paid off - while also showing moms they don't have to give up being cool.
The richest man in the world, Elon Musk, known for his successes like Telsa, has also had a history of putting his foot in his mouth and making terrible decisions that have not paid off.
Displeased with censorship surrounding the Twitterverse, Musk decided to buy the company and make it his own, even changing the name to X. Ultimately, he ran Twitter into the ground. As a result, the social media platform has lost millions of users.
Barbenheimer was the cinematic event of 2023. On July 21st, two of the biggest films of the year were released on the very same day: Oppenheimer and Barbie. And while they were both perceived to offer an exceedingly different experience, the films both made some pretty profound statements on American culture and politics.
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the flood of memes that transpired, blending the two films through AI art, fan-made posters, and other digital creations. The phenomenon became known as Barbenheimer, and we all embraced it with open arms. Undoubtedly, it may have made those films even that much bigger.
Scandoval, also known as the Vanderpump Rules cheating scandal, was one of the biggest moments of television in 2023, involving Tom Sandoval of the Bravo series Vanderpump Rules. The scandal alleged that Sandoval was cheating on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix, with another star on the show, Raquel Leviss.
While the reality show primarily focused on relationship struggles, fans were nonetheless shocked to learn of the affair and all of the juicy details that followed. Sandoval later confirmed the affair, more or less, through a long-winded statement he made through Entertainment Tonight.
Early in 2023, news of a high-altitude balloon from China entering American airspace made waves. The U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon somewhere off the coast of South Carolina. Officials claimed that the balloon contained spy equipment.
While nothing was done about the balloon in terms of diplomacy, it increased tensions between China and the United States. The balloon, of course, and the intelligence-gathering equipment inside were not returned.
In August 2023, Donald Trump finally got his comeuppance when it came to election fraud. On August 24th, he was indicted on charges of racketeering and other related charges. The result was this infamous mugshot that, while Trump fans thought was cool, to everyone else, it was probably the most honest photo of Trump ever taken.
The internet was bawling with laughter, taking to the comment sections and resharing it just about everywhere. The Associated Press called it an "enduring image that will appear in history books long after Donald Trump is gone."
George Santos spent a relatively short time as a U.S. Representative, compared to other congressional members, serving from January to December of 2023. But upon getting elected, new information came out that the LGBT Republican congressman was not what he seemed.
George Santos was indicted for defrauding campaign donors by having them contribute to a limited liability company under his control. On top of that, during the Covid pandemic, he had allegedly been collecting unemployment insurance benefits when he was not, in fact, unemployed. On top of that, he faced further charges of fraud, theft, money laundering, and conspiracy – among other things. By December, he was expelled from Congress.
The OceanGate controversy was easily one of the most tragic and bizarre news events to come out in 2023. The OceanGate scandal involved a group of five billionaires trapped in a submarine that went missing somewhere in the Atlantic after venturing into the depths of the ocean to view the wreckage of the infamous Titanic.
Experts deemed the submersible craft unsafe, but the company nonetheless utilized and operated it using a video game controller. And the billionaires didn't seem to care either way. The internet, of course, had a field day with this, with dozens of viral memes and very dark jokes made about the incident. The craft was never found and is believed to have imploded.
Henry Kissinger was an infamous figure during the much-maligned Vietnam War. Serving as the secretary of state and national security advisor for Nixon and Ford, he was known for his controversial policies, including the fire bombings of Cambodia and the countless civilian lives lost as a result of his policies.
Many waited for this moment, and in 2023, it finally happened – Kissinger bit the dust. The internet collectively rejoiced to be living in a world without Henry Kissinger.
In 2023, we sadly lost someone we care about, too. Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles residence. The cause was later revealed to have been linked to the acute effects of substances found in his blood.
He was just 54 years old but had persevered through years of alcohol and substance addiction. But in that time, he made us laugh for many years, too. Now, he’s finally at rest but leaves a pop culture legacy behind and words of wisdom for millions also suffering from addiction.
When Bud Light chose transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for their new ad campaigns, it was not met with the reaction they expected. Instead, the Dylan Mulvaney/Bud Light campaign prompted some swift backlash from the far right.
Because of the Bud Light boycott, sales of the popular beer dropped by around 10.5% for some time, but thanks to short-term collective memory, the boycott has mostly ended. Musician Kid Rock, who was one celebrity calling for a boycott of the brand, said of Bud Light, “They deserved a black eye, and they got one.”
In part, thanks to moments like NSYNC reuniting at the MTV Music Video Awards and Britney Spears dropping her tell-all book, The Woman in Me, there’s been a resurgence in Y2K nostalgia, including some of the most iconic fashion elements from the era.
Low-rise jeans, ballet flats, nameplate necklaces, trucker hats, denim skirts, cargo pants, studded belts, butterfly clips, and so much more have made a comeback this year, having everyone aching for the past – as difficult as it is to call it that.
Standup comedian Matt Rife became a TikTok sensation, having garnered over 18 million followers on the social media platform to date. After having made plenty of laughs with the frat-boy-style humor shown in his TikTok clips and even selling out shows upon announcing his tour in 2023, many were excited to hear he was finally getting his own stand-up show on Netflix.
However, lauded most for crowd work depicted in his TikTok clips, many were unsure of his actual standup talents. For many, the Netflix special in question, Matt Rife: Natural Selection, had confirmed their concerns. While some enjoyed the material, it holds just an 18% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
And finally, 2023 was the year of tumblers. Thanks to the successful marketing of YETI and Stanley, both companies came out with tumblers that broke the internet. Clearly, needing reasons to get psyched up about water consumption, these cups had people going into a frenzy to collect them.
At first, the 35oz YETI tumbler was the hottest thing in 2023 until the 40oz Stanley cup made waves. Selling for a whopping $45, the Stanley Cup is just as expensive as the YETI cup, and it’s pretty much the same thing – but yeah, if you don’t have a Stanley Cup, you’re just not cool. Sorry.
