When it comes to pop culture, 2025 was the Year of Feeling.
I laughed so much. I cried more than I care to admit. I swooned so hard that I question if I’m actually a 12-year-old girl with a Tiger Beat subscription. (Your fault, Jonathan Bailey.)
Truly, when I look back on the year, I’m struck by how much I needed these TV shows, movies, and ridiculous celebrities to help me navigate an increasingly unrecognizable world around me. Providing me with an outlet to feel So Much helped me feel normal in my life while facing the new abnormal of reality. And, as it happens, there was so much that was good this year, from some of the most exciting series and films I’ve seen in a long time, to little cultural curiosities that simply provided much-needed delight.
So without further ado, here are, in chronological order, the 25 Best Pop Culture Moments of 2025. Or, I should say, the 25 pop culture moments that mattered the most to me.
Andrew Garfield at the Golden Globes
It’s one thing to win a Golden Globe for your acting, or whatever. It’s another to win, more broadly speaking, “The Golden Globes” for simply being hot. Congratulations, then, to Andrew Garfield, who turned everyone viewing the awards feral with his barely buttoned dress shirt, seductive gesturing with his glasses, and aggressive, there’s no other way to put it, eye-f---ing of the camera. If you listened hard, you could hear an entire nation of TV viewers collectively moan.
Andrew Garfield seduced the camera on Jan. 6
The Pitt
I learned so much watching The Pitt. First, anyone who works in an emergency room deserves all the money in the world and a hug any time you see them. Second, if I ever have a medical emergency, I will end up naked for an entire hospital to see. Don’t love that. The Pitt is universally considered the best TV drama of the year, and rightfully so. It’s a major feat to, in 2025, manage to reinvent, raise the stakes, and find new ambition in the medical TV series genre. And, man, is Noah Wyle aging like a fine wine.
The Pitt premiered Jan. 9 on HBO Max
The Traitors and the Rise of Gabby Windey
I truly believe that Gabby Windey is the voice of a generation. The former Bachelor and Bachelorette star had a breakout year on the latest season of The Traitors, which skyrocketed in popularity. The attention from the show redirected people to her already popular podcast Long Winded, which features her monologuing, with a captivating freeflow, about things that kind of bother her. It turns out that most of us could relate to those annoyances. Her “I’m not saying I’m dumb” monologue on The Traitors will live on in reality TV history, but Gabby just being herself is iconic on its own.
The Traitors premiered Jan. 12 on Peacock
Mary & Angie K.’s Real Housewives Friendship
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is masterful television. Every other comedy, any drama, silly little limited series…they all wish they could be this good. If you’re not watching because of boring prejudices against reality TV, I don’t know what to say. Grow up? In any case, beyond the fights, lunacy, rumors, and the nastiness that define any given episode, the highlight has been the unlikely bond forged between Mary Cosby and Angie Katsanevas. Their friendship, which seemingly came out of nowhere, has become so profound that it’s a teaching moment for all of the show’s viewers on how to show up and stick with each other, even when it’s so hard. The Season 5 finale dinner scene in Puerto Vallarta? I wept.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Season 5 finale aired Jan. 15 on Bravo
Carrie Underwood at Trump’s Inauguration
It’s outrageous, but it’s true: 2025 began with a singalong. American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was booked to perform “America the Beautiful” at Donald Trump’s inauguration—a move that alienated many of her fans—but a sound snafu led to an awkward moment, and an auspicious start to the new administration. When the planned background music never kicked in, Underwood resorted to singing a capella, which, even more awkwardly, led to the likes of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Hillary Clinton joining in as her reluctant background vocalists. It was a disaster I’ll cherish forever.
Carrie Underwood led a bipartisan singalong on Jan. 20
The Emilia Pérez Flameout
It was an unmooring experience. For months, a Netflix musical called Emilia Pérez had been racking up raves at film festivals and major awards leading up to the Oscars. Then I watched the movie, which is easily one of the most egregious abominations of cinema I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime. Yet it took its star, the first openly trans performer to be nominated for an acting Oscar, to be caught for her deplorably bigoted tweets for people to finally be like, “oh yeah, this movie is poopoo.” Award seasons can be so boring. This ludicrous scandal—both the movie’s heinousness and the controversy—finally made things exciting again.
Karla Sofia Gascón’s bad tweets surfaced Jan. 30
Leslie Bibb’s The White Lotus Smile
If there were an Emmy Award for Best Singular Facial Expression in a TV Series, Leslie Bibb would have the category sewn up for her pained smile during what’s become known as the “Rich White Lady MAGA Conversation” scene in The White Lotus. In a matter of seconds, Bibb’s face telegraphs about a dozen emotions after her liberal friends ask if she voted for Trump. This season of The White Lotus was highlighted by its Big Moments, and this was the top one for me.
