Yahoo Lifestyle The Past Five Years Have Been Equivalent To A Century, So Here's A Recap Of 25 WILD Moments From The 2020s That You've Probably Forgotten About
I think we can all agree that the 2020s has been one of the most chaotic decades we, as a society, have collectively experienced — and that chaos was not limited to being IRL only. Microtrends, meme-worthy moments, celebrity news, and generational debates have kept us entertained and connected...
Thankfully, however, this decade is halfway over — which means it's now the perfect time to reflect on a few of the biggest moments and trends from the past five years. From Tiger King to Moo Deng, here are 25 viral moments that could only have happened in the 2020s:
1.Tiger King:
2."Everything is cake":
Throughout the ever-changing and tumultuous landscape of 2020, there was one thing that society deemed a completely necessary endeavor: baking and decorating cakes to look like everyday objects.
Hundreds of thousands of individuals took to social media to share their "Everything is cake" moments. Is that a shoe? Maybe it's a red velvet cake; Who knows? This trend was so popular it even inspired the Netflix baking show Is It Cake?
(TBH, I still don't trust cake-cutting videos).
3.Monoliths:
Imagine you're doomscrolling your news feed for the fifth hour in a row, and suddenly, you read an article about a mysterious 12-foot tall slab of metal popping up out of nowhere in Utah. It sounds like the start of a sci-fi movie, right?
Then, they begin appearing in Wales, Romania, and New Mexico. Despite their size and generally unwieldy appearance, these monoliths strangely vanished as quickly as they appeared.
Although the monolith phenomenon tapered off quickly, two new monoliths appeared in Nevada and Colorado in 2024, similar to those from before.
4.Celebs singing "Imagine":
With everything else that was happening in early 2020, people had THOUGHTS when Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot posted a video of herself and two dozen famous friends, including Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig, and Zoë Kravitz, singing John Lennon's "Imagine" merely a week after the WHO had given COVID-19 "pandemic" status.
In a February 2022 interview with InStyle magazine, Gadot remarked that she regretted how the star-studded video was perceived: "The pandemic was in Europe and Israel before it came [to the US] in the same way.
I was seeing where everything was headed. But [the video] was premature. It wasn't the right timing, and it wasn't the right thing. It was in poor taste.
All pure intentions, but sometimes you don't hit the bullseye."
5.Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and the cranberry juice challenge:
Out of people's 2020 boredom, some truly unique social media trends were born — including the "Dreams"/cranberry juice challenge.
On September 25, 2020, Idaho native Nathan Apocada — known on TikTok as @420doggface208 — shared his "morning vibe" for the whole world to see. That "vibe" was skateboarding to work while listening to Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" and drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice. The following day, the official Fleetwood Mac X account tweeted, "We love this!" From September 25, 2020, to September 27, 2020, the featured Stevie Nicks-penned ballad picked up 2.9 million US streams.
That wasn't the only feedback from the Mac, though. Members Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks both recreated their own versions of Apocada's viral morning routine. Fleetwood also surprised Apocada during a Zoom interview to thank him for the resurgence of interest in the band's music: "It’s such a celebration of everything. I’ve heard you talking about it, and it’s so joyous and fun. I just wanna say, outside of Fleetwood Mac, we owe you. It's such a great story, and it's so needed. In days that are really challenging…it makes people smile, and I'm so happy to be part of it. Congratulations on a wild, wild skateboard journey that has led us to talking today."
6.Celeb "shower-gate":
2021 was the year of the great celebrity shower debate — and it all started thanks to Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher's appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast. Kunis began the conversation by revealing that her family didn't have hot water when she was a child, which led to her not showering often — a habit that she passed on to her and Kutcher's two children, Wyatt and Dimitri. Kutcher added: "If you can see the dirt on them, clean them. Otherwise, there's no point."
A few weeks later, when Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell made an appearance on The View, Bell didn't hold back when it was her turn to share their family's views on bathing: "I'm a big fan of waiting for the stink. Once you catch a whiff, that's biology's way of letting you know you need to clean it up. There's a red flag. Honestly, it's just bacteria; once you get bacteria, you gotta be like, 'Get in the tub or the shower.' So I don't hate what [Kunis and Kutcher] are doing. I wait for the stink."
This inspired other celebs to share their hygiene habits, including Jake Gyllenhaal, who admitted to Vanity Fair, "More and more, I find bathing to be less necessary at times."
Many celebs, however, chimed in with support for frequent bathing, including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jason Momoa, and Troye Sivan.
