The Viral Pop Culture Moments That Defined the Year

There’s at least one thing you can count on in these uncertain times, and that’s for the Internet to do what it does best: jokes. You can call it Twitter or X—no matter what the official, legal name of our virtual stand-up stage is on any given day, you can always count on the denizens of the web to deliver brutal roasts (or, in a few lovely instances, pure celebration) of the cultural phenomenon of the moment. Below, the viral pop culture moments that defined 2023:

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Performance

Super Bowl LVII, played by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium on February 12th, was a history-making game for one reason: Rihanna. The singer’s halftime performance, during which she flawlessly glided through a medley of her career-spanning No. 1 hits like “We Found Love,” “S&M,” “Rude Boy,” “Work” and more, broke Katy Perry’s previous 2015 record to become the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show of all time. Ahead of the big game, Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty brand sold “Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever” merch—a slogan proven true by the fact that more people tuned into the performance than the actual game. The singer also revealed her second pregnancy with A$AP Rocky during the show—by casually leaving her red jumpsuit open at the waist.

Ariana DeBose Did the Thing at the BAFTAs

There was another iconic performance in February: Ariana DeBose’s opening number at the BAFTAs. DeBose’s theater kid earnestness, out-of-breath singing, and extremely cringe rapping combined to create something truly camp and instantly meme-able.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Courtroom Looks

In March, Gwyneth Paltrow faced retired optometrist Terry Sanderson in the trial of the year—okay, the trial of that week, at least—over a 2016 collision on a beginner run at a ski resort in Utah. Sanderson was suing Paltrow for $300,000 over injuries he sustained when they crashed on the slopes; Paltrow was ultimately vindicated, winning a symbolic $1 as she cleared her name of any wrongdoing. But more important than the details of the case were Paltrow’s outfits; the actor and lifestyle influencer’s daily courtroom outfits were breathlessly catalogued and dissected. In a trial that was more about reputation than anything, Paltrow’s stealth wealth style spoke for itself.

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Start Dating

While 2023 was a big year for celebrity breakups and divorces, it also gave us the seemingly lab-created couple of Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet. Tabloid reports of the pair’s secret meetings were confirmed as a full-fledged fling in April, and as of writing, the couple are still apparently going strong, or at least as strong as a casual relationship between two globally famous superstars in their early 20s can be. Particularly notable moments include their U.S. Open debut and their Renaissance Tour makeout session—which led to the public meltdown of at least one Timmy fan account.

Barbie Press Tour

2023 gave us the great Barbenheimer debate—making Barbie and Oppenheimer either a great rivalry, or a perfect double feature, depending on your tastes and friend group. It also gave us the Barbie press tour, which was an amazing months-long study into just how much Margot Robbie really does look like “stereotypical Barbie” and why Ryan Gosling is the perfect Ken, Greta-Gerwig t-shirt and all.

Blue Ivy’s Renaissance Tour Debut

2023 was also the year of the dueling—or, complementary—Eras and Renaissance Tours. And while fans celebrated Beyoncé’s performances (and looks) on social media after each concert stop, it was Blue Ivy who really dominated the stage. Bey’s 11-year-old progeny made her debut in May, executing difficult choreography alongside her superstar mother, and fans tracked her progress as she continued to perfect her moves and stage presence with each new performance.

SAG-AFTRA Strike

In July, rumors about an industry-shifting movement were made real when the SAG-AFTRA strike officially kicked off. Hollywood workers—from interns new to the business to veterans with decades in the game—joined together on the picket lines every day to show their support. Of course, the picket lines themselves became an opportunity for celebrity sightings and content creation.

Jenna Lyons Makes Her Real Housewives Debut

This year, the Bravo Universe got a brand new Real Housewives of New York reboot—which appropriately included at least one major name in fashion: Jenna Lyons. The former J.Crew president was the biggest player to join the show, and given that the Housewives are typically known for their over-the-top looks, Lyons’s classic, cool style was a big topic of discussion among fans and haters alike. You’ve got to hand it to Lyons for becoming the first Housewife to ever wear jeans to a reunion.

Kim Cattrall “Returns” to the SATC Universe

In August, Kim Cattrall infamously made her “return”—in quotes here, because she didn’t actually film in person—to the Sex and the City universe, after a years-long standoff with her old cast mates. Cattrall was adamant about not joining the series’ spinoff, And Just Like That, but it’s rumored she was paid an eye-watering $1 million to film a phone call scene between Samantha and Carrie in the season two finale. Worth it!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Mania

Taylor Swift started the year with the breakup of her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, and threw in an ill-fated fling with the 1975’s controversial frontman Matty Healy for good measure. But the year had something bigger on her horizon: in September, she stepped out in public for the first time with Kansas City Chief tight end Travis Kelce (first appearing at his game with his mom, no less), and the hoopla surrounding their relationship has been nonstop ever since, benefitting every brand even remotely involved. A viral photo of Swift posing at that game next to a plate of chicken, ketchup, and “seemingly ranch,” for instance, resulted in the Empire State building lighting up in red and white as a nod to the joke. Madness.

Supermodels Reunite

In the fall, the world’s original supermodels—Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington—reunited for the first time in 33 years, showing the new kids how it’s really done. The quartet reunited to promote Apple TV+ docuseries The Super Models, which covered their famous rise to the top of the fashion world in the late 1980s, appearing on the cover of Vogue’s 2023 September issue and at Vogue World.

Pamela Anderson Goes Makeup-Free

Meanwhile, at Paris Fashion Week, Pamela Anderson reinvented her personal style to much admiration from the Internet. The Baywatch star and animal rights activist attended a number of shows totally makeup-free—a striking move given Anderson’s reputation for full glam, ’90s bombshell style, yes, but also because (female) Hollywood stars going barefaced after a certain age is still relatively taboo, somehow.

Victoria Beckham in Beckham

Toward the end of the year, another pop singer-sports star couple reentered the viral lexicon with the release of Netflix’s Beckham documentary. While the docuseries was billed as following the rise of David Beckham’s career, from his working class beginnings to becoming one of the most famous athletes of all time, the Internet was most interested in Victoria Beckham’s role in the series, including a bit about her own dubiously humble origins.