You know those elderly family members who always try to kiss you on the cheek without warning? That's basically what Zelensky’s kiss on Nancy Pelosi’s cheek reminded us of. Seemingly, the kiss was given with good intentions, but it was so out of the blue—surely this isn't proper protocol?
The public’s reactions were divided–some viewed Zelensky’s kiss with surprise, while others praised it and saw it as a show of gratitude. The Ukrainian President was expressing his thanks to the U.S. for their support, so it’s most likely the kiss was to show his appreciation. But Pelosi’s stunned, hesitant reaction is cringy enough to make you flinch as if you were witnessing it firsthand.
If you’ve heard a laugh that is bold, contagious, and haunting your nightmares, then it’s probably Kamala laughing about coconuts. Harris’s coconut spiel became an internet meme, and it recently gained more coverage after Biden pulled out of the election. Out of context, Harris’s coconut tree quote is so absurd and strange that it will make you cringe from one state to the next.
Why is a politician talking about coconuts, of all things? While her meme depicted her speech as something to laugh at, what wasn’t shown was her true meaning. Harris reiterated what her mother used to tell her and followed her coconut tree line with an important message: that our lives aren’t linear, and instead, we’re made by those who came before us and the communities in which we live. Despite the intricate and intellectual message of Harris’s speech, her coconut meme is worthy of putting you into a laughing fit.
Bernie Sanders…like the rest of us, yes, he gets chilly from time to time. I’m sure we’ve all seen the meme with Bernie wearing a mask, bundled up, arms crossed, and mittens ready to warm his fragile hands. Bernie was attending Joe Biden’s inauguration, but the important event couldn’t distract the U.S. senator from the biting weather. Relatable!
The patterned mittens made Bernie an internet meme. His photograph was placed in several contexts, such as on the bench next to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump or with a line accompanying his photo: “This could have been an email.” Whether the photograph makes you cringe or laugh, you have to admit that Bernie’s mittens look cozy and fashionable.
Probably one of the most embarrassing things a politician can say or do is mistake a ruthlessly brutal police force for a delicious, cold soup. We’re all simultaneously laughing, cringing, and shaking our heads in disappointment. The Republican Congresswoman mixed up the German 1930-40s era secret police force, the Gestapo, with the Spanish soup Gazpacho.
Maybe Greene skipped lunch and was thinking about what she would eat for dinner. Her gaffe sparked an onslaught of hilarious jokes, and the media turned the Congresswoman’s grave mistake into an internet pun. The “Gazpacho Police” is so cringeworthy and ridiculous that you can’t help but laugh at Greene while also getting a craving for the yummy soup.
It’s always a bit awkward and unfortunate when a person falls. You get hit with different reactions and emotions: to laugh, cringe, help them, or wonder if they’re injured enough to need to call medical assistance. Seeing the video of Joe Biden falling off his bike induces the same messy, indistinguishable reactions.
You get secondhand embarrassment from Biden’s fall, and the video never fails to put a look of pure cringe on people's faces. To further the embarrassment, after Biden’s fall, he gets up and says, “I’m good.” Don’t get us wrong, we’re happy the former president didn’t get injured, but we can imagine the deadpan silence after his remark; it’s honestly painful to think about.
You’re probably wondering why a former British Prime Minister and a head of lettuce are in the same context, and the story is comical yet ludicrous that it makes you question what politics has come to. The Economist stated that Truss’s term was “roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce,” and this simple string of words started a race of hilarious longevity. The Daily Star came up with the idea to dress a head of lettuce with a blond wig, googly eyes, and a fake mouth, set up a webcam, and start a clock to see who/what would last longer.
To Truss’s humiliation and the media’s amusement, the lettuce came out victorious. Being compared to a wilting head of lettuce as a Prime Minister is so embarrassing that it exceeds all forms of humiliation, even falling in front of a crowd. Honestly, we would have crawled into a hole and accepted our fate of wilting away like a head of lettuce.
You would think the most humiliating thing a person could experience is falling in front of your crush or waving at someone who was actually waving at the person behind you. But I think Elon takes the cake for experiencing one of the most embarrassing and cringeworthy things. Elon released a poll that asked Twitter users to vote if he should stay the CEO or drop from the position…and that did not go in his favor whatsoever. According to NBC News, 57.5% of the votes were in favor of Musk stepping down, while 42.5% of voters opted for him to stay.
It looks like Elon had a little too much confidence in himself! He posted the poll stating that he would abide by the results, but it looks like his ego was a little too high and far too big. He probably thought the media liked the idea of him becoming CEO of Twitter, but oh boy, was he wrong. All I have to say is, you’ve made your bed, now lie in it.
We all know about the assassination attempt of the former president at his Pennsylvania rally on July 13. Trump left with an injury to his ear, and when he appeared at the Republican National Convention following his near-death experience, his right ear was adorned with a bandage.
It seems Republicans wanted to join Trump in his recovery and collectively decided to wear bandages on their ears. Perhaps they wanted to show their support and sympathy for their former president, but doesn’t the notion seem inconsiderate—or even almost mocking? Whatever the intentions may be, the fact the bandages look like toilet paper or women’s pads on their faces is enough to make anyone cringe at the sight.
During a winter storm, you’re probably dreaming of warm weather, the sunshine on your skin, and waves crashing against the ocean shore. Ted Cruz definitely was and didn’t let anyone or anything stop him from leaving his people stranded in Texas, amidst the winter disaster and outages. He saw his opportunity to go to Cancun, put a pep in his step, and flew to the warm destination.
Cruz failed to see past his selfish instincts and didn’t see how inconsiderate he was acting, but the public didn’t let him get away with his decision. There was an outcry the following day, and Cruz said that it was a mistake (he later blamed his daughter for wanting to spend spring break there). But are we really believing that story? The whole ordeal is cringeworthy enough that no Democrat or Republican had much remorse for the U.S. senator.
Whew! Did you feel that warm rush of wind blow by? It must have been RFK Jr. It appears instead of competent thoughts and ideas, his campaign consists of hot air and loud flatulence. Honestly, what was he thinking? Was the argument and chaos of the testimony too much for his stomach that he had to let one loose? Was it the worms?
The juxtaposition of the situation is striking: you have an important event where the host of the event and an art critic are arguing and insulting each other while RFK Jr sits back, watches, and decides that yelling “I’m farting!” and letting out some hot air was the best strategy. It looks like intelligence and common sense were devoid among these men. The whole room was stunned after RFK Jr’s exclamation, and for good reason, the public was taken aback as well—and we weren’t even there to smell it!
You know, Giuliani, hair dye is supposed to create the illusion of healthy, fully colored hair. Not announce to everyone that you’re balding and losing your color. Maybe Giuliani didn’t get the memo, or he didn’t apply it correctly. Realistically, the hair dye was probably clinging desperately to the last strands of hair on his head but failed.
At a press conference a couple of years ago, Giuliani spewed such nonsense and made false accusations that his hair dye was trying to flee. Not even an inanimate object could tolerate him. It looks like Giuliani got so passionate that he overexerted himself and sweat through his hair dye. This was all unbeknownst to him, and while Giuliani was thinking to himself that he was top stuff, the media and viewers were turning him into a laughingstock and cringing at this whole ordeal.
Love the new look, Matt! Ironically, Matt Gaetz is famously against drag, but at the Republican National Convention, he looked ready to walk down Ru Paul's runway. Gaetz appeared at the convention with a suspiciously tight face, a bright orange tan and bronzer for a perfect summer glow, and cartoon villain eyebrows.
Social media saw his new appearance and didn’t hold back. Hilarious jokes circulated, with a few praising his “plastic surgeon.” Matt probably left the dressing room thinking people were going to love whatever speech he decided to make, but to his mortification, they saw how different and strange he looked. The only option was to use his own words against him. As Claudia Conway said, “[We] thought Matt Gaetz was against drag, but it looks like he’s warmed up to it.”
Flies are literal spawns from the underworld and nothing but nuisances, but perhaps this time, we can all agree this one fly is our saving grace. Mike Pence and Kamala Harris were having a heated debate when a fly casually landed on Pence’s head. The moment is so hilarious that I can’t help but picture the fly singing a whimsy tune of “la, la, la,” minding its business and seeing Pence’s head as the perfect landing station.
While the fly fiasco is hysterical as an internet meme, it’s also cringy—but only for Mike Pence. The Vice President wasn’t aware of the bug-eyed insect resting on his head, so for two minutes, Pence debated with a creepy crawly keeping him company. The sight was great for the public's amusement, and you couldn’t help but cringe thinking if you were in that position. If you’re still cringing and going into fits of laughter, funnily enough, you can buy a Mike Pence fly bobblehead!
They make a lovely couple, don’t they? One Twitter, or X, user jokingly claimed that JD Vance and his couch had some intimate relations, citing a few pages from the first edition of Vance’s book Hillbilly Elegy. Although there’s no evidence of Vance doing anything questionable with a couch besides sitting on one, the joke had left its mark.
Memes surfaced of Vance fantasizing about getting his hands on some furniture, and the internet is having a blast with it. The candidate for Trump’s Vice President has tried to save face, but all his efforts are doing is making us cringe. Your excuses are getting you nowhere, Vance! And AP taking down their article in his defense doesn't help the matter, either.
When you've used all the dance moves in your arsenal, there's always a simple one we can rely on–the pump dance, aka simply putting your hands in the air and pumping like there’s no tomorrow. Trump took this simple yet effective dance move and showed the world his moves…or should I say lack of?
I’m sure Trump thought he did something with his little dance, and the Republicans at the conference were living for the former president’s dance moves, but that can’t be said for everyone. I’m sure Trump was having a blast, but from an outside perspective, you can’t help but see his pump dance as something your annoying uncle or the grandpa who always tries to embarrass you would do.
