The end of the year is a great time for some to think about the positive moments they experienced the past year. However, there are also some moments that hopefully stay in 2023 (here’s looking at you, Scandoval). These were moments that had us glued to our screens, scratching our heads, and sharing endless memes:

Elon Musk ruins Twitter

Billionaire Elon Musk officially bought the app Twitter in October 2022 to the dismay of its users. “Elon Musk spending $43 billion to stop getting bullied on Twitter when he could’ve simply been less annoying is insane,” X user Bocxtop tweeted in April 2022. This year, Musk has continued his controversial layoffs, watched the company value significantly drop, and changed the beloved name of the app to X.

When explaining the name change, Musk in a July 2023 post said that “Twitter was acquired by X Corp both to ensure freedom of speech and as an accelerant for X, the everything app. This is not simply a company renaming itself, but doing the same thing,” The app is now losing ad sales with companies like Apple and IBM in November leaving the app after Musk said that an anti semitic conspiracy theory posted on the app said “the actual truth.”

The chaos surrounding the app since Musk’s purchase points to one thing, according to X user StarHeal. “Elon Musk bought Twitter during Mercury retrograde and you can tell,” they tweeted on Nov. 20.

Blueface and Chrisean Rock drama

Rappers and TV personalities Blueface and Chrisean Rock first started their relationship in 2020 after Blueface’s OnlyFans show “Blue Girls Club.” The past three years have been filled with domestic violence and online attacks from both parties. However, when Chrisean announced she was pregnant with Blueface’s baby in January 2023, the drama began to escalate. Blueface took to X after the announcement, tweeting “To answer y’all questions, yes me an Rock are officially done. It’s strictly business, I tried it an clearly it wasn’t giving. Before she announces…She’s pregnant with somebody else’s child, not mine.”

After the paternity was confirmed and Chrisean gave birth to Chrisean Jr. via IG live in September, the now parents are still in a controversial spotlight. For example, Blueface posted a picture of his newborn son’s genitals in September in an attempt to call Chrisean out for her parenting. Chrisean and other social media users called him out, with X user Kim stating that “Blueface been a weirdo after he asked his son if he was gay. And now y’all surprised about him exposing his baby. He needa be in jail nowwwww.”

The nepo baby discourse continues

While 2022 was declared by Vulture as “the year of the nepo baby,” they are still coming in strong in 2023. A nepo baby according to TODAY is “the child of an actor, musician, producer or other industry insider who has likely benefited from their parents’ fame or connections while launching their own career.” Think: Actress Dakota Johnson of the “Fifty Shades” series, whose parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.

While some celebrities acknowledged their privileged background like Gigi Hadid, others like Jamie Lee Curtis did not appreciate the “nepo baby” label. “I have been a professional actress since I was 19 years old so that makes me an OG Nepo Baby,” Curtis stated in a December 2022 Instagram post. “There’s not a day in my professional life that goes by without my being reminded that I am the daughter of movie stars. The current conversation about nepo babies is just designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt.”

Others in 2023 have continued to state their hatred for the term, with actress Gwyneth Paltrow telling Bustle in Oct. 2023 that it is “an ugly moniker.”

Colleen Ballinger’s controversial song

YouTube has had its fair share of scandals, from Shane Dawson to James Charles. This 2023 scandal featured an OG YouTuber and comedian Colleen Ballinger (AKA Miranda Sings). In June, several of Ballinger’s fans called her out for allegedly grooming them through private text group chats she’s used to maintain with them years prior. Adam McIntyre for example released their own videos about his past communications with Ballinger, where they shared that Ballinger asked them what their favorite sexual position was and even received a pair of underwear from her via mail.

In response to these allegations, Ballinger posted a video in June 2023 of her apologizing through song. The lyrics included her singing, “I just wanted to say that the only thing I’ve ever groomed is my two Persian cats. I’m not a groomer. Just a loser.”

On Nov. 18, Ballinger came back to Youtube with a “fall vlog” and apologized for the ukulele video. “Obviously, the last video that I posted on here is really embarrassing, to say the least. I was being accused of some pretty awful things and I just was mad,” Ballinger said. “I should have handled that situation with maturity and empathy, but instead I just let my ego take over and I’m really disappointed in myself.”