7.Bernie Sanders memes:
There were, undoubtedly, some big names at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. Politicians aside, there were performers such as Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, and Foo Fighters; however, one person managed to steal the show and capture the internet's attention — Senator Bernie Sanders.
The now iconic image of Sanders was instantly "meme-ified." From hilarious "mood" memes to Photoshopping endeavors featuring the Senator in various famed historical events and movie and TV scenes, the relatability of the image struck a chord globally.
During a later appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the now 83-year-old revealed, "I was just sitting there, trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on."
8.The #milkcratechallenge:
Despite many warnings from doctors and the FDA, "The Milk Crate Challenge" was alive and well in 2021. This challenge featured individuals gathering empty milk crates and stacking them as high as possible while stepping up and down on the crates without falling.
However, like most internet challenges, "The Milk Crate Challenge" quickly (and thankfully) fell out of popularity.
9.The Millennial vs. Gen Z jeans debate:
In 2021, Millennials learned that their choice in jeans was, apparently, "cringe." Gen Z'ers took to TikTok to roast the group over some of their defining characteristics, such as having a side part in their hair, liking Harry Potter, and wearing the much-hated skinny jeans. High-waisted "mom" jeans or boyfriend jeans became the preferred style.
However, Millennials would not allow this to be a one-sided generation war and instead clapped back at the younger crowd by pointing out some of their more "uncool" styles and habits.
But, as with all things, some trend forecasters predict skinny jeans will come back in 2025. So, I hope you kept a few pairs in your closet...
10.Kim K's Met Gala look:
Despite being a big fan of sweatpants, sweatshirts, and other comfy clothing, I'm one of those people who believes they have the right to judge celebrities' outfits at the Met Gala. And who can forget the year Kim Kardashian dressed up as...the Grim Reaper? A Dementor from the Harry Potter universe? A shadow?
Anyway, 2021's theme was "America: A Lexicon of Fashion," but even four years later, I'm still slightly confused about what this look was supposed to be.
11.Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars:
2022 started off with a bang — or rather, a slap.
The infamous Oscars incident began when comedian Chris Rock took the stage to announce the winner of "Best Documentary Feature." During his introduction, the 59-year-old cracked a joke about a possible G.I. Jane sequel relating to Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness. Jada rolled her eyes and appeared visibly uncomfortable with the insensitive "joke." Her husband, Will Smith, then rushed to the stage and slapped Rock. Once The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star returned to his table, he shouted, "Keep my wife's name out of your f*cking mouth."
According to Rock's brother, Kenny, the comedian was unaware of Pinkett-Smith's alopecia — despite her openness about her life with the condition.
As punishment for his act of physical violence, Smith received a 10-year attendance ban from all Oscars ceremonies. The 56-year-old later resigned from The Academy and called his actions "shocking, painful and inexcusable."
12.Kendall Jenner's "unique" way of cutting a cucumber:
In May 2022, Kendall Jenner went viral — all thanks to a cucumber. And no, it wasn't because of a yummy recipe, but rather because of the "unique" way the model cut the vegetable. Her awkward method of cutting the cucumber prompted her mother, Kris, to ask if she would prefer their chef prepare her salad. However, the then-26-year-old declined and continued preparing her meal, much to the internet's amusement.
A year after the cucumber debacle, Jenner discussed her viral kitchen fail with WSJ Magazine: "Let me just say I successfully cut 'The Cucumber.' So if anyone says I cannot cut cucumber, I physically cut the cucumber, and I did it tastefully. I didn't hurt anybody. So I can cut cucumbers."
13.The entirety of the Don't Worry Darling press tour, but especially "spit-gate":
From rumored feuds to Chris Pine's viral "astral projection," the Don't Worry Darling press tour was legendary for people who love online gossip. But "spit-gate" certainly took the cake.
At the 2022 Venice Film Festival, a video was captured of Harry Styles sitting next to costar Chris Pine, where it appeared as though the Watermelon Sugar singer "spat" on Pine, who immediately looked down at his lap to locate Styles's rumored saliva.
However, the following day, due to the swarm of media attention and bubbling rumors, Pine's team released a statement regarding "spit-gate": "This is a ridiculous story — a complete fabrication and the result of an odd online illusion that is clearly deceiving and allows for foolish speculation. Just to be clear, Harry Styles did not spit on Chris Pine. There is nothing but respect between these two men and any suggestion otherwise is a blatant attempt to create drama that simply does not exist."
14.Tariq the "Corn Kid":
In August 2022, a 7-year-old boy named Tariq captured the public's attention and hearts after discussing his unbridled passion for corn on Julian Shapiro-Barnum's interview series, Recess Therapy.
