From the Bennifer Breakup to celebrity look-alike competitions, the year gave some of pop culture's most unforgettable moments yet.

2024 will go down as a year that redefined virality in pop culture. It&nbsp;was anything but quiet, with cultural phenomena dominating conversations both online and off. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/jojo-siwa-net-worth">Jojo Siwa</a>&rsquo;s dramatic &ldquo;new look&rdquo; took the internet by storm, with fans and critics alike buzzing about her transformation, (including her giant furball sphere frock at Christian Cowan's Spring 2025 show). Meanwhile, the &ldquo;four seasons baby&rdquo; gave us a catchy, meme-worthy phrase that stayed on everyone&rsquo;s lips. And then there was Moo Deng, the hungry baby hippo.
<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/politics-culture/kamala-harris-biggest-celebrity-endorsements-beyonce-harrison-ford">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&rsquo;s words from a 2023 speech, &ldquo;You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?,&rdquo; broke the internet as social media users used the audio, going as far as remixing it into tracks from <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/charli-xcx-surprise-times-square-performance-after-party">Charli XCX</a>&rsquo;s hit album, Brat. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/nara-smith-and-lucky-blue-smith-baby-girl-whimsy-lou">Nara Smith</a>'s rise to stardom was unstoppable, with her every move&mdash;from her fashion to her signature monotone voice and recipes&mdash;becoming a topic of endless fascination.
Whether it was shocking celebrity breakups, engagements, press tours, or trends that seemingly came out of nowhere, 2024 had it all. Keep scrolling to look back at the most viral pop culture moments 2024 gave us. We'll be looking back on these in the years ahead.

<h2>Holding Space</h2>

The <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/cynthia-ervio-ariana-grande-best-witchy-looks-wicked-press-tour">Wicked</a> press tour was responsible for many emotional moments between stars <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/thom-browne-wicked-gowns-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-the-met-atelier-alina-cho">Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo</a>. One interview in particular created a meme: &ldquo;holding space&rdquo; originates from a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEsW1KxgtEg">viral clip</a> with Grande and Erivo, when the interviewer stated people were taking the lyrics of &ldquo;Defying Gravity&rdquo; and "holding space" for them.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know that was happening,&rdquo; Erivo responded, becoming visibly emotional. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s really powerful&hellip; I didn&rsquo;t know that was happening. That&rsquo;s what I wanted.&rdquo; The interview in question was published November 13th, but gained much <a href="https://x.com/MashaParty/status/1859618868194341249">traction on X</a> (formerly Twitter) during the film&rsquo;s opening weekend. The two broke down the viral moment in an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Inn_IA-MA">interview with Variety</a>, with the latter calling it &ldquo;the meme of the year.&rdquo; 
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what any part of it meant,&rdquo; Grande confessed to Variety. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t understand the first sentence, and then I definitely didn&rsquo;t understand&hellip; how [Cynthia] responded&hellip; I feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did.&rdquo;

Charli XCX in Saturday Night Live. Getty Images.

Brat Summer, you will always be famous. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/charlixcx">Charli XCX</a> released her sixth studio album, Brat in June, and we haven&rsquo;t been the same since. The distinctive lime-green cover art (dubbed &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/how-to-wear-brat-green-charli-xcx">Brat green</a>&rdquo;) and party-girl aesthetic prompted much buzz across social media over the past few months. When Kamala Harris&rsquo; candidacy for president was announced back in July, Charli XCX responded in a <a href="https://x.com/charli_xcx/status/1815182384066707861?lang=en">tweet on X</a> (formerly Twitter) simply saying &ldquo;kamala IS brat.&rdquo; The campaign&rsquo;s official <a href="https://x.com/KamalaHQ">Twitter page</a> soon changed its backdrop to &ldquo;Brat green&rdquo; and adopted Charli&rsquo;s song &ldquo;360&rdquo; for many of its TikTok videos. 
Fans got in on the hysteria via TikTok thanks to the viral &ldquo;Apple&rdquo; dance, choreographed to the eleventh track on the album. The saga continued into &ldquo;Brat Autumn&rdquo; as the English singer embarked on &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/sweat-tour-charli-xcx-troye-sivan-review">The Sweat Tour</a>&rdquo; and held <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/charli-xcx-surprise-times-square-performance-after-party">a surprise performance in Times Square</a>. &ldquo;Brat&rdquo; has been named one of the words of the year by <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/from-polarization-to-brain-rot-to-brat-2024s-words-of-the-year-reflect/">Scientific American</a>. We&rsquo;re not surprised at all.