Despite the apology, social media has not forgotten what she did, with X user Ella Dawson saying that “a good way to support Colleen Ballinger’s victims is to not watch her new vlog out of morbid curiosity. She returned to YouTube to make money off of ads during the holiday season. Don’t give her the views.”

“The Idol” and its haters

The HBO drama was first announced in June 2021, with actress Lily-Rose Depp and singer The Weeknd in the starring roles. In April 2022, the show under “Euphoria” director Sam Levinson (who took over after the origins director, Amy Seimetz, left the series) was announced to have a creative overhaul. The result was a series that the publication Vulture called “faint rape-fantasy porn.”

Others were disturbed by the show as well, like X user A. The show was officially canceled after one season in August 2023, and many people were relieved. “If anything associated to The Idol gets nominated for anything at the Emmys, and God forbid they win…There would be no value to TV series anymore. Shows like The Idol need to vanish,” X user Min said in a June 2023 tweet.

Melissa Barrera dropped from “Scream 7″

One of the newest “final girls” of the horror franchise Scream, actress Melissa Barrera, was kicked off the upcoming film “Scream 7,” due to her pro-Palestine posts about the Israel-Hamas war. For example, an Instagram story post from Barrera’s account said that “Gaza is currently being treated like a concentration camp. Cornering everyone together, with nowhere to go, no electricity, no water … People have learnt nothing from our histories. And just like our histories, people are still silently watching it all happen. THIS IS GENOCIDE & ETHNIC CLEANSING.”

In a statement Nov. 21, SpyGlass Media Group, who produces the “Scream” movies, said that “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

Those online have come to support Barrera after the decision. X user Dajour in a Nov. 21 tweet said that “Melissa Barrera as recent as 3 hours ago has continued to spread awareness about Palestine despite being fired from jobs and seemingly blacklisted. She stands on morals regardless of attempts to silence her. I will respect and support that courage over any f****** movie.”

On Nov. 22, it was announced that Jenna Ortega, who plays Barrera’s sister in the “Scream” series, would also not be returning. Citing her shooting schedule for her Netflix series “Wednesday” as the reason why, some social media users believed she truly left to support Barrera and her beliefs.

“Jenna Ortega using the classic ‘scheduling conflicts’ as her reason for leaving the Scream movie is a cherry on top of her solidarity with Barrera,” X user Walt said in a Nov. 22 post.

The sexual assault reckoning

On Nov. 24, the Adult Survivors Act expired in New York State. Under this act, victims of sexual misconduct had a “one year look back window” in order to raise claims that would be blocked by the statute of limitations. On Nov. 16, a little more than a week before the Act would expire, singer Cassie sued rapper Diddy in federal court. She claimed that during their relationship, she suffered from sexual assault, sex trafficking, rape and more. Despite the lawsuit being settled the next day, more people have since released their own lawsuits against Diddy for his violent behavior. However, Diddy has not been the only person in the entertainment industry recently accused of sexual violence.

A slew of other celebrities were soon catching the heat too. Singer and actor Jamie Foxx is facing battery and sexual assault charges in a lawsuit filed Nov. 20. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was sued on Nov. 22 by two women who had sexual assault cases against the actor that he pleaded guilty to. Nevertheless, he served no jail time. The frontman of rock band “Guns N’ Roses,” Axl Rose, was sued Nov. 22 after being accused of rape in an 1989 attack. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 3, comedian and actor Russell Brand was accused of sexual assault again, weeks after four other women came forward with their own allegations about him. The lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler, was sued again Nov. 2 for alleged sexual assault of a minor.

As X user Cindy Noir said in their Nov. 17 post, “Going against someone as powerful as Diddy was no easy feat. I hope that Cassie is proud for speaking up and speaking out regardless. B/c she really did that. And her courage is going to be felt by so many other victims to come forward. This isn’t the end. Not at all.”

Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare”

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, released his memoir “Spare” on Jan. 10. It sold over 1.4 million copies in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom alone on its opening day according to its publisher Penguin Random House. The prince in the book discussed everything from his relationship with his family, what it was really like to grow up as royalty, and why he decided to leave his senior royal role in 2020.

Some of the most shocking moments include Prince William’s alleged assault on Prince Harry, who he calls his “beloved brother” and “archnemesis,” “the humiliating moment” when he lost his virginity to an older lady, and his kill count of 25 people while in Afghanistan.

