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It’s (finally) the end of 2025, and this year has been nothing short of chaotic. Every week seemed to bring a new meme, news story, trend, or movie we couldn’t stop talking about. And, 2025 gave us moments we will never forget.
Let’s look back at some of the biggest pop culture moments of 2025:
- The 12-Hour TikTok Ban
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2025 started off with a bang.
On the night of January 18, one of America’s most popular social media platforms, TikTok, was banned in the country. This came as a result of a Supreme Court ruling, which stated that TikTok would be unusable in the U.S. until the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sold the app to an American company.
Though rumors of the ban had been floating around for months, users were shocked to see the infamous “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now” message when opening the app.
American users went to bed without TikTok. However, in the morning, the app was unbanned. Then, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that on the day he was to take office, he would sign an executive order that would extend the deadline for ByteDance to find an American buyer.
In a matter of hours, TikTok users in the U.S. went from anticipating, enduring, and reflecting on the ban. They were able to delete RedNote and return to TikTok doom-scrolling.
- The Coldplay Kiss Cam Incident
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“My heart is yours / It’s you that I hold onto.”
Two Coldplay fans took those lyrics seriously. This year, Coldplay embarked on their Music of the Spheres World Tour. On July 16, the band stopped in Foxborough, MA, for two sold-out shows at Gillette Stadium.
During the Wednesday night show, the lives of two people were forever changed. Displayed on the Jumbotron was what appeared to be an ordinary couple hugging, but it quickly transformed into one of the most awkward moments you’ll ever see. As soon as the couple noticed they were on screen, their faces appeared horrified as they quickly ducked out of camera view. The immediate reaction came from Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay. Due to the couple’s response to the Jumbotron, he said, “Oh, what? Either they’re having an affair, or they’re just very shy.”
Right on, Chris.
Due to the clip’s virality, the internet quickly uncovered the identities of the couple. Both worked at the same software company, Astronomer, with Andy Byron being the CEO and Kristin Cabot working as an executive. The scandal resulted in both Byron and Cabot resigning from the company; their reputations were permanently tarnished. The parodies came piling on, including those from the Philadelphia Phillies and the Savannah Bananas.
While concerts are a great spot for a romantic date, it’s not the ideal place to take your mistress.
- Katy Perry Goes To Space
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One of America’s biggest pop stars reached the stars this year…literally.
On April 14, an all-female flight crew launched from a West Texas site into outer space and then returned to Earth 11 minutes later. They embarked on a Blue Origin rocket, a company founded and owned by Jeff Bezos. The crew was made up of six women, including Bezos’ then fiancée Lauren Sánchez, journalist Gayle King, and singer Katy Perry.
Perry, specifically, was at the receiving end of intense criticism. Many pointed out that the journey, which existed to promote billionaire Jeff Bezos’ company, produced a large amount of carbon emissions. Others stated that this expensive excursion was “tone deaf,” as the U.S. was in the midst of an intense financial crisis.
Of course, the internet took this by storm. People were confused about Perry’s reaction to this flight, stating that she was only off the ground for a mere 11 minutes, and her kissing the ground on return was dramatic. Others commented on how major space explorations take years of preparation, and the Blue Origin “expedition” was made up of media personalities who seemingly knew nothing about astronomy or aerospace engineering.
Nonetheless, this event lifted off into a major pop culture moment. People will remember 2025 as the year Katy Perry went to space…for 11 minutes.
- Love Island USA Season 7
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Love Island USA soared into the stratosphere in 2024. Season 6 was one of the most-watched shows of the year, which left fans anxiously awaiting the new cast and couples that Season 7 might bring.
As for streaming minutes, Season 7 did not disappoint. It became Peacock’s most-streamed series of all time with 18 billion minutes, according to Variety. Despite its popularity, Season 7 received a lot of criticism.
The season started with a bang. After the cast was announced, people quickly discovered that islander Yulissa Escobar had multiple instances of racism displayed on social media. This started an uproar online, which led to Escobar being deservedly removed from the show in Episode 2. Later in the season, islander Cierra Ortega was also removed from the island due to racist posts.
The season itself was criticized for what appeared to be a lack of real romance and friendship, which Season 6 was full of. Past the halfway point of the series, and even after the islanders were displaced to Casa Amor, there seemed to be no frontrunner for the winning couple. The eventual winners, Bryan and Amaya, broke up less than two months after the finale aired.
Though many fans were disappointed with the ending, Season 7 of Love Island USA still brought on an internet frenzy. Many made TikToks to Huda and Nic’s viral “Mommy? Mamacita” conversation, Huda’s “My dream date, cute” expression, and Taylor’s “I pick Clarke” statement. Many of the contestants have now reached internet fame. Runner-ups Nic and Olandria, also known as “Nicolandria”, have done ads for Sweetgreen and Agua de Kefir. Fan-favorite Amaya, or “Amaya Papaya,” did a collaboration with Poppi.
Though not much love was in the air this season, Love Island USA kept fans talking, proving that controversy and chaos could be as captivating as romance.
2025 was another great year for pop culture. It’s these types of moments that bring us together to laugh, debate, and celebrate the strangest online moments.
Here’s to 2026!
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