<h2>Very Demure, Very Mindful (Very Cutesy)</h2>

We doubt you&rsquo;ve gone even five minutes without hearing this phrase this year. Or saying it for that matter. TikToker Jools Lebron posted a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@joolieannie/video/7398612571818888494?lang=en">video</a> titled &ldquo;How to be Demure at Work&rdquo; back in August, describing the way she gets ready for work to be &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/how-to-dress-demure">Very demure, very mindful</a>.&rdquo; Encouraging viewers to do the same, she signed off saying "Let's not forget to be demure divas." The short clip swiftly became a buzzword on the platform and beyond, amassing more than 50 million views. Celebrities like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-wRQgYJBUQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=853d9dd6-8612-4111-99a8-a4ea1f72ef24">Jennifer Lopez</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-tRG1Yu0Zj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=aa9c8a23-6382-45da-9fce-5758dcea998a">Penn Badgley</a> even referenced the phrase on their Instagram pages.

If you&rsquo;ve been seeing double lately, you&rsquo;re not alone. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/whats-driving-celebrity-look-alike-contests-timothee-chalamet-harry-styles">Celebrity look-alike competitions</a> have become the latest cultural craze, transforming city streets into impromptu stages for uncanny doppelg&auml;ngers. It all began with a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/timothee-chalamet-a-complete-unknown-trailer">Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet</a> look-alike contest in October. Since then, the quirky trend has exploded worldwide, with major cities hosting events where fans impersonate stars like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/harry-styles-taylor-russell-break-up-single">Harry Styles</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/paul-mescal-small-watch-cartier-trend-mens">Paul Mescal</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/jeremy-allen-white-new-movie-bruce-springsteen-upcoming-biopic">Jeremy Allen White</a>. Some celebrities are even embracing the phenomenon&mdash;actor Glenn Powell recently announced that the winner of his contest would secure <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/glen-powell-lookalike-contest-winner-parents-cameo-next-film-1236222542/#:~:text=Powell%20went%20on%20to%20reveal,next%20movie%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.">a cameo</a> for a family member in his next film. This spectacle-driven movement reflects a deeper societal fascination with visual identity and public image, offering fans a playful way to connect with their idols while vying for their own moment in the spotlight.

When <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/jennifer-lopez-ben-affleck-bennifer-instagram-official">Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck</a> rekindled their romance back in 2021, it felt like the stars finally aligned for the two. Lopez announced their second engagement in April 2022 via her newsletter, showing off her light green ring. The couple went on to wed in July of that year in Las Vegas, with a formal ceremony two months after. But speculation about <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/jennifer-lopez-ben-affleck-divorce-separation-rumors">a potential split</a> ignited back in May when fans noticed Lopez attending the Met Gala alone. While Affleck's absence wasn&rsquo;t shocking, fans grew concerned as the couple hadn&rsquo;t been seen together publicly for over a month, an unusual gap for them. Lopez eventually <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/jennifer-lopez-ben-affleck-divorce-1236020852/">filed for divorce</a> in August, though the pair was spotted together in September.

<h2>Rap Beef and Diss Tracks: Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake</h2>

2024 was a year like no other when it comes to rap beef and diss tracks. (It even has its own Wikipedia page.) Rumored to have originated in the late 2000s and early 2010s, rivalry between Kendrick Lamar and Drake reached a boiling point this year, dominating headlines and airwaves. <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/kendrick-lamar-grand-national-tour-sza-2025">Lamar</a>&rsquo;s diss track, &ldquo;Not Like Us,&rdquo; released in May, debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a cultural phenomenon. The track, along with its fiery predecessors &ldquo;Euphoria&rdquo; and &ldquo;Meet The Grahams,&rdquo; solidified Lamar&rsquo;s position in the feud. Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/drake-credits-the-beatles-certified-lover-boy-album">Drake</a> countered with his own trio of tracks, including &ldquo;Family Matters&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Heart Part 6." Many declared Lamar the victor after his June performance at the Kia Forum, which felt like a triumphant victory lap.
The saga is far from over. In his Super Bowl 2025 halftime show announcement, Lamar alluded to the feud with a cryptic &ldquo;No Round 2s,&rdquo; sparking a veiled response from Drake on social media. Just days after Lamar <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/kendrick-lamar-squabble-up-music-video-release-watch">surprise-dropped his album GNX</a> late November, Drake escalated the drama by <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje08q8qnzqo">filing a lawsuit</a> against Universal Music Group and Spotify, alleging the company inflated streams for &ldquo;Not Like Us.&rdquo;&nbsp;

