Taylor Swift, 'Barbie' and Beyoncé: The pop culture moments that best defined 2023
What pop culture moment defined your 2023?
Was it Britney Spears' bombshell memoir, "Friends" star Matthew Perry's tragic death, Beyoncé's life-changing Renaissance tour, or Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner becoming an item? Of course, 2023 was more than just entertainment news and gossip, but there's no denying the grip these pop culture moments had on our social media timelines and group chats with friends.
It was a year in which one could hardly go anywhere without seeing or hearing Taylor Swift's name, celebrity divorces were aplenty, and though Hollywood reckoned with historic dual writers and actors strikes in 2023, studios managed to squeeze out box-office hits "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," or "Barbenheimer" as the internet dubbed.
Let's revisit 12 of the most seminal pop culture moments of the year:
Britney Spears, Prince Harry publish bombshell memoirs
This was the year celebrities unapologetically bared it all on the pages of their memoirs.
In Britney Spears' memoir, "The Woman in Me," the singer opened up about her 13-year conservatorship, the #FreeBritney movement and her romantic relationship with Justin Timberlake.
She revealed she had become pregnant with Timberlake's child when she was 19 and decided to get an abortion. After "sobbing and screaming" for hours because "the pain was unbelievable" while terminating her pregnancy, Spears claimed her then-boyfriend joined her on the bathroom floor and strummed his guitar in an attempt to soothe her.
Rewind to the top of the year in January, and you might recall Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, released his tell-all memoir, "Spare." He discussed topics ranging from how he dealt with his mother's death to his tours in Afghanistan and his relationship with his brother Prince William and sister-in-law Princess Kate.
Celebrity memoirs worth the hype: From Viola Davis to Danny Trejo, Jennette McCurdy and more
Remembering Matthew Perry, Tina Turner, Lisa Marie Presley and more
A little more than a week into 2023, Lisa Marie Presley – Elvis Presley's only child – died of an intestinal blockage at 54.
Following her death, we lost other notable figures such as queen of rock 'n' roll Tina Turner, daytime talk show host Jerry Springer, legendary singer Tony Bennett, "Margaritaville" icon Jimmy Buffett, Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens, "Euphoria" star Angus Cloud, "The Price is Right" emcee Bob Barker, "Harry Potter" franchise staple Michael Gambon, "Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers and, most recently, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" actor André Braugher.
In October, "Friends" fans around the world mourned the loss of Matthew Perry, who played the wisecracking Chandler Bing over the iconic show's 10 seasons.
More: 'Friends' star Matthew Perry's cause of death revealed in autopsy report
Unlikely celebrity pairings: Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Several celebrity couples – some of which are all but officially confirmed – that weren't on our 2023 bingo cards emerged this year.
Take Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, who have been rumored to be dating since spring. Though they haven't made things official, they were pictured together at the U.S. Open and other major events, fueling speculation about their romance.
Also, look no further than older sister Kendall Jenner, who's been linked to reggaeton singer Bad Bunny for months. Paparazzi photos, a shared Gucci campaign and some suspicious lyrics have been keeping fans guessing. (Although now, rumors are the two have reportedly split.)
Then there's Miss Americana and her NFL prince.
As the lore goes, what started as a failed friendship bracelet pass-off has since blossomed into what might be the (most surprising) relationship of the year: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. A football game appearance here, a visit to Argentina there, and the two have shown no signs of slowing down.
More: Revelations from Taylor Swift's Time interview, including Kim Kardashian, Ye feud
Who run the world? Beyoncé and Taylor Swift
After performing her career-spanning 3 ?-hour show more than 60 times over, it’s official: Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour is the first tour in history to earn more than $1 billion, according to Pollstar.
The show – a true physical feat as Swift navigates a set list that is a mind-boggling 45 songs long – has boosted local economies and spawned a movie that had the biggest opening for a concert film of all time.
Right behind Swift in the ranking of the year's highest-grossing tours was Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour.
In the months after she became the most decorated artist in Grammy Awards history, Beyoncé went on to sell a reported $579.8 million in tickets to her tour. Her concert documentary, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé" (which she wrote, directed and produced), opened at No. 1 in its first weekend in North America.
