The Funniest Memes of 2020 (So Far)
Even though it feels like it’s been three years long, we're a quarter into 2020, and we’ve already been hit with an onslaught of funny meme content. From Brad & Jen's adorable reunion to Billy Porter winning the Grammys red carpet to the very specific art of picking the right subway seat, we’ve seen a variety of hilarious and quirky memes. Just this week, Elon Musk and Grimes we're basically begging for memes to be made about their new baby, X Æ A-12. Viral celebrity moments and humorous coping methods alike (coronavirus is scary, but good thing the internet is reminding us to wash our hands), we've compiled a list to give you the rundown on the funniest memes of 2020 thus far. You're welcome!
Started by Reese Witherspoon, the latest meme trend is 2020 by month in pictures (or at least January to September). 2020 has been...a time, to say the least, and our favorite celebrities are putting a hilarious spin on that by pairing reaction pictures to each month of the year so far. Since Reese posted hers yesterday, the trend has been picked up by Cara Delevingne, Kerry Washington, and Mindy Kaling.
For those who can never find their names on keychains at souvenir shops, the latest meme "What __ Are You?" finally gives you a fighting chance. Across Instagram, various accounts are being created to match a name to each account's subject image that varies from a celebrity to an animal or a meme. There are accounts like What Britney are You, What Meme are You, to even What Panda are You? The "What __ Are You" meme is truly the most fun image match game to play and share with friends this year.
After "Ok, Boomer" nearly broke the internet in late 2019, the generic term young people began dismissively (and hilariously) using to refer to baby boomers, and really anyone over 40, is "Ok, Sweater," next? The recent Gen Z v.s. Millennial memes broke out after one Twitter user noted various comments all over Tik Tok, the Gen Z dominated dancing app, of the younger generation poking fun at the way Milennials approach social media and life. This viral tweet inspired Milennials to share their experiences with the ruthlessly comedic members of Gen Z, including this person who was put in his place with the simple comeback, "Ok, Sweater."
Quarantine has had endless surprises for us all, with re-popularized shows added to streaming networks and our favorite castmates reminiscing over Zoom, so exciting entertainment announcements aren't much of a surprise for us anymore. However, Nickelodeon left fans (nearly) speechless after dropping a tweet in honor of Pride Month suggesting that everyone's favorite Krusty Krab employee, (no, not Squidward), is part of the LGBTQ+ community. Spongebob is one of the most lovable staples from our childhoods, always spreading love and positivity in his quirky adventures, so fans have taken the time to express their joy and support through endless memes and by digging through the show's archives.
We may have kicked quarantine off with a strangely hilarious celebrity rendition of John Lennon's "Imagine," led by Gal Gadot in a misguided show of support for those heavily impacted by Coronavirus, but months later, the tone deaf celebrity campaign has made another appearance. Celebrities showed that they didn't learn their lesson in the "I Take Resposibility" PSA, released amidst current conversations on police brutality and systemic racism taking place primarily in the US. Parodied by the cast of "Dear White People" and countless funny people across social media, hopefully this is the last awkward edit of celebrities saying meaningless things instead of doing things to promote actual change.
Elon Musk and Grimes announced the birth of their baby, X Æ A-12, on May 4th, and the internet was quick to make jokes, mostly revolving around the tech/somewhat robotic nature of the name. Some commented that the baby would speak in Javascript, while others made videos insinuating that Musk and the baby would communicate in beeps and siren sounds. The newborn has been the inspiration for some of the funniest memes of 2020 so far
Every year, the internet is filled with ‘It’s Gonna Be May’ memes, thanks to NSYNC’s 2000 hit single, “It’s Gonna Be Me.” This year, however, the internet has given the meme a quarantine update, tweeted by (and thus given a stamp of approval by) Justin Timberlake himself. May sure feels a little different this year, but the memes definitely make it a little better.
With everyone trapped at home, the memes have been plentiful and also timely. A tweet proclaimed that wildlife was coming back into the waters of Venice, sharing the sentiment that humans are the virus to the earth. This, of course, blew up, leading to people sharing obviously fake images (like the old Windows background), or this image, which was tweeted by @meesterleesir with the caption, “This photo of the Hudson River was taken yesterday. The earth is healing. We are the virus.”
Adele Challenge
Cat memes make the world go round all year long and this year is no different. While our feline friends never seem to entertain us in every single part of our lives, they have also decided to give us the quarantine content we need but don't quite deserve.
We may be living through a pandemic right now, but rest assured that the internet is still here to help you cope with some funny memes. The first and most prominent? Before schools, offices, and gathering places started closing, everyone started to wash their hands more to prevent the spread of coronavirus. 20 seconds is the general guideline, and to help with this many experts say to sing "Happy Birthday" twice, but in a pandemic with an unforeseeable end, that will get old fast. People started suggesting other songs and monologues (Gloria Gaynor's TikTok to "I Will Survive" is a highlight), and now there's literally a website where you can generate a guide with the lyrics to your favorite song.
Purell
The current pandemic has also led everyone to hoard hand sanitizer, carrying it everywhere as a weapon against coronavirus for whenever it's not possible to wash your hands. Panic buying has led to antibacterial gel becoming a hot commodity, and while there are a lot of serious issues to work through here, again, sometimes we've got to work through the hardships together with a good old meme. Purell is now a fashion statement, a celebrity, and the life of the party—just look at this fan cam video Lil Nas X made of it, which is just such a funny meme, even if 2020 is looking pretty uncertain.