This summer&rsquo;s Olympics Games in Paris were about more than just excellence in sports, delivering <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/viral-moments-olympics-2024">countless moments</a> that had everyone talking. Simone Biles made quite the comeback, winning four medals&mdash;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/simone-biles-gold-medal-guide">three of them gold</a>&mdash;in a stunning redemption arc following the Tokyo 2021 Games. Her bow alongside teammate Jordan Chiles to Brazil&rsquo;s Rebeca Andrade was not only history, but a poignant display of sportsmanship. Basketball fans were in for a thrill watching Stephen Curry drain clutch three-pointers in the final moments of the men&rsquo;s basketball final, while gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik stole hearts as the &ldquo;Pommel Horse Guy.&rdquo; Australia&rsquo;s Raygun &ldquo;break dancing&rdquo; fell short, but it did just inspire a musical. Meanwhile, Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec and the Olympic Village&rsquo;s chocolate chip muffins&mdash;praised by &ldquo;muffin man&rdquo; on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@henrikchristians1/video/7395570555912457505?embed_source=121374463%2C121451205%2C121439635%2C121433650%2C121404358%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_name&amp;refer=embed&amp;referer_url=globalnews.ca%2Fnews%2F10686295%2Folympic-chocolate-muffin-man-henrik-christiansen%2F&amp;referer_video_id=7395570555912457505">TikTok</a>&mdash;made waves of their own. And who could forget Team USA&rsquo;s mascot Snoop Dogg? The 2028 Olympic Games will debut in Los Angeles.

In February, Reesa Teesa&rsquo;s 52-part <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@reesamteesa/video/7335420025240554782?lang=en">TikTok series</a>, Who TF Did I Marry?, took the internet by storm, amassing over 450 million views and earning her more than 3 million followers in just two weeks. The series, which spans over eight hours across 50 videos, details her tumultuous marriage to her ex-husband, whom she calls &ldquo;Legion,&rdquo; and his deceptive, pathological behavior. Fans later uncovered that &ldquo;Legion&rdquo; (born Jerome McCoy) since denied the claims made by Teesa. Following its viral success, the series is set to be <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/who-tf-did-i-marry-tiktok-tv-show-natasha-rothwell-1236130024/">adapted into a TV show</a> by actress Natasha Rockwell.

Zendaya at the 'Dune Part Two' world premiere wearing vintage Mugler. Getty Images.

This year has been a standout for <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/zendaya-best-hairstyles-trendy-looks">Zendaya</a>&rsquo;s highly anticipated red carpet moments. From channeling Cher to her showstopping Met Gala ensembles, the Dune actor didn&rsquo;t let up once. Arguably the most talked-about look was the iconic Mugler Fembot suit during her Dune: Part Two press tour. First worn by German supermodel Nadja Auermann in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/thierry-mugler-fall-1995-couture-fashion-show">Thierry Mugler&rsquo;s Autumn/Winter 1995 collection</a>, the Fembot has remained a legendary piece in fashion history. Zendaya&rsquo;s appearance in the suit&mdash;styled by longtime collaborator Law Roach&mdash;sent the internet into a frenzy, with fans and fashionistas alike buzzing over the bold choice.

