The Biggest Pop Culture Moments Of 2023

"The years start coming and they don't stop coming," Smash Mouth infamously states on their 1999 hit "All Star." While I'm positive someone else has more eloquently written about the passage of time, there's something about that lyric that captures the dumbfounding effect time has on us. No matter how many times we do the same trip around the sun, every holiday season we find ourselves agreeing that "this year flew by!"

It's even more bewildering when you start to grapple with how much and how little things can change over 365 days. To prepare for this 2023 pop culture recap, I took a look at last year's recap and was saddened to see news of wars and gun violence in schools. Just like this year. Our hearts are with the people of Gaza and Israel who are suffering at the hands of our world leaders, and all those who lost loved ones or were affected by gun violence throughout the year.

Despite these daily atrocities across the globe, we can always count on the entertainment industry to keep us sufficiently distracted— even through a historic strike! From Rihanna's Superbowl Halftime show at the top of the year to Taylor Swift and Beyoncé's iconic world tours, to "Barbenheimer" and a long-awaited boy band reunion, there was a whole lot that kept us talking this year.

Here are the biggest pop culture moments of 2023. See you in 2024!

Shakira Calls Out Ex Gerard Piqué & His Girlfriend On Viral Hit "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53"

The Colombian superstar kicked off the year with some truly juicy drama.

The Last Of Us Premieres On HBO

The post-apocalyptic drama series based on the video game franchise launched actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey into stardom and received widespread acclaim from critics, fans, and gamers alike. Season two is set to premiere in 2025.

Kim Petras Becomes First Openly Trans Woman To Win A Grammy For Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Petras and Sam Smith took home the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Grammy for their smash hit "Unholy" at the 65th annual Grammy Awards.

Rihanna Reveals She's Pregnant With Second Child During Super Bowl Halftime Show

The pop icon and her husband A$AP Rocky welcomed their second baby in August.

Lady Gaga Surprises Fans In Last-Minute Oscars Performance Without Glam

Gaga hit the 2023 Academy Awards stage to sing "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick after previously stating she wouldn't be attending due to the filming of Joker: Folie à Deux.

The BTS Boys Go Solo Before Starting Their Mandatory South Korean Military Service

Jung Kook, V, and Suga all dropped solo albums this year before joining Jin, J-Hope, RM, and Jimin in starting their 18 months of mandatory military service. The band will reunite in 2025.

Taylor Swift Kicks Off The Eras Tour In Arizona

On March 17th, Swifties in Glendale, AZ were the first to see Swift explore all ten eras of her prolific music career. What followed was 38 weeks of surprise songs and guests, re-releases, and cities doing the absolute most to welcome the beloved pop star. It all culminated in the October premiere of The Eras Tour concert film which was attended by Beyoncé!

Gwyneth Paltrow Wins Ski Collision Trial

On March 31st, a Utah jury awarded actress Gwyneth Paltrow $1 and found her not at fault for in a 2016 ski crash trial. Courtroom photos and videos of Paltrow from the week-long trial went viral online and became a pop cultural fixation. It even prompted a stage musical Gwyneth Goes Skiing in London.

Cockroach Steals The Show At The 2023 Met Gala

What a sentence, what a moment in pop culture!

SAG-AFTRA & WGA Strikes Shut Down Hollywood For Over 3 Months

The  SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike from July 14th to November 9th and the Writers Guild of America strike lasted from May 2nd to September 17th. Members of both unions picketed until deals were reached in November and September respectively. Writers and performers took a stance against streaming company's effects on residuals and AI-generated media.

Beyoncé Launches The Renaissance World Tour In Sweden

On May 10th, Queen Bey kicked off her futuristic Renaissance World Tour at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. The tour spawned many viral moments including the "Mute Challenge."

Tina Turner Passes Away At 83

The music world mourned the loss of the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll on May 24th.

The Titanic Submersible Goes Missing

The world watched with bated breath amid a five-day search and rescue operation for the tourist submarine that went missing during a dive to see the Titanic wreck. On June 22nd, the submersible was found in pieces after a "catastrophic implosion" that killed everyone on board.

"Barbenheimer" Opening Weekend Packs Theaters

Moviegoers flocked to the theaters like never before for the unlikely double feature: Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. Fans even dressed for the occasion weeks after the two films hit theaters on the same day, July 21st.

Twitter Becomes X

On July, 24th, Elon Musk unveiled Twitter's rebrand to X and changed its iconic blue bird logo.

Bad Bunny & Kendall Jenner Confirm Their Relationship

It was the "Mami, be careful!" heard around social media!

Kylie Jenner & Timothèe Chalamet Hard Launch At Beyoncé's Birthday Concert

The couple made their first public outing at Beyoncé's birthday performance of her Renniasance World Tour on September 4th.

This King of Queens Promotional Portrait Of Kevin James Becomes A Meme For Some Reason

According to a Fox article, Twitter user @ChampagneAnyone is credited for starting the trend with this September 21st tweet.

Taylor Swift Attends First Chiefs Game Amid Travis Kelce Romance

Fans were shocked and thrilled to see Swift supporting her boyfriend at a Chiefs game on September 24th. It was her first of many and the singer later revealed she and Kelce had already been dating for a while before making their public debut at that game.

*NSYNC Reunite For First New Song In 20 Years

On Friday, September 29th, Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone dropped their song "Better Place" for the movie Trollz Band Together. They teased the new song by reuniting at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

Beyoncé Attends The Eras Tour Movie Premiere

The two biggest pop stars of the year supported each other at their movie premieres. Beyoncé attended Taylor Swift's LA premiere on October 11th while Swift traveled to London for the Renaissance movie premiere on November 30th.

Britney Spears Releases Bombshell Memoir The Woman In Me

The Princess of Pop told her side of the story in the release of her highly-anticipated memoir The Woman In Me. On October 13th, the book shocked fans with several revelations about her past relationship with Justin Timberlake.

Friends Star Matthew Perry Passes At 54

Fans of the beloved sitcom mourned the unexpected passing of Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing. On Saturday, October 28th, Perry was found unresponsive in his home jacuzzi. The sad news prompted the entire cast of Friends including Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer to share a joint statement before sharing their statements later.