Looking back at the pop culture landscape of 2025 feels like trying to recall a particularly vivid and chaotic dream. In a digital era where trends flash by at breakneck speed, it's astonishing to realise that events ranging from a bizarre Coldplay kiss-cam scandal to a pop star's suborbital joyride all occurred within the same twelve months. Social media solidified its status as a truly bewildering arena, with terms like 'brainrot', 'rage-bait', and 'AI slop' entering common parlance. Yet, amidst the digital noise, a series of unforgettable moments captured the global imagination, providing both bafflement and delight in equal measure.
The Celebrities Who Dominated the Headlines
The year's most surreal celebrity story undoubtedly belonged to Katy Perry. In April, the 'Teenage Dream' singer embarked on an eleven-minute journey to space aboard Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin spacecraft, a trip hosted by his wife, Lauren Sánchez. Her return to Earth was met with widespread mockery after she was filmed dramatically kissing the ground, a gesture even fast-food chain Wendy's cheekily criticised. Perry's personal life then sparked further intrigue when she was romantically linked to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Dubbed 2025's 'most surprising couple' by Grazia, their relationship progressed from spotted hand-holds to a Halloween shark costume and culminated in loved-up Instagram posts from Japan.
Meanwhile, the press tour for the two-part 'Wicked' film adaptation became a saga in itself. Stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande raised eyebrows for their intensely emotional and sometimes inexplicable interview interactions. One viral clip saw Erivo grow tearful and cover her face as a helicopter flew overhead, while Grande gestured as if casting a protective shield. The tour concluded turbulently when a fan breached a barricade at a Singapore premiere, rushing towards Grande before being intercepted.
Viral Phenomena and Internet Culture
No moment better encapsulated the power of viral scrutiny than the Coldplay kiss-cam incident at a concert in Massachusetts. After being caught on the big screen, a couple's guilty reaction prompted singer Chris Martin to joke about an affair. Internet detectives swiftly identified them as the CEO and HR executive of an AI firm called Astronomer, leading to their resignations. The story became a global news fixture and inspired countless parodies.
Elsewhere, the internet became obsessed with utter nonsense. The slang term '6-7', stripped of any concrete meaning, dominated playgrounds and social feeds. It originated from a rap song but gained traction through videos like one featuring young basketball player Taylen Kinney thoughtfully rating his Starbucks drink. The phrase was labelled a 'conversational nonsense grenade' by The New York Times.
In the realm of retail, a fuzzy gremlin doll named Labubu achieved staggering ubiquity. The character, with its rabbit ears and spiky teeth, dangled from handbags worldwide thanks to retailer Pop Mart. Its ascent peaked with a 16-foot-tall float in New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, cementing its status as a cultural fixture.
From Weddings to Wardrobe Malfunctions
The year also delivered spectacle and controversy in the worlds of fashion, tech, and film. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's extravagant three-day wedding in Venice drew a star-studded guest list including Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio, but also attracted protests from locals and climate activists opposed to the billionaire's display of wealth.
In cinema, screenings of 'A Minecraft Movie' descended into chaos as young audiences erupted at Jack Black's delivery of the line 'Chicken jockey!', leading some theatres to issue behaviour warnings. A more serious controversy erupted around an American Eagle advert starring actress Sydney Sweeney. The campaign's 'Great Jeans' tagline was criticised by some as an inadvertent reference to eugenics, sparking a fierce online debate that even drew comment from former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim Kardashian's Skims brand broke the internet in October with the launch of 'The Ultimate Bush' – a faux pubic hair thong. The £34 product, offered in various hair colours and textures, sold out in under 24 hours. In a lighter fashion moment, a mysteriously dapper man in a fedora and three-piece suit photographed near the scene of the Louvre heist in Paris sparked wild speculation. He was later revealed to be 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, a teenager with a passion for 1940s style.
Finally, a Jet2Holidays television jingle was repurposed into a viral TikTok trend, soundtracking clips of holiday disasters. Ironically, the airline reported record passenger numbers and financial results shortly after the trend took off, proving that in the whirlwind of 2025's pop culture, even chaos could be good for business.