The book drew criticisms online despite its high sales. According to August social media analysis from Newsweek, the negativity towards Harry and Meghan has continued in 2023 from the year before despite the release of the book and their Netflix docuseries “Harry and Meghan.” The analysis also found that “there were 14,600 critical posts about the Sussexes in February compared to 12,700 positive ones.”

In the United States, Prince Harry’s popularity has dropped 48 points since Dec. 2022 according to the Newsweek polls. His wife, Meghan Markle, has had her popularity drop 40 points in the same time period. Adding on top of the public dissatisfaction, Markle’s podcast “Archetypes,” airing on Spotify, announced in June that it will not be returning for a second season. Launched in August 2022, the show consisted of 12 episodes with stars such as Mariah Carey and Maragret Cho. The support that the couple originally had according to these reports is not as strong, and time will tell if it will ever improve.

The Met Gala Cockroach

The true star of the 2023 Met Gala according to social media wasn’t even invited. The “Met Gala Cockroach” was first posted by Variety in the midst of their Met Gala coverage on May 1.

Social media immediately went ablaze, posting about the cockroach’s looks and asking what they were wearing to the special event. “She is an icon, she is a legend, she is the moment,” Huffpost senior editor Phillp Lewis said in a post on X May 1. Sadly, the cockroach’s moment of fame was short lived, as it was eventually stepped on. Buzzfeed added to the sorrows and prayers, stating in a May 1 post on X, “I’m going to need a minute to process this – gone WAY too soon.”

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce

Singer Joe Jonas officially filed for divorce from actress Sophia Turner on Sept. 5. However, the drama continued after both parties announced the separation on Instagram. Sources told TMZ on Sept. 3, that Jonas was caring for the two young children alone while on tour and that she liked to party while he stayed at home. On the opposite hand, however, reports published by TMZ on Sept. 7 said that Jonas “was less than supportive” after Turner gave birth to their second child in July 2022 and that Turner was more comfortable at the house. Jonas allegedly at an event complained that Turner was MIA and that she needed to get out more, according to TMZ.

Fans jumped to Turner’s defense as Jonas tried to make Turner look like a bad parent, with X user Karaygeous stating on Sept. 5, “The way they’ve tried to make him a martyr for just being a dad. No, we’re not doing that.” X user Lindsay Fickas said on Sept. 5 that “his team just keeps putting out stories about how he tried to save the marriage, how she’s a big partier, and all these other stories while she hasn’t said a word. It’s like, these people are trying to get ahead of something.” Despite the media drama, on Oct. 11, Jonas and Turner reached an interim custody agreement of their two daughters through early 2024.

The negative PR campaign that Jonas and his team ran according to fans did not sit right with other working mothers. “Mom-shaming” is a prevalent societal force, according to studies. A 2017 report from The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital stated that 61% of mothers surveyed with children ages zero to five saying they have been criticized for their parenting choices.

When it came to how Jonas treated Turner in the media, “it’s not just a smear to her, it’s also a low blow to working mothers everywhere,” MOTHERboard Society founder Danielle Melton told Huffpost Sept. 12.

Celebrities that we lost

Music industry icon, Tina Turner, passed away May 24 in Switzerland but continues her reign as the “Queen of Rock and Roll.” Another musical icon, jazz singer Tony Bennet, passed away in July right before his 97th birthday. The mayor of “Margaritaville,” singer Jimmy Buffet passed away at 76 in September. In the entertainment industry, “Euphoria” actor Angus Cloud also passed away in July at the age of 25. Beloved “Friends” actor Matthew Perry died in late October at 54 in his Los Angeles home. These celebrities and the many more that were lost this year live on through their work and the fans they have gained in their lifetime and beyond.

Looking ahead

While 2023 isn’t technically over, these 11 moments will definitely go down in history as some of the worst pop culture has to offer. It’s important to remember that while these moments were negative, they also sparked important conversations about a variety of issues. From the nepo baby debate to the sexual assault reckoning, these events forced us to confront uncomfortable truths and consider how we can do better as a society.

From scandals and controversies to cringe-worthy moments and disappointing failures, these events certainly left a mark on the year. Let’s hope 2024 offers a bit more peace and joy, but for now, we’ll just have to remember these moments and hope we learn from them.