2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals (2025)

NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too!

Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit“Wicked”to the delightfulMoo Deng. But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps inunlikely Olympic heroes, we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year.

There were new trends, as always.“Brat summer”became a thing, as did“demure, mindful.”And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests.

There were breakups — Bennifer is, again,a thing of the past— and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same:Taylor SwiftandBeyoncékept on breaking records and making history.

So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane:

January

It starts asa cheery tweetfrom a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at theGOLDEN GLOBES.

But perhaps themost poignant momentcomes from neither film:LILY GLADSTONE, first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation.

February

Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything.

Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peakSWIFT cultural dominance, try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares apassionate smoochwith boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory.

March

“What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings atthe OSCARS,channeling BARBIE. And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of“I’m Just Ken”is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years.

Still, Christopher Nolan's“OPPENHEIMER”prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025?CYNTHIA ERIVOandARIANA GRANDEsure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.”

Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket.

AndBEYONCÉcarves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart.

April

Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by“CHALLENGERS,”the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.)

Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops“THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT,"then drops another 15 songs two hours later.

The fascinating and disturbing“BABY REINDEER,”the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix.

May

It’sMET GALAtime — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.”

If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZcancels her summer touramid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK. It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called“THIS IS ME… NOW"— both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck.

June

Welcome to BRAT SUMMER!

CHARLI XCX releases herhit “Brat” album, with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,”its word of the year,as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.”

At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better:KELCE dons a top hatand tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIASdelights the crowdwith his cheery number “OMG.”

July

Bonjour, it’sOLYMPICStime! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated bya fabulous CELINE DION,perched on the EIFFEL TOWER, singing her heart out — in the rain, too.Controversy swirlsover a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not).

Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND, rugby player ILONA MAHER, and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnastSTEPHEN NEDOROSCIK,who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent.

Also capturing hearts: yep,MOO DENG,born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.”

August

This is them… now:BENNIFER is no more.After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce.

One union dissolves, another returns:OASIS announcesa reunion tour.

Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON's “DEMURE, MINDFUL”act — even the WHITE HOUSEpress team.

Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meetAustralia’s RAYGUN,arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move.

September

One of the year’s biggest breakout artists,CHAPPELL ROAN,withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment,“Bachelorette” JENN TRAN,the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone.

Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN,dancing with an ankle monitor.Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken whenX is temporarily suspended in Braziland celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians.

October

“Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for aTIMOTHÉE CHALAMETlookalike contest, and things really get interesting whenChalamet himself shows up.He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG, who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts.

Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT, the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot.

November

MAYA RUDOLPHdoes a pretty goodKAMALA HARRISlaugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidatemakes a surprise cameothree days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON, SARAH PALIN and others.

Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that“VANDERPUMP RULES,”the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP.

As for MOO DENG, she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generatingplenty of merch. And THAT brings us back to…

December

“WICKED”!Director JON M. CHU’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoersalso come for “GLADIATOR II”and, in a veritable tidal wave,Disney's “MOANA 2,”which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania.

Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go.