{"id":345338,"date":"2025-12-14T20:14:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T20:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/345338\/"},"modified":"2025-12-14T20:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T20:14:10","slug":"these-are-the-cultural-moments-that-defined-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/345338\/","title":{"rendered":"These are the cultural moments that defined 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The year 2025 has been filled with cultural absurdities. <\/p>\n

Toothy plush dolls became one of the hottest and most elusive collectibles. A fiery feud between two rappers boiled over at the Super Bowl. And a viral cheating scandal between a boss and his employee became the biggest meme of the year.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a full look at NBC News\u2019 list of the biggest cultural moments of 2025.<\/p>\n

WinterThe TikTok ban that never actually happened <\/p>\n

After months of anticipation for the day U.S. users would lose access to TikTok, a nationwide ban of the app \u2014 which was supposed to take effect in January \u2014 puttered out as neither President Joe Biden nor President Donald Trump expressed interest in enforcing the new law. U.S. users anxiously rushed to join other platforms<\/a>, including the Chinese-owned RedNote<\/a>, in protest, but Trump repeatedly delayed the ban until he finally struck a deal<\/a> in September to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to Americans.<\/p>\n

\"He'sHe’s not like us: Kendrick Lamar didn’t hold back this year.Gregory Shamus \/ Getty ImagesKendrick Lamar\u2019s Super Bowl halftime show turns heads <\/p>\n

Fresh off of winning five Grammy Awards for his Drake diss track \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d Lamar rapper headlined the Super Bowl halftime show<\/a> in a performance that averaged 133.5 million views (the most-watched Super Bowl halftime ever recorded). Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, narrated the show, which featured a cameo from Serena Williams and appearances from SZA and DJ Mustard. Lamar\u2019s Super Bowl rendition of \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d performed to a loudly singing crowd, escalated Drake\u2019s lawsuit<\/a> against Universal Music Group for its promotion of the song. But in October, a federal judge dismissed Drake\u2019s defamation suit against the record label, marking the legal culmination of a prolific feud between the two that spanned much of 2024 and part of 2025.<\/p>\n

SpringLabubu craze takes the world by storm <\/p>\n

A toothy plush doll that many have described as creepy, or even slightly ugly, ignited the biggest collectible craze of the year<\/a>. Labubus, which come in blind boxes sold by Pop Mart, were so quickly sold out that a lucrative market for resold Labubus \u2014 and even fakes, known as Lafufus<\/a> \u2014 thrived this year. A life-size Labubu sold for more than $170,000<\/a> in China, and Labubu heists<\/a> have even gotten local police involved in California.<\/p>\n

\"LabubusLabubus were a viral sensation and fashion must-have accessory this year.Edward Berthelot \/ Getty ImagesCelebs (briefly) go to space <\/p>\n

Katy Perry and \u201cCBS Mornings\u201d co-host Gayle King were among a handful of public figures sent to space<\/a> in a brief but high-profile flight aboard Blue Origin\u2019s New Shepard rocket and capsule. Also part of the all-female crew were: Lauren S\u00e1nchez, a former journalist who married Jeff Bezos this year; Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist; Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist; and Kerianne Flynn, a movie producer. The female-only spaceflight was the first since 1963, when Valentina Tereshkova of the former Soviet Union became the first woman in space. The flight led to some viral moments, including a meme of Perry holding up a daisy and singing \u201cWhat a Wonderful World.\u201d<\/p>\n

SummerThe explosion of \u2018Kpop Demon Hunters\u2019 <\/p>\n

Saja Boys and HUNTR\/X, two fictional groups from the animated film \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d became global superstars this year. The movie, which was produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Netflix, has spawned a massive global fan base, with many fans even dressing up as the group members for Halloween<\/a> this year. The songs \u201cYour Idol\u201d and \u201cGolden\u201d topped the music charts for months and received several Grammy<\/a> and Golden Globes nominations<\/a>. \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d which Netflix has said is its most-watched movie of all time, was also recently named one of the 35 films eligible<\/a> for the animated feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards.<\/p>\n