The White Lotus Season 3 premiered Feb. 16 on HBO
Scarlett Johansson’s Life Advice
There are celebrity mantras I live my life by. Kim Cattrall: “I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself.” Whoopi Goldberg, on not getting married again: “I don’t want somebody in my house.” Joining the Mount Rushmore of self-care guidance is Scarlett Johansson, who explained why she doesn’t take selfies with fans, and which I will use as an excuse to not do, well, anything: “I don’t want to be identified as being in this time and place with you.”
Scarlett Johansson changed my life on Mar. 12
Adolescence
I’m grateful that Adolescence only had four episodes, because my blood pressure spiked to such dangerous levels while watching them that I may not be here right now typing this caption had it gone on any longer. The miracle of the show, besides its riveting plotting and acting, is that the one-take shot that defined each episode transcended mere gimmickry—it was a truly astonishing piece of entertainment.
Adolescence premiered Mar. 13 on Netflix
Mid-Century Modern’s Linda Lavin Tribute
Mid-Century Modern was cheekily described as “The Gay Golden Girls” (don’t mention that to Nathan Lane), and while nothing can possibly live up to the original series, this sitcom certainly deserved a consolation cheesecake. It was unapologetically gay, sneakily profound, and packed with surprisingly ribald jokes. The highlight of the season, however, was also a tragic point. Midway through shooting, entertainment legend Linda Lavin, who played Lane’s mother on the show, died. Her death was incorporated into the series, leading to a touching episode that was equal parts weepy and witty, fitting the spirit of the irascible, late star.
Mid-Century Modern premiered Mar. 28 on Hulu
Katy Perry Goes to Space
This year has been such a topsy-turvy tornado of nonsense that it’s easy to forget that we sent one of the biggest pop stars of her generation to space. Was the exercise a billion-dollar waste solely to feed the egos of some of the most insufferable people back here on terrestrial Earth? No comment. Was it so much fun to spend weeks joking about the 11 minutes Katy Perry and her eye-roll of a girl squad spent in sort-of-outer-space? Absolutely.
Katy Perry went to “space” on Apr. 14
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour
I love Beyoncé so much that I traveled to [heavily sighs] New Jersey to see her. The Cowboy Carter tour was that worth it. Witnessing Beyoncé reach such stratospheric levels of talent, energy, and charisma—I imagine it’s what it must have been like to see Michael Jackson, Prince, or Tina Turner at their primes. The epic tour solidified unequivocally that she is the greatest performer of our time.
The Cowboy Carter tour launched Apr. 28
Holmes on Overcompensating
There are two eras of my life: the one before I saw Holmes act on the Prime Video comedy Overcompensating, and the one after. The latter era is far superior. Holmes plays Hailee on the series, about a millennial grappling with his sexuality at college, and is a force. And by force, I mean a whirling dervish of the most unusual line readings, wanton physical comedy, and fritzing screen presence I’ve seen on TV in a long time. With one line of dialogue—“p---es me off!”—Holmes became a legend.
Overcompensating premiered May 15 on Prime Video
Jonathan Bailey’s Sl*tty Little Everything
For all of the impressive CGI and visual effects in Jurassic World Rebirth, the thing that took audiences’ breath away was quite simple: Jonathan Bailey in his, now iconic, sl*tty little glasses. But the viral spectacles were just one step on the staircase to Bailey’s superstardom this year. With the release of Wicked: For Good, he became the highest-grossing actor at the box office. And, in a rare moment of taste, he was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive. He’s the first gay actor to receive that honor, and the first gay actor to be a bona fide blockbuster male lead. As in ever. Yes, it took until 2025 for this to happen. I can’t express how big a deal that is for the LGBT community.
Jurassic World Rebirth premiered July 2 in theaters
The Coldplay Kiss Cam
It’s a pertinent lesson for us all: Being a Coldplay fan can ruin your life. It’s wild how viral this silly little story went. A man and a woman who were cuddling at a Coldplay concert were put on camera, and, when they realized it, immediately ran away and hit, leading frontman Chris Martin to joke that they were having an affair. Digital sleuths saw their Bat Signal and immediately discovered that they were a CEO and HR director of a tech company, and seemingly both married…to other people. An entire news cycle birthed from this, and enough jokes for them to travel the whole journey from being hilarious to lame and then hysterical again.
Coldplay exposed philanderers on July 17
The Hunting Wives
I’ve always hated the term “guilty pleasure,” because it implies we should feel bad about liking something. That said, we should all feel guilty for how obsessed we became with The Hunting Wives. The utterly ridiculous TV show, a blatant attempt at making a red-state Big Little Lies, was unabashedly terrible…which somehow made it so good? I’ve never seen a series so un-self-conscious about anything—nudity, plot coherence, crazy accents, horrific wigs—which, by the end of the series, I found absolutely admirable. May the show go on forever…and never improve.
