If 2025 will be remembered for anything, it’ll be the sheer volume of content that we created. Whether it was Lady Gaga’s return, KPop Demon Hunters taking over our screens, Rachel Zegler singing Evita from a balcony in London, Cardi B’s trial, or Mamdani fever sweeping the world – this year was packed with the kind of viral events that united us on the internet. While there were many to choose from, we’ve picked out the top ten moments that we couldn't stop talking about this year.
Kiss me under the light of the Coldplay jumbotron
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What would have been a perfect date night turned into a living nightmare for one pair of lovers, who were projected onto Coldplay’s Jumbotron kiss-cam. While they were initially seen locked in each other’s embrace, as soon as they realised they were on camera they both hid their faces and hit the ground. Internet sleuths identified the would-be lovers as colleagues – and both later quit their jobs. A high price to pay for a snog to Viva La Vida.
Christmas Eve theft, exes gone awry, and a woman dressed as Santa. All this and more are part of the streamer’s holiday offerings this year.
Weddings are in fashion
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Long gone are the days where your coolest friends shunned weddings – now all the chicest girls are getting married. First up was Charli XCX, who had not one, but two weddings. Then came the behemoth, Taylor and Travis announced their engagement with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨”. No date has been set yet, so it looks like wedding fever will span well into 2025.
But so is divorce
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Marriage isn’t the only thing in the air though, so is divorce. In October, Lily Allen released her fifth album, West End Girl, which detailed the end of her marriage to Stranger Things’ star David Harbour. We’ve come to expect unfiltered vulnerability from our popstars – but by any standards this album was raw. There were songs about open relationships, cheating, sex pads, butt plugs – and it had everyone asking one question. Who’s Madeline?
Sabrina Carpenter’s album art breaks the internet
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When Sabrina Carpenter announced her newest album, Man’s Best Friend, focus wasn’t on the songs, but the album cover – which showed Carpenter on her knees, as a man in a suit held her by her hair. The internet exploded with discourse - was this a thoughtful satire of female sexuality or just plain misogyny? Amidst all the tumult, it didn’t take long for Carpenter to release an alternate album cover on Instagram, this one “approved by God”.
Close encounters of the Labubu kind
Earlier this year, small, furry creatures with big eyes and wide teeth-filled smiles began to be spotted around the world. First, they were seen on Instagram, then dangling from your friend’s bag - and then, before you knew it, you had one too. We’re talking, of course, of Labubus – the final boss of consumerism in 2025. Just pair them with some Dubai Chocolate and a glass of matcha – and your trifecta’s complete.
Song, the film's director, wanted to explore the increasing control of capitalism over our love lives.
The performative male has his day
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Hot Girl Summer is no more, this August was all about the performative male. Think: a tote bag wielding man, a film camera slung around his neck, sitting outside of a coffee shop, with a flat white on the table in front of him, holding onto a book he has no intention of reading. Does he like these things or is he doing it to try to appeal to the female gaze? Only he truly knows, but we could make an educated guess if we had to.
Sydney Sweeney has good jeans but a really bad advert
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When Sydney Sweeney was announced as the star of a new American Eagle advert – no one could have predicted the storm that it would create. In the advert, Sweeney told the world that she has ‘great jeans’, something that unfortunately sounds identical to the phrase ‘great genes’ – which was not a great look for the blonde, blue eyed star (read: white supremecist undertones). There were calls for Sweeney to apologise for the ad - but a misguided podcast interview only made it worse.
One small step for Katy Perry, one giant leap for internet jokes
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In April, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket took an all-female crew into space. In attendance was his wife Lauren Sanchez and CBS presenter Gayle King – but one passenger stole the show, Katy Perry. It’s hard to pick just one moment – maybe it was when she serenaded everyone with Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World,” maybe as she stared at a floating flower ignoring the view of earth behind her, or maybe it was when she kissed the ground on her return. The whole journey was only eleven minutes, but Katy Perry turned every second into a meme.
“Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” had us reliving our worst memories
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The standout song of the summer wasn’t released this year; it wasn’t even released this decade. Jess Glynne’s “Hold My Hand” found a new life as the soundtrack of the ‘Nothing Beats a Jet2 Holiday’ advert. For weeks, you couldn’t scroll TikTok or Instagram Reels without hearing the jingle above a video of a toilet exploding, or a roof caving in, or a hotel infested with bugs. It might have been the worst holiday of your life, but at least you saved £50 per person for a family of four.
Celebrity Traitors brings back appointment TV
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The Traitors returned to our screens, but this time with a twist – an all-star cast. Whether it was Paloma Faith getting murdered, Celia Imrie farting during a challenge, or Alan Carr bursting into laughter as he said ‘I’m a faithful’ – every night had a moment that kept us hooked. Season 2 is coming next year and Claudia’s bound to have more tricks up her sleeve.