<h2>The Year of Taylor Swift (Again)</h2>

It&rsquo;s been yet another astronomical year for billionaire <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/taylor-swift-makeup-football-games">Taylor Swift</a>. From her <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/taylor-swift-album-of-the-year-grammys-2024-historic-win">historic fourth Album of the Year win</a> at the Grammys to her high-profile romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/travis-kelce-mustache-facial-hair-trend-style">Travis Kelce</a>, Swift&rsquo;s influence extended far beyond music. She wrapped up her record-shattering &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/ranking-taylor-swifts-eras-tour-outfits-2024">Eras Tour</a>&rdquo;&mdash;a 149-show run across five continents over nearly two years&mdash;cementing her status as a global phenomenon. The release of her eleventh studio album, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/taylor-swift-announces-new-album-the-tortured-poets-department">The Tortured Poets Department</a> too captivated fans and critics alike. Meanwhile, her <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/taylor-swift-nfl-outfits">frequent appearances at Chiefs games</a>, including a star-studded one at the Super Bowl in February, kept her firmly in the public eye.

<h2>Beyonc&eacute; Enters Her Country Era</h2>

Less than a year after wrapping up the Renaissance World Tour, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/beyonce-best-on-stage-fashion-looks-tour">Beyonc&eacute;</a> gifted the Beyhive with <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/beyonce-cowboy-carter-release">Cowboy Carter</a>, a concept album that redefines Americana by shedding light on the often-overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to American music and culture. Garnering a record-breaking <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/grammy-awards-nominations-2025-pop-artists-lead">11 nominations at the 2025 Grammys</a>, Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s venture into country music was met with both praise and harsh criticism. While the Beyhive embraced the bold move, some critics expressed their disdain in egregious and racist ways. The album, unsurprisingly, was snubbed at the Country Music Association Awards last month. But if anyone knows how to rise above, it&rsquo;s the 32-time Grammy winner who is already set to perform the halftime show at an NFL game on Christmas Day in her native Houston.

"I'm looking for a man in finance..." If your mind instantly added "with a trust fund. Six-five. Blue eyes," you're not alone. Millions were hooked on TikToker Megan Boni's viral song sample, which humorously critiques society's obsession with the "ideal man." Recorded in April, the 19-second clip quickly took over TikTok, amassing over 40 million views. Its catchy, satirical tone sparked hundreds of remixes and parodies, with high-profile figures like Finneas (Billie Eilish's brother) jumping on the trend. Building on the success, Boni later released a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@girl_on_couch/video/7363742421588512043?lang=en">full-length satirical track</a>, "Man in Finance," in collaboration with David Guetta and Billen Ted.

After Kate Middleton underwent&nbsp;surgery in January, speculation about her health and recovery swirled. Kensington Palace initially stated that the Princess of Wales's diagnosis would remain private, but their silence only fueled public curiosity. Her subsequent retreat from royal duties sparked a social media frenzy, with conspiracy theories and attempts at humor spreading rapidly. The situation escalated when Kensington Palace released&mdash;and then withdrew&mdash;a heavily edited Mother&rsquo;s Day photo of the princess with her children. Finally, the rumors were put to rest with the announcement of her cancer diagnosis, bringing clarity to months of uncertainty.

The ongoing online "Man or Bear" debate was sparked by a TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@screenshothq/video/7356208240008498465?_r=1&amp;_t=8n4jpD6iqNi">video</a> posted in April. In the video, women were asked whether they would rather face a man or a bear alone in the woods, seven out of eight participants chose the bear, citing fears of male aggression. This striking preference has ignited widespread conversations about women's safety and societal views on male violence.&nbsp;

<h2>"This is Going to Ruin The Tour"</h2>

<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/britney-spears-justin-timberlake-cheating-memoir">Justin Timberlake</a>&rsquo;s June arrest sparked a meme frenzy, with social media users poking fun at a reported exchange between the pop star and the arresting officer. According to an anonymous source for <a href="https://pagesix.com/2024/06/20/entertainment/justin-timberlake-pressing-forward-with-tour-after-dwi-arrest/">Page Six</a>, Timberlake lamented that the incident would &ldquo;ruin the tour,&rdquo; to which the officer quipped, &ldquo;What tour?&rdquo; Timberlake&rsquo;s reply, &ldquo;The world tour,&rdquo; referred to his "Forget Tomorrow World Tour," his first global tour in five years and an intended comeback. Instead, the bleakness of the quote resonated online, as commentators reimagined the now-iconic dialogue in dramatic and comedic movie scenes, marking yet another blow to Timberlake&rsquo;s once-revered image.

Holding Space for 2024's Best Viral Pop Culture Moments

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