Sydney Sweeney ruined jeans, a kiss cam one-upped Deuxmoi, and Katy Perry became an astronaut. Believe it or not, that all happened this year.
The past 12 months have been mind-boggling. So, to help make sense of the whirlwind, we’ve picked the pop-culture moments that brought us a little laughter, debate and distraction this year.
Kiss cam gone wrong
In the era of social media sleuths there’s no such thing as secrets. But Andy Byron, the former chief executive of tech company Astronomer, clearly didn’t get the memo.
I bet Andy Byron never wants to see a Jumbotron (or Coldplay) again.Credit: TikTok
During a buzzing Coldplay gig in July, the bigwig businessman was caught cosying up to someone who was very much not his wife on the Massachusetts stadium’s Jumbotron “kiss cam”. Upon realising they’d been caught red-handed for all to see, they quickly turned away. But the damage was already done.
“Oh, look at these two … Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy,” frontman Chris Martin said to the crowd after witnessing their odd reaction.
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Footage of the Jumbotron scene immediately made its way onto social media, with internet detectives quickly determining their identities. It turns out Byron and his “mistress” worked together – the latter being Kristin Cabot, Astronomer’s chief people officer (basically the head of HR). They were also both married at the time. Oof.
Online speculation, along with a slew of fake apology statements, became so extreme that both Byron and Cabot eventually resigned from their respective posts. It’s probably safe to say they – along with the rest of the online world – will never look at Jumbotrons the same way again. Nell Geraets
Louvre heist turns us all into detectives
What do you mean, a group of people dressed as construction workers pulled a daylight robbery at one of the most famous museums in the world? Wait, it only took eight minutes? And they got away (at least initially)? I’m not sure exactly how we define a pop-culture moment, as opposed to a standard news event, but I think a good rule of thumb is if memes about it start flooding your newsfeed.
The core details at the heart of the Louvre heist aren’t that funny or even that interesting – they’re just sad. Jewels stolen by thieves, a slice of history taken away from the public. And the only scenario here I hate more than a wealthy narcissist funding this so they can stash the jewels away in their private collection, is the thought that they have been broken down into their component parts, robbing them of their true value.
What cements this as one of those moments that had you asking your friends all the “did you read about …” and “did you see the …” questions, however, was the brazenness of the theft – and the flood of information afterwards that suggested places that should be secure really aren’t. What do you mean the Louvre surveillance system password was, apparently, “Louvre”? Elizabeth Flux
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Madame Morrible, flip it around …
Wicked: For Good may not have worked its magic for a Golden Globe nomination but social media users have continued holding space for an abundance of memes emerging from both the film itself and the press tour. And while the internet was abuzz with chatter about Elphaba’s “sex cardigan” and slo-mo edits of Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, one moment from the press tour inadvertently reigned over Oz: Michelle Yeoh’s explanation of why Madame Morrible’s name coincidentally shows her as the true villain.
Repeated in a wholesome manner across interviews, Yeoh’s lines “If you think about it, Madame Morrible, MM, flip it around, WW, Wicked Witch” and corresponding hand gestures have been turned into compilation clips, remixed songs and dances across social media platforms. One TikTok has clocked up nearly 6 million views. Move over “six-seven” – this is an internet trend we actually get, and can get behind. Nicole Economos
Harry runs marathons
Until this year, Harry Styles was best known as a flamboyant pop singer who had triumphantly shrugged off his One Direction past with a series of solo hits, Grammy wins and solid acting performances in such films as Dunkirk, Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman.
Then he started running marathons.
In March, video emerged of a disguised Styles running the Tokyo marathon. He finished in a not-too-shabby three hours, 24 minutes and seven seconds.
In September, Styles followed up by running the Berlin marathon, which he’d entered as “Sted Sarandos”, in a super impressive 2:59:13 – almost 25 minutes quicker than in Tokyo. Wearing a long-sleeve black top despite the heat, the sometime Gucci model’s fashion inspiration seemed to be Travis Head on Mad Monday.
Once, Styles was a favourite subject for Rolling Stone, NME and Vogue. Suddenly, Runner’s World was noting that the 31-year-old had run one of the fastest-ever marathons by a celebrity – much quicker than Colin Farrell, Jennifer Connelly, Ashton Kutcher, Chelsea Clinton and Pippa Middleton.
With two of the seven world marathon majors down, how long before Sted Sarandos takes on the Sydney marathon? Garry Maddox
“Spacey” Perry
Katy Perry didn’t so much have a pop-culture moment in 2025 as she became one – and an endlessly recurring one at that.
Her marriage to Orlando Bloom ended (he was later photographed at a Halloween party with a woman dressed as Perry). She went on tour supporting an album that many people took as proof of her irrelevance (an assessment that owed at least something to ageism, to be sure). She embarked on an improbable relationship with former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau (finally announcing it officially a week ago, after months of teasing and speculation). And, above all, she went into space for no other reason than to prove she could, thanks to billionaire buddy-sponsor-tech bro Jeff Bezos.
Thank you for inspiring countless Halloween costumes this year, Katy.Credit:
That 10-minute flight aboard the Bezos-funded Blue Origin rocket was framed as a showcase of female empowerment (all six aboard the craft were women) but instead landed with a thud as a showcase of privilege and entitlement. Perry kissing the Earth upon return and blabbing about daisies and love only made it all seem more egregiously out of touch. Her success has always been built on a foundation of self-mockery but in 2025 Perry was more often than not the joke rather than the joker. Karl Quinn
Lily Allen invites us into the Pussy Palace
This was a big year for celebrity divorce. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness. It was all over the tabloids. But after her divorce from Stranger Things star David Harbour, Lily Allen elevated tabloid gossip fodder into fine art.
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Carefully described as “auto-fiction” and reportedly written in just 10 days, Allen’s fifth studio album West End Girl chronicled the dissolution of an open marriage that looked eerily similar to that of the famous pair. It immediately sent the internet into a tailspin, studying old Architectural Digest tours of their now-infamous New York properties and trying to deduce who the alleged other woman, “Madeleine”, could be. But this wasn’t just fodder for Reddit detectives and those in need of a timely Halloween costume. With Allen reclaiming power through total vulnerability – not for the first time, FYI, go listen to 2018’s underrated No Shame – the album also became a totem for every woman who’s ever been cheated on, gaslit or diminished.
I’m in a happy, long-term, stable relationship and was screaming the lyrics for months – and I’m not the only one. Meg Watson
Now that’s what you call great jeans
On a scale from Sydney Sweeney to KATSEYE, how do you market a comfortable pair of great jeans?
Many argued American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” ad was tone-deaf and that it allegedly “leaned into eugenics”. Across various social media posts and videos, as well as elsewhere, the ad campaign featured the Euphoria star wearing the jeans, culminating with the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”. In one video she defines “genes” before leaning into the pun, and in an Instagram video she is seen apparently replacing the word “genes” on a billboard ad with “jeans”. A version of the ad on YouTube now has 11 million views, with many of the comments referencing an entirely different – and arguably better – jeans campaign.
What was this campaign? KATSEYE and Gap’s “Better in Denim” ad. The international pop group perform a smoothly choreographed dance routine to Milkshake by Kelis, supported by a vibrant ensemble of dancers. When millennial nostalgia meets Y2K-inspired denim, you’re bound to spark a dance trend – even, coincidentally, for a Doja Cat song. The diversity, the joy, the fun and the nostalgia make it a refreshing watch. Gabriela Sumampow
Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