To be safe, a lot of people are working from home right now (not to mention all the universities, which have been moving to an online format). According to the internet, this seems to mean a lot of video calls all around, in addition to having the option to do your skincare routine while you catch up on e-mails. Pictured is one of the funniest memes about working from home, as everyone loves a good animal FaceTime already, but now we can all relate. Honestly, catch me turning my cat into my personal assistant.
Country queen Dolly Parton is now also a Meme Queen thanks to starting the "LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder" challenge, also known as the #DollyPartonChallenge. The meme spread like wildfire and plenty of other celebrities have now joined in on the fun, including Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, and Will Smith. It's definitely one of the funniest memes of 2020, and we even offered our own take using our Harry Styles cover shoot.
It might only be January 2020, but the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston SAG Awards interaction couple might end up the top moment of this whole decade. Truly iconic. Hearts everywhere exploded. I'm still crying. Anything could happen from here!!!!
Billy Porter's Grammys Hat
An impressive mixture of fashion and technology, Billy Porter’s Grammys hat is perfect for shutting out the haters. Along with a video of the hat in motion, Porter tweeted: "Get on my nerves, and the curtain closes!" Made by Sarah Sokol, the hat was remote-controlled by a stylist at the event via radio signal. It's definitely one of the funniest memes of 2020 awards season, but I'm left with one question: so...where can I get one?
Technically this tweet happened the night before 2020 began, but we’ll let that part slide because @gabefromthebx's tweet sparked a worthwhile debate over which seat is the best seat in NYC subway cars. Everyone had an opinion, from the door proximity of 1 to the way 4 keeps you out of the way of standing passengers, and it seemed the only thing Twitter could agree on was that 2 was not desirable. There were even spinoffs about standing positions and the best kind of sink to do your skincare routine, making for a seriously funny meme to start off 2020. The best answer was from @MikeDrucker: “Whichever one isn’t inexplicably wet.”
This was potentially the comeback of the century. On an episode of Project Runway, judge Brandon Maxwell said he couldn’t see Karlie Kloss wearing what contestant Tyler Neasloney had designed. “Not even to dinner with the Kushners?” Neasloney retorted. The shade. From the moment Kloss reacted, the world could tell she did not appreciate it, and her takedown of the collection went almost as viral as the comment that set her off.
Shakira’s tongue became an instant meme at Sunday’s Superbowl. The noise, a Zaghrouta, actually has cultural significance: in a nod to her Lebanese roots, the singer used the Arabic celebratory gesture during her performance. Of course, the internet was quick to provide an onslaught of funny memes referencing Shakira’s gesture, many of which interpreted the gesture's festive nature by comparing it to their post-Super Bowl mood or praise for the halftime show the artist put on with J.Lo.
After Beyoncé's Ivy Park x Adidas collab dropped (along with some incredible haul videos from celebrities like Reese Witherspoon), fans were quick to notice its similarity to Popeye's uniforms. Wasting no time, Popeye's created its own line, That Look From Popeye's. All in good fun, the proceeds from Popeye's line go to the Popeye's Foundation. We can definitely get behind one of 2020's funniest memes supporting a good cause.
While Billie Eilish's field of expertise is music, the Grammy-sweeping young artist made her way to the 2020 Oscars as she was performing for the In Memoriam segment. And while she made headlines the moment she stepped onto the red carpet thanks to an oversized Chanel suit with captivating nails, the "Bad Guy" singer's reactions to the ceremony kept eyes on her all night. Eilish kept getting...confused, first during Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig singing during their award presentation (oh honey, you'll learn), and then when Eminem came on stage, because weren't we all? Seriously, has anyone figured out why Eminem performed "Lose Yourself" so long after it actually won Best Original Song, without anyone bothering to explain it to us? Anyway, this was a very funny meme, and if the Oscars need a host to you know...help us know what on earth is going on, perhaps Rudolph and/or Wiig would be a good choice.
The "Cannibal" TikTok Dance
TikTok is decidedly a Gen-Z app—in fact, until recently, all of us millennials were likely to first think of the Kesha song of the same name. So it was an interesting coincidence when Kesha's song "Cannibal" became a 2020 dance trend as TikTokers around the world began executing complex choreography to a fast-paced verse. One of the most prominent users to join in has been Charli D'Amelio, who's done the dance everywhere from her bedroom to the Prada show at Milan Fashion Week. But the viral moment really hit its peak earlier this week, when Kesha herself joined in, using TikTok's "duet" feature to perform the dance side-by-side with one of D'Amelio's videos.
Charlotte Awbery's Impromptu "Shallow" Performance
Making it in music is hard, as Charlotte Awbery knows well—she's been working in the industry for over a decade. But all of that would change for her over the course of a commute on the London Underground, when Kevin Freshwater stopped her to participate in a "finish the lyrics" challenge. While most people would shyly state the following lines, Awbery knew this could be a moment for her and fully belted out "Shallow" in what some said gives Lady Gaga a run for her money. Naturally, the internet's been obsessed ever since, learning everything about her in a development that's been both one of the funniest memes and a great way to discover an amazing talent.