Sydney Sweeney becomes cultural flash point <\/p>\n

An ad for the clothing brand American Eagle became one of the biggest controversies of the year after it touted actor Sydney Sweeney\u2019s \u201cgreat jeans\u201d<\/a> in a denim-focused fall campaign. Many online accused the brand of promoting eugenics via perceived racial undertones in the ad\u2019s messaging, while others on the right lauded the campaign as a blow to \u201cwokeness.\u201d The ad even drew the attention of Trump<\/a>, who called it \u201cthe \u2018HOTTEST\u2019 ad out there.\u201d It became one of several instances when Sweeney became a lightning rod for online discourse. In an interview with People magazine published earlier this month, Sweeney, 28, addressed the ad<\/a>, saying “\u201cI\u2019m against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SydneySydney Sweeney recently addressed the viral American Eagle ad and its subsequent backlash, telling People magazine that she’s “against hate.”XNY \/ Star Max \/ GC Images \/ Getty ImagesParasocial relationships officially go too far<\/p>\n

Fans have long formed parasocial relationships with celebrities and fictional characters. But this year\u2019s online discourse became so toxic that two of the biggest shows of the year \u2014 \u201cLove Island USA<\/a>\u201d and \u201cThe Summer I Turned Pretty<\/a>\u201d \u2014 issued anti-bullying PSAs to their fandoms. Still, internet sleuths continued to harass \u201cLove Island USA\u201d contestants for their on-screen behavior, and many turned their grievances with \u201cTSITP\u201d characters into vitriol for the actors who portray them.<\/p>\n

Kiss cam cheating scandal shocks the internet <\/p>\n

It was a viral moment now memorialized in memes, think pieces and Halloween costumes. At a Coldplay concert in July, a married CEO was spotted embracing his chief people officer. When the kiss cam landed on them<\/a>, the pair immediately hid their faces \u2014 prompting lead singer Chris Martin to speculate that they were having an affair. The scandal, which became an overnight sensation, led both the CEO, Andy Byron<\/a>, and the HR chief, Kristin Cabot<\/a>, to resign from the data company Astronomer.<\/p>\n

\"ChrisChris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, called out a couple who hid their faces after being caught on a kiss camera during a show in July.TikTokFallTaylor Swift enters her fianc\u00e9e\/showgirl era <\/p>\n

Swift released \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl,\u201d<\/a> her 12th studio album, in October. The 14-time Grammy winner reunited with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback for the album, which featured a dozen tracks. There are several playful, upbeat songs on the album, as well as some lyrics that appear to refer to Travis Kelce\ufeff, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. Kelce this year also gave Swift a fairy-tale ending to their love story with a garden proposal<\/a> (and a massive diamond ring<\/a>) that made Swifties collectively freak out. <\/p>\n

Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s suspension stokes free speech concerns<\/p>\n

ABC shocked viewers by taking \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!\u201d off the air<\/a> after Kimmel stoked conservative fury and public criticism from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr for his jokes following the death of right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk. It was a move that sparked renewed free speech debates<\/a>, with protesters gathering outside Disney\u2019s studios and celebrities threatening to break ties. Within a week, Kimmel returned to the air<\/a> to thunderous audience support. In his first episode back, he criticized Trump while also trying to smooth tensions around his comments about conservatives\u2019 reaction to Kirk\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n

6-7<\/a> becomes part of the lingo<\/p>\n

Gen Alpha\u2019s lingo<\/a> has entered the zeitgeist (again). This time, it\u2019s two numbers \u2014 six and seven \u2014 that have become inescapable in either browsing the internet or talking to younger people. The phrase is often said accompanied by a double hand gesture that looks like a person is weighing two options. The lingo, like many things Gen Alpha says, comes from the internet. As Today.com<\/a> noted in its explainer this year, six seven \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean anything, which means that it can mean everything.\u201d Teachers have started banning the slang<\/a> in their classrooms, and In-N-Out Burger reportedly removed<\/a> the number \u201c67\u201d from its ticket order system amid the viral trend. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The year 2025 has been filled with cultural absurdities. Toothy plush dolls became one of the hottest and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":345339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[49,48,361,75],"class_list":{"0":"post-345338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-celebrities","11":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}