10 Biggest Pop Culture Moments of 2023

From Rihanna’s Bump to Britney’s bombshell memoir

From the LifeMinute.TV Team

December 29, 2023

As 2023 comes to an end, we take a look at the most noteworthy entertainment moments of the year.

The Chinese Spy Balloon

In late January, the 200-foot-tall floating gas-filled balloon was first spotted flying above the U.S., leaving the country with a lot more questions. On February 4th, a U.S. fighter jet shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

Rihanna Debuts Baby Bump During Super Bowl Performance

The singer’s highly anticipated halftime show was overshadowed by her pregnant belly, sparking a viral and meme-worthy moment. Later, Rihanna gave birth to her second son, Riot Rose, with boyfriend A$AP Rocky in August. 

The Met Gala Cockroach

The hottest celebrities gathered for fashion’s biggest evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in May. However, a rogue cockroach stole the show when it scurried across the red carpet at the event honoring the late Karl Lagerfeld.

Titan Submersible Implosion
In June, the world wondered what happened to the Titan, a submersible on an expedition to view the wreck of the Titanic after it lost contact one hour and 45 minutes into the dive. A few days later, remnants of the submarine were found, indicating that the OceanGate vessel had tragically imploded, leaving no survivors. Aboard the submersible were Stockton Rush, the American CEO of OceanGate; Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French deep-sea explorer and Titanic expert; Hamish Harding, a British businessman; Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani-British businessman, and his son, Suleman.

Beyoncé and Taylor Tours Takeover 
The larger-than-life singers took the year by storm by performing all over the world for their packed tours. Beyoncé's "Renaissance World Tour" broke Billboard's record for the biggest one-month gross with $127.6 million, and Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" became the first tour in history to surpass $1 billion in revenue and set a new record for the highest-grossing tour of all time. Both women subsequently released movies documenting their respective tours.

Hollywood on Strike
The American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike on July 14 over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). As the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history, its combined impact with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike resulted in the loss of 45,000 jobs and an estimated $6.5 billion loss to the economy of Southern California. An agreement was reached on November 9th, ending the 118-day walkout.

Barbenheimer 
The simultaneous theatrical release of summer blockbusters— Warner Bros. Pictures Barbie and Universal Pictures Oppenheimer on July 21 brought on the Barbenheimer name. Many moviegoers opted to see both films in a one-day movie binge, leading Christopher Nolan's historical drama to hit $951 million and Greta Gerwig’s live-action Barbie satire to cross the billion-dollar threshold at the box office.

Twitter Becomes X 
The iconic blue Twitter bird became no more when Elon Musk permanently changed the social media platform’s name to "X." The tech billionaire explained his reasoning for the rebrand was to make Twitter more of an “everything app.”

Unlikely Celeb Couples 
It was a big year for couples we could have never imagined together, from Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner’s PDA to her sister Kendall and singer Bad Bunny’s unexpected fling. Other odd pairings include Avril Lavigne and Tyga, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, and of course, the biggest couple of the year, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Britney Spears Drops Bombshell Memoir 
The pop icon released her memoir The Woman in Me on October 24th, revealing some stunning revelations, including having an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake.