From ‘spitgate’ to Liz truss vs. the lettuce, here are HUNGER’s best pop culture moments 2022

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock

Ahh, the Oscars. When Hollywood’s best get to showcase to the world their professionalism and hard work. Who won the awards this year? We don’t know, we were too busy replaying the video of when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. The whole incident was one of the weirdest things seen in the history of TV, and completely unacceptable if you ask us. But the memes that came out of it… some of the internet’s best. 

Molly Mae’s 24 hours

Yes, this was this year. “We all have the same 24 hours in a day”: PR nightmare. January hailed the Queen of all the British girl bosses to reveal her disdain for those who aren’t as successful as her because we all have the same hours in a day, right? Hmmm. In all fairness Love Island never did offer classes in tone deafness. 

Trisha Paytas denying she gave birth to Queen Elizabeth

We followed how many centimetres she was dilated, we all sat in anticipation as she revealed a storytime to deny the rumours of the reincarnation, and we all held our breath when the baby was… crowning. Ultimately, the internet decided Trish Paytas was about to give birth to Queen Elizabeth II. Iconic. At least the baby maintained its dignity by being named the new Princess of the Internet, Malibu Barbie the First.

Lea Michele can’t read

The iconic Glee star Lea Michele can’t read, says the internet. When her assistant read out the rumours to her, she of course denied them. But people believe that the evidence is only increasing, and the memeified glory of her struggle is only fuelling the theorisers to believe it more and more. 

Matt Hancock on I’m a Celeb

The whole thing of the ex-health secretary heading to the jungle as the country prayed for his downfall was so Hunger Games that it almost felt unreal. As he ate bulls testicles and camel penis, Boy George was sat furiously wiping his brow with Sue’s towel, and the public watched on in disdain, horror and complete entertainment. The cherry on the dystopian cake? When Hancock recreated the infamous meme with his new partner on the bridge. Nightmare.

Harry Styles and Chris Pine’s “spitgate”

Don’t Worry Darling promo will be studied by future generations of media students for years to come. It was a complete mess. But when we woke up to the slow-mo of Harry Styles’ saliva particles passing through the air at the premiere heading directly towards Chris Pine, we knew it had truly gone too far. The question is, did he spit? Stylers say no, but “spitgate” says yes.

Liz Truss vs. the Lettuce

In an incredible feat, only 45 days after becoming the UK’s Prime Minister, Liz Truss was beaten by a lettuce! The Daily Star had assigned the veg to see how long it would last in comparison to the second PM of the year, and it did in fact, win. The lettuce celebrated with a Greggs whilst waving the flag proudly, as it watched the arch nemesis Liz Truss walk out of office to ‘Blank Space’ by Taylor Swift. British pride never looked so good.

Adam Levine’s Sexts

In the same week the ‘Wife Guy’ from Try Guys was found to be cheating, Adam Levine’s bad behaviour also surfaced with a string of his flirty text messages. “It is truly unreal how fucking hot you are. Like it blows my mind”. Classy. After politely asking to name his new daughter with his Victoria model wife (the cheek?) after the girl he was having an affair with, he was outed and forced to half-heartedly apologise. Nice guys always finish last *sigh*.

Vladamir Putin’s Mother

90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord put her ‘Dear Mister President Vladamir Putin’ poem on Twitter, in an ode to fixing all the straight white men’s issues with, you know, dictatorship, by offering them a better childhood. ‘If I was your mother’ was a seriously weird way to react to the Ukraine war, and was met with people trying to understand what she was thinking. All we know is, Freud would have loved this one.

Little Miss Annoying

The ‘Little Miss’ memes were potentially one of the worst things to come out of 2022, and they were everywhere. Yes it was a fun novelty for a while, and no, we will not be seeing them again. If there’s one thing that we will happily be saying goodbye to in the new year, it is some of the worst millennial internet humour seen in a while.

It’s time to BeReal

The app that took over the world was a complete cultural renaissance this year. “Get in my BeReal!”, “Omg it’s BeReal time!”. There wasn’t a moment we could take from the apps effect on daily life, especially when it was announced that Queen had died and the BeReal notification went off. Coincidence? We think not. 

Heidi Klum as a Worm

“Would you still love me if I was a worm?” The famous Halloween costumes of Heidi Klum were taken to the next level this year, and her interviews laid down in a huge, slightly gross but iconic worm costume were simply high art. No more thoughts, just Heidi Klum as a worm.

Pete Davidson’s undeniable rizz

This year was the year of Pete Davidson, once again. Kim K and Emily Ratajowski are the latest on his long list of famous partners, as the humble comedian steps out with a new girlfriend every other week. Joined by the likes of Jack Harlow in the internet’s quest to find the source of their rizz, the only question we have is, how does he do it?