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Yes, these happened in 2024.
Published Dec. 25 2024, 12:00 p.m. ET
As the year comes to an end, it is time to reflect on the best viral memes and moments of 2024.
And there were plenty. From a Willy Wonka experience gone wrong to a missing Kate Middleton to lookalike contests, the year was full of moments that made us laugh, cry — or both.
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Katt Williams
— Kory Yeshua (@KoryYeshua) January 3, 2024Comedian Katt Williams says 2024 will be the year “all lies will be exposed”
it’s not about race it’s “God side and the other side” pic.twitter.com/wbeTnF8GLC
2024 started out strong with Katt Williams appearing on Club Shay Shay and pretty much predicting the downfall of some major celebrities (ahem, Diddy), and calling out several of his fellow comedians.
The interview garnered 37 million views in its first week on YouTube and in December 2024 it had 85 million views.
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MJ on 'The Traitors' Season 2
Shahs of Sunset star Mercedes "MJ" Javid instantly became a meme when she appeared on Season 2 of Traitors, and was asked to leave a room while a group of contestants was plotting.
Fast forward to October 2024, MJ was a go-to Halloween costume for pop culture enthusiasts.
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The Oompa Loompa from the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience
In February 2024, the internet exploded when images from a Willy Wonka "experience" in Glasgow surfaced, showing some very sad-looking Oompa Loompas and a not-so candy-filled wonderland.
Of the experience, the viral Oompa Loompa, Kirsty Paterson, spoke out, saying, "I had a bad gut feeling as soon as I went there."
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Reesa Teesa's "Who TF Did I Marry?" Series
@reesamteesa Who TF Did I Marry- Part One #pathologicalliar #reesateesa #fypシ #fyp
♬ original sound - ReesaTeesa
Reesa Teesa's 50-part series, "Who TF Did I Marry?" went viral on TikTok, and she captivated millions with her saga of being married to a pathological liar.
Fast forward and her TikTok saga is being turned into a TV show by Hulu.
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Jennifer Lopez "16 in the Bronx" hair
@primevideo She really IS still Jenny from the block 🥲 #TheGreatestLoveStoryNeverTold #JenniferLopez #PrimeVideo #TheGreatestLoveStoryNeverToldPV
♬ original sound - Prime Video
While her album and accompanying movie This Is Me... Now flopped, Jennifer Lopez's scene from her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, went viral on social media.
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'Dune' Popcorn Bucket
In the words of Dune star Josh Brolin, "I'm not sticking my hand in that."
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Where in the world is Kate Middleton?
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) May 25, 2024🚨🇬🇧 UK Missing Princess
Kate Middleton was last seen fully in public on Christmas Day 2023 ‼️
House of Windsor published several doctored images of the Princess since her ‘cancer diagnosis’ & some more than questionable video which many flagged as being potential AI
In March 2024, the conspiracy theories started flying when Kate Middleton went "missing" from the public eye. After Kate posted a Mother's Day image that was flagged for being Photoshopped, the world was convinced the royal family was hiding something.
This prompted Kate to release a video sharing her cancer diagnosis, squashing rumors once and for all.
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"Tic Tac Toe" — Nancy Pelosi
@reuters Passing a bill that would give TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest or face a ban “is not an attempt to ban TikTok. It’s an attempt to make TikTok better,” Nancy Pelosi said. “Tic-tac-toe. A winner,” the former House speaker added. 🔗 Read the latest at our link in bio. #Reuters #video #news #TikTok #USCongress #Congress #WashingtonDC #tiktokers #TikTokban #NancyPelosi
♬ original sound - Reuters
We see what you did there, Nancy Pelosi.
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No Chik-fil-A Sauce
@unknown.footage No Chik-Fil-A sauce? Full video😭 #fyp #chickfila #funny #meme #rizz
♬ original sound - Unknown Footage
The Chik-fil-A sauce girl became an overnight sensation thanks to a viral TikTok video — because who doesn't order Chik-fil-A sauce?
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JoJo Siwa's Gay Pop
@childshowdisney emily was ahead of her time #emilyosment #jojosiwa #karma #letsbefriens #hannahmontana #youngsheldon #pride #gay #pridemonth #lesbian #lgtbq🏳️🌈
♬ lets be friends so... - bop songs
JoJo Siwa's claim to want to "start a new genre of music" called gay pop spread like wildfire on the internet, with many blasting the dancer for being a little late.
JoJo did end up taking back her statement, telling TMZ, "I definitely am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not, but I do want to be a piece in making it bigger than it already is."
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Four Seasons Baby
@sobrizzle If the @Four Seasons Hotels is looking for a baby ambassador my niece got you 😂🤣😂🤣😂
♬ Who Wants To Go To Four Seasons Orlando - Stefanie O’Brien
Who wants to go to Four Seasons Orlando?
Us.
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Brat Summer
@octopusslover8 In honor of @Charli XCX birthday, here is her describing BRAT to me before it dropped. This album changed my life
♬ original sound - Jake Shane
Brat is easily the word of 2024 thanks to Charli XCX.
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Justin Timberlake's World Tour
When Justin Timberlake was arrested for a DUI in June 2024, it wasn't his mugshot that went viral, but what he told the arresting officer.
"This is going to ruin the tour," Justin reportedly said, prompting the officer to ask, "What tour?" THE WORLD TOUR.
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Hawk Tuah
@videoman_byahpositive The Original Hawk Tuah #hawktuah #spitonthatthing #meme #viralvideo
♬ Originalton - Videoman_byAHPositive
Haliey Welch became a household name in 2024 thanks to her NSFW advice.
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Coconut Tree
@kamalacoconutss It’s officially a coconut summer 🥥 #coconutpilled #kamalaharris #brat #bratsummer #charlixcx #edit #meme #apple #remix #coconuttree #kamala
♬ original sound - THEKAMALACOCONUTSS
Brat summer and Kamala Harris' "coconut tree" quote collided in 2024, resulting in some amazing remixes on TikTok.
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Moo Deng & Pesto the Penguin
Viral animals were also trending in 2024 thanks to baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng, and a not-so-tiny baby penguin named Pesto.
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Olympics Turkish Shooter
This Turkish shooter loves cats😻🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/MiWrIBKzJg
— No Cats No Life (@NoCatsNoLife_m) August 1, 2024
Yusuf Dikec was not your typical Olympic athlete but that didn't stop him from leaving Paris with a silver medal.
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Raygun
Raygun will always be iconic... if her breakdance moves were not.
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Very Demure, Very Mindful
It's no surprise that "demure" was dubbed Word of the Year by Dictionary.com.
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Lookalike Contests
It all started with a Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest in October 2024, and since then, we have seen contests for the doppelgangers of Jeremy Allen White, Dev Patel, Drake, and even Luigi Mangione.
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Women in Male Fields
Women adopted male characteristics in this TikTok trend that quickly went viral due to its relatability.
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DDG and Halle Bailey's son Halo was turned into a meme.
Rapper DDG is one proud dad.
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In the Clerb, We All Fam
@djpaulyd In da Club We All Fam!!!! @Sammi Sweetheart @Snooki @realronniemagro @Angelina Pivarnick @Jenni Farley @DeenaNicoleBuckner
♬ sonido original - PacoReckless
It seemed like everybody on TikTok was making a video to the hilarious audio from Broad City.
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Holding Space
@itstimetogossip.101 their nails touching each other is so funny #wicked #arianagrande #glinda #elphaba #cynthiaerivo #wickedmovie
♬ original sound - gossip101
The year ended with a Wicked press tour that had many viral moments, but this interview took the top spot.
What are you holding space for in 2025?
