We get it. You've just been so busy and practically have no time at all for anything these days. Even frivolous pop culture news need to be presented in bite-size portions because who can afford fIvE mInUtEs ReAdInG aN eNtIrE aRtIcLe? You're barely making it through this introduction.
To help you keep up with this fast-paced world and its fast-paced memes, take this summed-up recap of what the kids be talking about this past year. 2024 gave us a healthy serving of beefs, eloquent GenZ brain rot speak, an industry of body positivity turned Ozempic junkies, and cringe personified—Jojo Siwa. Beginning from the most recent, here are your unfortunate signs of the times. Thank you Beyoncé.
Well, this is not the first time we got thirsty for a killer. That's an editorial "we" where by "we" I mean you feral hoes simping over the murder suspect of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. While many are charmed by the unibrow, it's the shooting then leaving on a bikeshare for me. Either way, from green hoodie to burgundy sweater, the dude is having so many moments, it wouldn't be a crime to call him a hit man (HA). Lately, he and fellow felon Diddy allegedly share prison space, and the attorneys for both are apparently spouses. Not sure what to do with that useless bit of information so until the verdict is out, Alexa, cue "Criminal" by Britney Spears.
Press tours seem to be the rage this year; from publicity dressing to just poor publicity [someone enlighten me on the whole Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni saga and why has it still not ended with them (double HA, I'm on a roll)]. This movie adaption of the hit musical has doled out viral moments thanks to its stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo being ultimate theatre school kids. At the peak of their overdone reactions comes this special interview where not only space but also fingers were held. Next time you see someone looking overwhelmed, hit them with that emotional support index clutch.
Of course this one began with eternal IT boy Timothée Chalamet. Possibly because this one was graced by the actor himself, the movement spread across the globe like wildfire. The most notable celebrity contests being new IT boy Paul Mescal, Jimmy O Yang and ol' rat boy Jeremey Allen White (get someone else to explain Hot Rodent Men to you, I can't be doing it all).
The Guardian sums it up best: "The moist, ungovernable hippo combines the aesthetic of a potato and the iron will of a toddler—and her name means ‘bouncy pork’." 10 July 2024 marked the day the human race was blessed the existence of true Brat Girl Moo Deng. The female pygmy hippo was born in a Thai zoo, and her international appeal is best explained by her sigma female energy (i.e. innate sass, for the dinosaurs that roam among us).
TikToker Jools Lebron gets the credit for this catchy phrase of how to be respectful yet "cutesy". Timely, considering how unhinged everyone appears these days. The irony is not lost on us that the person bestowing advice on proper feminine behaviour is someone who was assigned male at birth. Offended? Please, cancelling is so last season.
Another accidental meme queen is Vice President Kamala Harris, not just for not understanding how cloud tech works, but this infamous phrase that is now emblazoned on our minds: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” Which, again ironically, is wild without any context. Fun fact: The speech the line was taken from was actually from the year before. Talk about being unburdened by what has been (someone get the extinguisher YOUR GIRL'S ON FIRE).
A personal favourite because frankly, that level of audacity to believe in yourself is downright inspiring. To be so unapologetically terrible at a sport you're representing your country for that the Olympic committee officially deletes the new category is certainly worthy of worldwide attention. Okay, so the decision to remove breaking was supposedly made prior Rachael Gunn's stellar performance at the 2024 Paris games, but we wouldn't put it past them that the Australian breakdancer and her sick outfit convinced anyone who was on the fence. It only took this 37-year-old academic to show us that in life, delulu could just be the solulu.
Once again reinforcing that anyone can be famous in this social media hopped up era, Haliey Welch gained her misguided popularity via her fellatio advice in a street interview. The entrepreneurial young lady then went on to capitalise on her catchphrase with her own branded merch, podcast, and cryptocurrency, because are you really an Internet star if you didn't? $HAWK coin reportedly surged to USD490 million market capitalisation on the Solana blockchain, before plummeting 95 per cent within hours. Now who said meme coins weren't viable sources of income!
You gotta be living under a rock if you don't know about this feud. Your TLDR? Two rappers can't stand each other and put it in song. Diss tracks, if that sounds cooler. The over decade-long simmering beef and subtle shots fired finally culminated in a heated hip-hop exchange that not only gave us spectators memes aplenty, but lyrically poetic hit "Not Like Us".
Who else could make domesticity look so simultaneously fun and creepy than Nara Smith? The 22-year-old model and mother of three is making husband Lucky Blue Smith relevant again with her uncanny ability to bake everything that exists on this planet from scratch. Almost enough to make us forget that he has a daughter with Stormi Bree named Gravity. Anyway. Nara Smith, who claims to have wedded at 18, is nearly single-handedly putting all career women to shame with her accidental anti-feminist content. Now, is it too much to ask for a TikTok of the dishes being washed in the same style though?
Trump Rally Shooting Memes Are Trending
The Paris 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony, In Memes
If Kendrick Lamar and Drake Settled Beef Like Charli XCX And Lorde
The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony was touted the most-watched since London 2012, amassing nearly 29 million viewers. And man were they treated to possibly the the most chaotic visual spectacle thus far, too.
Top cool moments include a closing song by Céline Dion from the Eiffel Tower light show; the legendary singer's first performance following a rare stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in 2022.
Lady Gaga did her number opening the games in the most Lady Gaga-esque style prior.
And who can forget the insane sequence from Marie Antoinette, guillotined and all, to heavy metal courtesy of Gojira.
Other highlights saw a masked and hooded torchbearer that Assassin’s Creed-ed his way along famous French destinations.
Yes, a different masked and hooded torchbearer from the one on a horse.
Snoop Dogg similarly doing his part, minus the parkour.
Mona Lisa was also stolen by Minions. Yup, the yellow ones.
Of course, the most controversial bit besides the hinted ménage à trois was the banquet set up. This sparked offense for its depicted parallel to Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, evoking criticism from the likes of The Catholic Church in France for the "scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity".
The organising committee has since apologised for the upset and denied any intentional disrespect. Artistic director Thomas Jolly has explained for the concept to celebrate diversity and French gastronomy, in vein of a pagan party in tribute to the gods of Olympus. Specifically the Greek god Dionysus, looking more akin to a greasy blue Smurf.
If anything, it's the overall low-budget aesthetic of the entire production that's truly offensive. Maybe remove the dick innuendo in the lyrics and take a cue from the birthplace of the Olympics?
Russia, still banned from the global sporting event, has been quick to jump in with their own overt spin.
We can kinda see why.
It's hard to top this iconic moment though.
Nor this badass move that will go down in history books.
Frankly, we're just disappointed we didn't get to have this.
Yeah, it's probably "not appropriate" (Joe Biden's words on Saturday's rally shooting in Pennsylvania) to be compiling meme reactions to said assassination attempt, but in an age where American politics is as entertaining as TV, how could we not? Even Elon Musk wants to weigh in (of course he does).
Trump simply draws attention like a magnet. It's a force so undeniable even Biden couldn't resist calling his Vice President Kamala Harris by his opponent's name—on top of another recent glitch where he referred to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as President Putin at the NATO Summit.
While a last-minute head tilt by former President Trump left him with only an upper right ear wound instead of a fatal shot to the back of his head, casualties were observed by a spectator who lost his life, and two others who were critically injured.
Sources are saying that Trump was repeatedly shouting the word "fight" when he re-emerged with a bloody ear and raised fist, but that sure would've fooled us. If anything, he looked like he was swearing, in Old Man Yells at Cloud style.
Conspiracy theories are popping off (pun intended); from the Democratic party being the perpetrators to a possible inside job. Mostly because the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a registered Republican. Crooks allegedly operated on his own and was gunned down by the Secret Service on-site.
But that's not what you clicked on this article for. You already seen the trending clips and read the news commentary from both sides. Wherever your alliance lies and what your beliefs are, all you want now is what we never got from John Wilkes Booth and President Abraham Lincoln in 1865: Memes.
Say what you want about the Academy Awards, but the ceremony always gives us something to talk about. It’s damn near impossible to fill a room with celebrities without something batshit happening—and this year did not disappoint.
The Oscars kicked off with a stellar monologue from Jimmy Kimmel. Rest assured, the comedian covered a ton of ground, including Greta Gerwig's snub, Madame Web's failure, and Robert Downey Jr.'s presumptive Best Supporting Actor win. (Spoiler: RDJ did, in fact, take home the award.) The ceremony began with Da'Vine Joy Randolph winning Best Supporting Actress for her turn in The Holdovers.
The star thanked everyone who encouraged her to act. "I didn't think I was supposed to be doing this as a career," she said. "I started off as a singer and my mother said to me, go across that street to that theater department. There's something for you there—and I thank my mother for doing that. I thank all the people who have stepped in my path and have been there for me, who have ushered me and guided me. I am so thankful to all you beautiful people out there."
Randolph's win was the first of many historic feats this year. For her work in Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone was the first Native American woman to earn a nomination for Best Actress. Meanwhile, for the first time in history, three of the Best Picture nominees (Barbie, Anatomy of a Fall, and Past Lives) were directed by women. Elsewhere in the ceremony, Cillian Murphy won Best Actor for his performance in Oppenheimer, Emma Stone nabbed Best Actress for her chaotic turn as Bella Baxter in Poor Things, and Oppenheimer took home the Best Picture trophy.
So, what's the temperature of the fans at home? Thanks to Ryan Gosling's delightful rendition of "I'm Just Ken," a bit involving a nearly-naked John Cena, and a mercifully on-time ceremony, consensus is that the Academy put on damn good show. Here are the best reactions to the 96th Academy Awards.
