If you’re reading this, it means you’ve almost made it through 2025. Congratulations! This was a wild one for sure, loaded with oddities and trends and everything in between. There were so many surprises that when it came time to compile this curated highlight reel, it was tough to choose. We’re talking mega-moments likeKendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance (hello there, Serena Williams!), Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jeans ad (keep an eye out for the brand’s newest face, Martha Stewart), the much-anticipated second half of Wicked (not as good as the first movie, IMO) and Carrie Bradshaw’s last sentence courtesy of And Just Like That (we really will miss seeing you on the reg, SJP). Spoiler alert: Those moments didn’t even make the final cut.
The year also went by in a blur. Between the 24/7 news cycle and the ephemeral loop of social media, it’s a challenge to just remember what fun zeitgeist-y thing happened in the universe yesterday … let alone in January. (Hint: Meghan Markle returned to Instagram and announced her own Netflix series, and Nikki Glaser successfully hosted her first Golden Globes.) So let’s count a little bit beyond 6-7, and go down memory lane! Here are the 13 most talked-about pop culture moments of 2025, in chronological order.
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1. The world goes gaga for Labubu
The year’s accessory of choice was not a Chanel bag. Instead, the kooky monster-faced plushies—designed by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung and sold in sealed packages called “blind boxes”—became a coveted must-get. Unofficially, the craze started after Lisa (i.e., Lalisa Manobal) of the K-pop girl group Blackpink mentioned her “secret obsession” with the Pop Mart collectibles in a December 2024 video interview with Vanity Fair watched by more than 3 million people and counting. OG influencer Kim Kardashian then shared her own collection via Instagram in April. By the end of the year, the Labubu was so popular, it had its own float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and a potential feature film in the works at Sony. Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch Kids must be so jealous!
2. Beyoncé finally wins the big one
Though Beyoncé had racked up more Grammys than any music artist ever, she had never won the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year. The oversight was so glaring that her husband, Jay-Z, publicly called out the Recording Academy at the 2024 show for having never recognized her. But at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in February, Beyonce finally triumphed for her country music–tinged work, Cowboy Carter—beating out Charli XCX, Jacob Collier, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, André 300 and Sabrina Carpenter for the award.
“I just feel very full and very honored. It’s been many, many years,” said the superstar, who accepted the trophy with daughter Blue Ivy Carter by her side. “And I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work.”
3. The White Lotus gives new meaning to “brotherly love”
By now, viewers of the Emmy-winning, buzzy smash The White Lotus are accustomed to crazy hijinks amid the ultra-lush scenery. For Season 3, set in Thailand, a revenge killing that resulted in three deaths was basically an afterthought compared to what happened on a yacht during a wild Full Moon party. In the sixth episode (which aired in March), it’s revealed through hazy flashbacks that well-to-do North Carolina brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lachlan (Sam Nivola) engaged in a threesome with a model named Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). “God, I don’t think there’s a drug in the world that would make me get with my brother,” shocked friend Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) tells Saxon the morning after.
BTW, creator/writer/director Mike White is headed to France for Season 4. We are so there!
4. Katy Perry launches into space—and crashes back down to Earth
Astro-not? Thanks to billionaire Jeff Bezos’s private space company Blue Origin, Perry and her crewmates—including Bezos’s now wife, Lauren Sanchez, and CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King—zoomed up beyond the Earth’s atmosphere in April and experienced zero gravity. But social media users and celebrities such as Olivia Munn and Emily Ratajkowski blasted the 11-minute mission for being more of a tone-deaf luxury ride than an actual scientific achievement. And Perry was singled out for calling herself an “astronaut” and playing her own music in space.
The pop star addressed the scandal on a fan page weeks later: “I take it with grace and send them love, cause I know so many people are hurting in so many ways and the internet is very much so a dumping ground for the unhinged and healed.”
5. The new pope is an American!
In terms of a third-act twist, 2024’s Conclave had nothing on what happened in the Vatican in May. For the first time in history, an American was elected to head the worldwide Catholic Church. Born Robert Frances Prevost, the 69-year-old former cardinal bishop is now known around the world as Pope Leo XIV. Still, this is a pope who went to Villanova University, loves his hometown Chicago White Sox (and even attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series), has a weakness for deep-dish pizza, plays Wordle and admitted to watching the 2024 Oscar-winning drama Conclave during the actual papal conclave. In November, he met with movie stars and directors, including Cate Blanchett and Spike Lee and urged them to continue their work as “pilgrims of the imagination.”
6. KPop Demon Hunters rule the school
Sorry, Superman: The hit film of the year was an animated kids’ fantasy adventure about a K-pop trio that defends the human world from demons through their catchy pop music. Since its release in June, KPop Demon Hunters has earned the title of most-watched Netflix film of all time with nearly 300 million views. The sing-along version popped up in theaters in August and finished with a strong $18 million gross at the box office—even though it was still available to stream at home! Plus, in a historic first, a whopping four songs from the flick placed on the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, with “Golden” ranking at No. 1. As of October, it still placed at the top of the Movie Songs Chart.
7. The kiss cam causes a hot mess at the Coldplay concert
This wouldn’t have happened at Coachella. During a Coldplay concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in July, two concertgoers were thrust into the harsh spotlight after an infamous appearance on the “kiss cam” jumbotron. In the viral clip (which has amassed more than 100 million views!), a man and woman immediately leap out of their close embrace and duck out of view, prompting Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to astutely note from the stage, “Uh-oh, what? They’re having an affair or they’re just very shy.” Days later, Internet sleuths ID’ed the pair as Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s chief people officer, Kristin Cabot. (Both were reportedly married at the time and soon resigned.) The brouhaha hit a cultural nerve, spawning hilarious reenactments—notably via the Philadelphia Phillies mascots—as well as an Astronomer ad featuring Martin’s ex, Gwyneth Paltrow.
8. Taylor and Travis get engaged
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After soooo many lovers, she finally found her fiancé. In August, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement via a joint Instagram post and a simply glorious caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” (The post has more than 37 million likes.) The Kansas City Chiefs tight end proposed to Swift in a custom-built garden at his home in Missouri with a diamond ring—estimated to be 10 carats with an 18k yellow-gold band—that he designed. “I’m living on a high,” Kelce told reporters following the news.
Prior to the engagement, the couple of two years opened up about their relationship when Swift guested on the New Heights podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother, Jason. Two words: sourdough bread.
9. Belly chooses Conrad on The Summer I Turned Pretty
Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? The Summer I Turned Pretty fans get it. In fact, we haven’t been so attached to the messy configuration of a TV love triangle since Gilmore Girls. Quick recap: Though Belly (Lola Tung) started Season 3 enmeshed in a relationship with Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), she called off the wedding after a late-night love confession from fellow childhood pal Conrad (Christopher Briney). In the messy aftermath, she fled to Paris and started a new chapter (with a new haircut!). But during the series’ grand finale (which aired in September on Prime Video), Conrad shows up in Paris, and the two end up together. “Conrad, I choose you, of my own free will,” Belly tells him. “If there are infinite worlds, every version of me chooses you, in every one of them.” (Surely the “Peach Scene” was a deciding factor?)
Belly’s big dilemma led to a heated debate among viewers—complete with memes and celebrity weigh-ins. For the record, activist Malala Sousafzai and TikTok star Alix Earle preferred Conrad; Taylor Lautner and Lizzo picked Jeremiah. The TSITP movie can’t come soon enough!
10. Jimmy Kimmel is taken off the air
Amid the late-night-comedy universe, this was no laughing matter. ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air in September following a controversial monologue in which he talked about the man who killed conservative Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, and the right-wing reaction to Kirk’s murder. The decision came hours after Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to act against ABC and its parent company, Disney, over the remarks.
After a public outcry from both sides of the aisle about First Amendment rights, Kimmel returned to the air roughly a week later. In his first show back on Sept. 22, the host explained his side of the story and apologized. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said, getting choked up. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
11. There’s a heist at the Louvre
Sacré bleu! In October, a gang of thieves dressed as workers in bright vests and wielding power tools broke through the world’s most trafficked museum in broad daylight on a Sunday and stole $102 million worth of valuable jewelry—including a tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, and an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from Empress Marie Louise. How could this happen? To start, according to a museum employee, the password to the famed Paris museum’s video surveillance system was—wait for it—”Louvre.” (We humbly suggest the Louvre’s security team read our article on how to create good passwords.) The robbers were also able to make a quick getaway via electic scooters.
By late November, four men, all part of a criminal gang, had been arrested for the crime. However, as of press time, the jewels had yet to be recovered.
12. A legendary leading lady dies
This was the year we said goodbye to icons such as Robert Redford, Val Kilmer, Giorgio Armani, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. But when news broke in October that Diane Keaton had died at the age of 79, it felt like an emotional punch to the gut. During her five-decade career, the Oscar-winning actress (also a director and author) had reached national-treasure status thanks to indelible performances in diverse classics from The Godfather to Annie Hall to Reds to Baby Boom to Something’s Gotta Give. She was also a unique force off-screen, always staying true to herself with her expressive artistic style and warm, witty attitude.
Let’s give Keaton the final word. As she wrote in her 2014 memoir, Then Again, “If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, does that mean mirrors are a waste of time?”
13. Robert Irwin quicksteps his way to victory on Dancing with the Stars
King of the jungle, king of the ballroom. Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old son of beloved Crocodile Hunter conservationist Steve Irwin (who died in 2006), won over fans and the judges on the glittery 20th-anniversary season of Dancing with the Stars and took the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in November. “The vibe is just absolute gratitude,” Irwin, who partnered with Witney Carson, told the Hollywood Reporter after his triumph. “The fact that not only did I get to live out that dream that I’ve had for so long, but also getting to represent what’s so important to me.”
The congenial Irwin, who has continued his father’s work by promoting wildlife at home in Australia and around the world, was a favorite from the get-go thanks to his jungle-themed jive. Even Prince William chimed in on one episode to wish him well! Irwin also made DWTS hoofing history: His older sister, Bindi, won it all in 2015.
We can only hope 2026 will be just as action-packed. (Phew!)
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Sources:
- Variety: “Katy Perry Says She’s Been ‘Battered and Bruised’ by Backlash: The Internet Is a ‘Dumping Ground for Unhinged and Unhealed’”
- Variety: “Box Office: Netflix’s ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Leads with Estimated $18 Million Debut, ‘Weapons’ Stays Strong with $15.6 Million”
- Us Weekly: “Celebrities Reveal Whether They Are Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah From ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’”
- YouTube: “Jenny Han Says ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Movie Script Is Done”
- ABC News: “Password to Louvre’s video surveillance system was ‘Louvre’, according to employee”
- Hollywood Reporter: “‘Dancing with the Stars’ Was the ‘Dream’ Robert Irwin ‘Always Knew’ It Would Be”
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