Tariq explained: "For me, I really like corn ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good. But when I tried it with butter, everything changed." Gesturing to an ear of corn, he added: "Look at this thing. I can't imagine a more beautiful thing."
People understandably went wild over the adorable little corn enthusiast. The Gregory Brothers released a song simply titled "It's Corn," which garnered millions of views on YouTube. Tariq's fame didn't end there; he also landed parternships with Chipotle and Green Giant and was granted the title of South Dakota's "Official Corn-bassador."
15.Nepo baby debate:
The "Nepo baby" debate has been ongoing for many years now, with individuals discussing if children of celebrities (aka "nepo babies") who chose to follow in their parent's footsteps are truly talented in their chosen field or rather have a leg up on the competition, simply due to their last name.
Interest in this topic hit a new high when New York magazine dubbed 2022 "The Year of The Nepo Baby." For the cover, heads of celebrity children such as Maya Hawke, Zoë Kravitz, Ben Platt, and Lily-Rose Depp were overlaid on babies' bodies alongside the line: "She has her mother's eyes. And Agent." Many social media users deemed the cover hilarious, while others chastised it for being unoriginal.
A few weeks later, Hailey Baldwin Bieber seemingly poked fun at her own status by stepping out in a crop top emblazoned with the words "Nepo Baby." She later explained her fashion choice to the Sunday Times: “When you’re out and about and people are stopping your dad or uncle and asking for pictures, you start to understand why. That was me being, like, ‘I’m very aware of the situation [and] I’m going to wear it loud and proud because you are already labeling me as such and it’s true.’"
16."Angela Bassett did the thing":
At the 2023 BAFTAS, singer and actor Ariana DeBose performed the ceremony's opening number, where she highlighted some of her fellow actors' biggest accomplishments throughout the previous year. However, the most infamous line of the rap number was, "Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my Woman King / Blanchett, Cate, you're a genius, and Jamie Lee, you are all of us!"
The 33-year-old's performance was met with mixed reviews, with many deeming it "cringeworthy." Due to the backlash she received from the performance, DeBose deleted her X account.
However, Bassett took the lyric in stride and later referenced it while accepting the Entertainer of the Year award at the 2023 NAACP Awards, proudly stating: "I guess Angela Bassett did the THING."
But what was the "thing?" We'll never know!
17.Pope Francis in a puffer coat:
In March 2023, a very realistic photo of Pope Francis wearing a white puffer coat made social media users go wild. While some believed this to be the second coming of the Bernie Sanders meme — the photo was quickly (and sadly) proven to be an AI-generated image.
BuzzFeed spoke to the creator of the viral image, Pablo Xavier, to ask how the AI-generated idea of the Pope's unique fashion choices came to be. The then-31-year-old responded, "I'm trying to figure out ways to make something funny because that's what I usually try to do. I try to do funny stuff or trippy art — psychedelic stuff. It just dawned on me: I should do the Pope. Then it was just coming like water: 'The Pope in Balenciaga puffy coat, Moncler, walking the streets of Rome, Paris,' stuff like that."
What was his first impression of the iconic puffer coat deepfakes? "I thought they were perfect." Which led him to post them on the Facebook page, AI Art Universe, and later on Reddit. He expressed his surprise at how quickly the images went viral: "I was just blown away. I didn't want it to blow up like that."
Many were shocked by the realistic nature of the photos, including celebs such as Chrissy Teigen, who tweeted, "no way am I surviving the future of technology."
18."Barbenheimer":
/ ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
2023 was the year of one of the most epic box office battles in recent history. Two polar opposite films, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, were slated to be released in theaters on the same day. The bizarre idea of watching a double feature between two such diametrically opposed movies prompted hilarious memes that led to the event being known as "Barbenheimer."
2024 saw its own version of "Barbenheimer" when both Gladiator II and Wicked premiered on November 22.
19.Travis Kelce's old tweets:
X (formerly known as Twitter) can be dangerous for some celebs — especially when fans dig up tweets from their pre-fame past. However, in November 2023, shortly after Taylor Swift and Kelce's relationship went public, fans began digging through the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's previous tweets, and while they didn't find any dirty laundry, some silly musings from his college years turned up.
A prime example of the hilarity of the now 35-year-old's tweets was from April 14, 2011: "I just gave a squirle a peice of bread and it straight smashed all of it!!!! I had no idea they ate bread like that!! Haha"
But, if that squirrel were truly smart, it would have gotten an autograph.
20.Elmo's checks in:
In January 2024, Elmo (very unwisely) decided to ask the people of the internet how things were going by tweeting, "Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?"