The two powerhouses have also supported each other through these career milestones. Beyoncé quietly made an appearance at Swift's Eras Tour movie premiere in Los Angeles, and Swift flew overseas to attend the "Renaissance" film premiere in London.
Who had the best concert of 2023? We rank the top 10 including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, U2
Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show pregnancy reveal
In February, Rihanna had a very unexpected special guest on stage during her Super Bowl halftime performance: her baby bump.
As she caressed her stomach throughout her performance, social media went wild with speculation about whether this was a pregnancy announcement. Shortly after Rihanna ended her 13-minute set, her representative confirmed that the Barbados-born superstar was, indeed, expecting baby No. 2.
Six months later, her second son with A$AP Rocky, Riot Rose Mayers, was born.
'Everything Everywhere All at Once' sweeps the Oscars
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" surpassed all expectations for an indie film about multiverse hopping with hotdog fingers, talking rocks and googly eyes.
It was a box office hit and racked up Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice awards before it concluded the awards season in February with a bang by winning a stunning seven Oscars in the 10 categories in which it was nominated. Michelle Yeoh wasn't wrong when she called the moment "history in the making" during her acceptance speech for the best actress Oscar: She's the first Asian person in the show's 95-year history to be awarded in the category. Yeoh's co-star, and onscreen husband, Ke Huy Quan became the second Asian man to win best supporting actor.
It was a win for the film's directors and writers (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), actors, and, most importantly, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
'Everything Everywhere All at Once': The film's sweep is a long-awaited, well-deserved win for Asian Americans
Historic writers' and actors' strikes grind Hollywood to a halt
The summer of strikes culminated in new contracts for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America.
After SAG-AFTRA's historic 118-day strike and WGA's 148-day strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, actors and writers were able to get back to work on late-night TV shows, studio films and beloved TV shows. The effects will be felt as 2024 gets underway, though, as Hollywood scrambles to catch up on projects that were largely put on hold since May when WGA members went on strike.
King Charles III's coronation following Queen Elizabeth's death
Royals and dignitaries from around the world descended upon London in May to see King Charles III's ascension to the throne following his late mother Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022.
There were show-stopping headpieces and jewelry, a balcony appearance by the British royal family (sans Harry and Prince Andrew) and a procession to Buckingham Palace in a gilded carriage as the king and the queen consort (Queen Camilla) were crowned.
Though Harry was in attendance for his father's coronation, Duchess Meghan and their children were not.
'Barbenheimer' power duo blew past box-office expectations
This July, "Barbenheimer" went from a silly meme to a box office juggernaut.
Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" – full of delightful, 2023-defining moments such as Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" and America Ferrera's monologue – had the biggest opening of the year and broke the first-weekend record for a film directed by a woman. Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of the year.
In all, the unlikely duo's combined powers culminated in the fourth-biggest box-office weekend in history.
Shocking celebrity divorces: Ariana Grande, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas
Nothing lasts forever. Yet fans were shocked to learn that couples they’d long been rooting for were calling it quits this year.
Power couples such as Joe Manganiello and Sofía Vergara, Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth and Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner were among the list of celebrities who filed for divorce this year. Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez, Cardi B and Offset, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness, and Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner also ended their marriages.
Some played out more amicably. For others, things have turned ugly as Jonas and Turner's custody battle plays out in court and Cardi B has made claims about infidelity on social media.
'The Golden Bachelor' takes TV by storm
After years of delays, ABC's "The Golden Bachelor" finally premiered this fall. The new spinoff show, starring 72-year-old Gerry Turner, rejuvenated longtime fans who were tired of the decades-old formula and attracted new audiences, as evidenced by its impressive viewership ratings.
For nine weeks, viewers saw a nail-biter pickleball tournament, a '50s diner flash mob and more than one coy reference to "knocking boots" in the fantasy suites. Not only did the Midwestern widower get engaged to his final choice, Theresa Nist, after exploring 21 other women in their "golden" years, but he also intends to wed his ring-winner post haste. The golden couple is set to wed live on TV on Thursday.
'Golden Bachelor' after the proposal: Gerry and Theresa talk finale drama, 'naughty' outing
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Britney Spears' book, 'Barbie': Biggest pop culture moments of 2023
