From big events like the Super Bowl and the Oscars to big stars from Nicole Kidman to Jack Harlow, there were plenty of moments worthy of the meme treatment this year. Here, we look back at some of our faves.
Back on Feb. 13 at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, and Eminem, 50 Cent treated the crowd to his 2003 hit “In Da Club” and recreated the video’s opening by hanging upside down. Cue the kick-off for many a meme:
The hip-hop mogul also got in on the game with a few memes of his own:
In a now-deleted Instagram post from November, Vin Diesel called for WNBA athlete Brittney Griner’s release from Russian prison, writing “I need Brittney Griner home before Christmas,” alongside a photo of himself at a basketball match. Following Griner’s release in a prisoner exchange for arms dealer on Dec. 8, social media users jokingly thanked the actor for his part.
Some users believed the actor singlehandedly infiltrated the Russian prison by himself.
A meta meme was born when Spider-Man stars Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire suited up to recreate the Spider-Man pointing meme.
Spider-Man was hot meme fodder beyond the triple-point pose, too:
The Acade-meme Awards
The Oscars is a perennial feast of memes, and this year was no different. While reliable meme star Nicole Kidman pulled her weight, there was obviously a new source of inspiration for meme-makers at the 2022 ceremony.
This reaction shot was initially thought to be in response to The Slap, but it was later revealed that it was shot before the show got underway. It makes you wonder what her slap reaction looked like.
Cameras caught a catty chat between Caitlyn Jenner and Lady Gaga outside the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 30th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party.
Jenner: “Are you spending time around Malibu anymore?”
Gaga: “Yes.”
Jenner: “I haven’t seen you at the Starbucks in a while.”
Gaga: “I’ve switched baristas.”
Gaga abruptly exits stage right.
Prestige Memes Courtesy of the Royals
Let’s start off with the smallest and cutest of them all.
The four-year-old appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony with his fam, but he was not a fan of the sound of the Royal Air Force fly-over.
Elsewhere, royal watchers were identifying with Prince Harry’s priorities.
And folks were feeling King Charles III’s anxiety level as he prepared to ascend to the throne:
And now, let’s move on from royalty to The King.
This sweaty shot of “Elvis” star Austin Butler as the icon in the ’70s was too hot not to meme:
After the nearly-finished, $90-million “Batgirl” movie was suddenly cancelled, fans used the meme medium and the hashtag #HBOMaxJustCanceled to theorize what else might be on the chopping block:
Martha Stewart, 81, maintains that Davidson is like a son to her, but that didn’t stop creators from speculating about her relationship with the BDE originator.
The star received a muted reception for his performance at ‘College GameDay’, and meme-makers had a field day.
His chat with the ESPN panel didn’t do him any favours:
Meanwhile, on the basketball court, NBA refs had questions about — and for — the star:
Harlow offered a mythically-minded response:
A negroni sbagliato with prosecco in it = stunning! This interview clip discussing drink choices was seized on by fans:
On the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Julia Fox was asked if she was then-boyfriend Kanye “Ye” West’s muse.
She replied, “Yeah. A little. I mean, I was Josh Safdie’s muse when he wrote ‘Uncut Gems’, you know?” But her elaborate pronunciation of “Uncut Gems” was catnip to TikTok users, who garnered millions of views with their imitations of “Unka Jhaaaams.”
Over on Reddit, the most popular celebrity memes of the year featured the beloved Dwayne Johnson:
It’s bad enough to be caught up in an Instagram cheating scandal. It’s even worse when the world makes fun of your (lack of) DM game.
Here’s hoping that 2023 brings an equally mind-blowing meme harvest. That’s our one Christmas wish. It’s the toast we’ll be making on New Year’s Eve. It’s our biggest hope for the holidays. Feel free to meme it.