Rest assured, the responses went just about as well as one would expect. People decided to fully "trauma dump" on the 3.5-year-old puppet, with responses such as "Elmo I've got to level with you baby we are fighting for our lives," and "Elmo I'm gonna be real I am at my f*cking limit."
Elmo seemed to learn from the encounter and posted a follow-up less than two days later, "Wow! Elmo is glad he asked. Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing."
21.The Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience:
Who wouldn't want to spend some time in the magical world of Willy Wonka? That's exactly what Glasgow's "Willy's Chocolate Experience" promised. The website featured colorful and exciting images of a candy-themed fantasy land and promised parents that there would be "surprises at every turn..." Which was not necessarily untrue, but perhaps not the kind of surprises paying attendees had in mind.
Families who attended the event in February 2024 were sorely disappointed when the promised "fantasy land" was "little more than an abandoned, empty warehouse" featuring embarrassed actors who tried to make the event work with what little supplies they had been given. (Who could forget "Sad Oompa-Loompa?") The event, which also promised "chocolaty delights," gave guests a handful of jelly beans and a small glass of lemonade upon arrival.
Police were called after tempers flared, and the event was shut down shortly thereafter. The firm behind the experience, House of Illuminati, posted that it was simply an "event gone wrong."
However, this wasn't the last of disappointing fan events in 2024, as people were enraged when a similar Bridgerton-themed experience was held in Detroit.
22.Moo Deng:
On July 10, 2024, a pygmy hippo was born at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo. She was named Moo Deng, which means "bouncy pig," and introduced to the public two weeks later. Moo skyrocketed to fame due to her adorableness, of course. The little hippo is known for being chronically damp, jiggly, and lazy. (She also appears to be somewhat of a nipper). Zookeeper Atthapon Nudee told The Guardian, “The moment I saw Moo Deng born, I set a goal to make her famous, but I never expected it would spread abroad."
There were been several other pygmy hippo births in 2024, including Haggis at the Edinburgh Zoo and Poppy at Virginia's Metro Richmond Zoo; however, none have captured the internet's hearts like Moo Deng.
23."Very demure, very mindful":
If you lived through 2024, chances are you vividly remember hearing "Very demure, very mindful" everywhere.
The soundbite went viral after TikTok creator and beauty influencer Jools Lebron posted a video titled "How to Be Demure at Work." In the video, she explained her rules for dressing and applying makeup appropriately for work while being "mindful" of coworkers.
Lebron, who self-describes as a "plus-sized trans woman," later posted an update reflecting on how much the trend had changed her life and encouraging others to go for their dream of content creation: "Maybe you should make the videos because one day I was playing cashier and making videos on my break and now I’m flying across the country to host events, and I’m going to be able to finance the rest of my transition."
24.The Wicked "Holding Space" interview:
Many meme-worthy moments were born when EqualPride journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist interviewed Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in November 2024.
While discussing "Defying Gravity," one of the play-turned-film's most iconic ballads, Gilchrist told Erivo, "This week, people are taking the lyrics to ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that." An emotional Erivo responded: "I didn’t know that that was happening. That's really powerful. That's what I wanted." Sensing Erivo's swell of emotion, Grande reached over to comfort her costar by...grabbing (and holding) her fingernail.
Social media users immediately ran wild with the footage, poking fun at the sincerity captured in such an odd exchange and drawing comparisons to Michelangelo's painting, "The Creation of Adam."
Or as one X user wrote, "I’m completely mesmerized by this clip ... it’s almost like they are speaking a language I don’t understand. I can’t catch the sense of it for a single moment. I’m not understanding the words or the feelings or the energy at all. It’s amazing."
25."Hawk Tuah Girl":
And finally, it wouldn't be the 2020s if I failed to mention Hailey Welch, or rather "Hawk Tuah Girl."
The native Tennessean went viral in June after TikTok creators Tim D and DeArius Marlow posted a video asking her: "What's one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?" To which Welch responded, "You gotta give him that hawk tuah and spit on that thing."
She became an overnight sensation and began signing endorsement deals, selling her own merch line, and hosting the Talk Tuah podcast. However, the 22-year-old has recently run into legal trouble after being sued by investors who lost money after investing in her cryptocurrency, HAWK. Welch released a statement confirming that she is "fully cooperating" with the plaintiffs' lawyers.
Thanks for time-traveling through the 2020s with me! Only time will tell what trends 2025 holds. Which viral moments from this decade stick out in your mind? Are there any we forgot? Let us know in the comments below! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to touch some grass.