The Hunting Wives premiered July 21 on Netflix
Audra MacDonald in Gypsy
As a Broadway obsessive, I know there are certain performances over the years that gift the ultimate bragging rights: I got to see that person perform that role. So I will be boasting forever that I got to see Audra MacDonald play Mama Rose in Gypsy. MacDonald is an acting legend, yet she still exhumed yet-unseen talent with her take on the classic role. The only word for it is seismic. An earthquake happened every night at the Majestic Theater.
Gypsy played its final performance Aug. 17 on Broadway
Andy Samberg vs. Seth Meyers’ Dog
Never has a dog dying been so…funny? For years, Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers played a bit, which is actually not a bit but true, about how much Samberg hated Meyers’ dog, Frisbee. There was no truce when Meyers announced that Frisbee died. When People reported the dog’s passing with the caveat, “Famously Disliked by Andy Samberg,” in its headline, Meyers responded candidly: “She also disliked him, FWIW.” Somehow, this is all quite beautiful?
Frisbee died on Aug. 19
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Get Engaged
The U.S. doesn’t have a royal family to obsess over. So it somehow fits that the closest thing we’ve ever gotten to it is a country music supernova that everyone loves to argue about and her endearing oaf of a fiancé, who also happens to be the most popular football player in the NFL. This is Amurrica at its finest. May she wear a tiara of Stanley tumblers and he a crown of Chik-fil-A sandwiches at their wedding.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement on Aug. 26
Twinless
I’ve become a certified mountaineer this year, having summited every peak in the nation to shout about the surprising, spectacular movie Twinless. The film, starring Dylan O’Brien, is about a grieving twentysomething who joins a support group for people grieving the loss of their twin. There, he develops a deep friendship that helps him navigate a new life, leading to one of the year’s best twists, which takes the movie in an entirely different, wild direction. It’s funny and painful, and super sexy—Dylan O’Brien gay sex scenes, y’all!
Twinless premiered Sept. 5 in theaters
The Task Shootout Scene
Without a doubt, the best TV episode of the year is the penultimate episode of Task. The series, starring Mark Ruffalo as a FBI agent trying to locate a missing boy, was already living up to its shorthand as “the new Mare of Eastown.” But then this episode began with a 20-minute shootout that redefined the phrase “pulse-pounding.” Do you know how long 20 minutes is? And how hard it is to pull off something like that cinematically? My hands may have been sore from white-knuckling my couch while watching it, but it was worth it; it was so, so good.
Task premiered Sept. 7 on HBO
Jeff Hiller Wins an Emmy
Somebody, Somewhere is a television treasure that we were lucky to have for three seasons. Yet, because there’s no accounting for taste, it was very under the radar throughout its run. That Jeff Hiller got nominated for an Emmy, then, seemed like a miracle. And when he won? Every single person who watched the show immediately burst into tears. It was reflexive. Making the moment sweeter was the reaction at the ceremony. In a watershed moment, there were four gay nominees in the category—Colman Domingo, Hiller, Michael Urie, and Bowen Yang—and they all lept to their feet with unbridled joy in support of the veteran performer when he won. It was a gorgeous moment of community that still makes me teary just to type about.
Jeff Hiller made everyone cry on Sept. 14
The One Battle After Another Car Chase
As we settle in for the next three months of One Battle After Another winning every Best Picture award that Hollywood hands out (deserved!), it’s prudent to revisit the sequence that sealed the distinction for me: that climactic desert car chase. My heart had leaped out of my throat and was hanging out on my coffee table by the time it concluded. The fact that there were still more surprises to come in the movie after that happened? A genius film.
One Battle After Another premiered Sept. 26 in theaters
Nicole Kidman’s Post-Breakup Vavavoom
If I were ever to continue believing that love is real, there are three couples that, in my mind, would need to be together forever: my mom and dad, Bert and Ernie, and Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. So you can imagine how shattered I was when Kidman and Urban split. The grief was fleeting, however, when Kidman appeared to flourish post-breakup. She got bangs! She went to a Sabrina Carpenter concert! She booked, like, 100 jobs! It’s all quite inspirational, really.
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban announced their split on Sept. 29
Peter Hujar’s Day
It would be inappropriate to scream from the rafters about how much I love Peter Hujar’s Day, because the film is so quiet and understated. My alternate title for the movie is “Watch Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall Be Unbelievably Hot on Screen for 75 Minutes,” because the two actors are shot with such swoon-inducing, voyeuristic intimacy by director Ira Sachs. It’s a straightforward premise—Peter Hujar recounts his day—that thwumps with surprising profundity as the verbal diary goes on. Do yourself a favor and be a part of his day.
Peter Hujar’s Day premiered Nov. 7 in theaters.
