As midnight struck and fireworks burst into the air to celebrate the beginning of 2025, a reflection upon what moments truly defined 2024 came into view.
Chappelle Roan Rise and Fall to Fame
Chappelle Roan blew up overnight and became famous from her hit album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Roan had first opened for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour in Feb. of 2024. This gig helped to get her name to become widely known across the country. Not long after, Roan preformed at Coachella in April. Her most widely know songs, HOT TO GO!, Pink Pony Club, Good Luke Babe!, and Casual were played on every station. But, she was shortly struck down as she canceled her headlining performance at the All Things Go music festival. Many face were shocked and upset because she canceled just days before she was due on stage. One fan took to social media and stated his disappointment. He was traveling from Alaska to the East Coast and has purchased a plane ticket and hotel. Did Chappelle Roan blow up too fast to the point where she cannot handle the pressure and backlash that comes with being a celebrity?
TikTok Rizz Party
Many users posted to TikTok about a micro influencer party that happened in mid May. There were a group of teenage boys singing lyrics to the famous song CARNIVAL by Kanye West, Ty Dollar $ign, and ¥$. Viewers started to pick the video apart and assign roles to the participants. There was Group Leader (Blue Tie Kid), Turkish Quandale Dingle, Tomata boy, second in command and more. This one video circulated a trend where other creators posted with the kids. There were remakes and memes flooding the internet all while the kids were signing to brand deals. The TikTok Rizz Party was the best thing to happen to theses kids.
Brat – Charli XCX and Troye Sivan
In summer of 2024, Charli XCX released her hit album, Brat. Brat was released on June 7. Australian singer, Troy Sivan, was featured on the album. The song apple started trending on TikTok, which led the album to become viral. Dance trends, specifically to apple, and hashtags were created. The term “Brat summer” took place all over the internet. This term was used for letting people embrace themselves and imperfections.
Justin Timberlake DWI
On the night of June 18, former pop star, Justin Timberlake, attended a party at the American Hotel. Later, he was pulled over after running a stop sign and swerving out of his lane in Sag Harbor, New York. The officer who pulled him over claimed he didn’t know who he was. Timberlake then admitted to having one martini and and then refused to do a Breathalyzer test. “This is going to ruin the world tour,” Timerberlake pleaded before getting throw in the back of a cop car. Many fans speculated this would be the end of his career. On Aug. 2, he was summoned to court and pleaded not guilty at the hearing. As a result of this case, he was appointed to do 25 hours of his choice of community service, charged a fine, and make a public service announcement about driving while intoxicated. Currently he is finishing the last leg of the tour a free man.
Deadpool and Wolverine
On July 26, Deadpool and Wolverine was released in theaters. The movie, which is part of phase five in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), had many people questioning how Hugh Jackman’s character, Wolverine, would be in the movie after the ending of Logan. The unlikely duo were first seen on the screen in the 2009 film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The new film made $1,337,791,922 globally. It is the highest grossing X-Men film to date. The movie was an exciting release because the many of the Marvel movies released prior to it were receiving negative reviews from critics and fans.
Lunchly
Lunchly, a knock off of lunchables, was launched on Sept. 16. The creators included Logan Paul, KSI (Olajide Olatunji), and Jimmy (Mr.Beast). This prepackaged meal was marketed as a “healthier” option to Lunchables. On Oct. 19, a well know food creator, Rosanna Pansino, posted to YouTube about her experience trying different Lunchly meals. Pansino opened the pizza first and proceeded to find mold in the cheese. The food may have had more nutritional value but, quality wise, Lunchly was lacking. In response, the Lunchly team replied stating that Lunchly uses real cheese, so its expected that it would mold.
KSI – In The Thick of It
British YouTuber, KSI, released a song named Thick of It, on Oct. 3, which attracted attention on social media. The video grossed over five million views in three days. KSI’s song was meant to highlight what he has overcome with the pressure he faces as a social media star. But, there was backlash from fans and other content creators. With the criticism of the song being basic and lacking creativity, it still pushed to the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2025 BRIT Awards.
Liam Payne Death
On Oct. 16, a major tenet in the boy band community was lost – founding member of One Direction (1D), Liam Payne, unfortunately lost his life outside of a hotel in Buenos Aires at 31.
Though often overshadowed by his more popular members (namely Harry Styles and Zayn Malik), Liam Payne wrote many of the more acclaimed 1D songs, such as Clouds, Steal My Girl, and Night Changes. The mourning of Payne’s death also means the mourning of the chances of reunion that many Directioners have hoped for since their breakup in 2016. The loss that is Liam Payne will be forever a tragedy, and his community and family will forever miss him.
Timothee Chalamet Look-alike Contest
On Sunday Oct. 27, a Timothee Chalamet look-alike contest was held in NYC’s Washington Square Park. YouTube, Anthony Po, organized the competition by posting flyers around the city. Po asked the contestants questions related to Kylie Jenner and the French language. The winner was chosen by a crowd based on how loud their cheers were for each person. The winner, Miles Mitchell, dressed as Chalamet’s character, Willy Wonka, from the Wonka movie. During the contest, Chalamet, himself, showed up and lost to his own look-alike contest. There were many people in attendance, which was dispersed by the NYPD because Po did not have a permit.
This contest went on to spark many other look-alike contests such as Glen Powell, Jermey Allen White, Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig, (from the Challengers film), Jack Schlossberg, Paul Mescal and many more. The winners of the Timothee Chalamet and Glen Powell contest attended the Golden Globes.
Mike Tyson v Jake Paul
On Nov. 13, former heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, fought YouTuber, Jake Paul, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The match was live streamed on Netflix, with over 65 million views tuning in. The fight was supposed to take place on July 20, but had to be postponed due to Tyson having an ulcer-flare up, while on a flight. There were three press conferences leading up to the boxing match. During the final one on Nov. 13, Tyson slapped Paul after he stepped on his toe. In the end, all three matches were won by Paul, who is speculated to have earned $40 million, while Tyson is speculated to earned half as much. Yet, the fight had many controversies attached to it. There is a 31-year ago difference between the two fighters. This gave the younger boxer an upper-hand. But, the biggest controversy is the allegation of fixing the match. In the third round, a video was spread of Paul’s chin being exposed but Tyson did not punch him. The match was highly anticipated from fans, but a let down to those who expected a fair fight.
These ten moments in 2024 were widespread throughout the country and begs the question of, what will define 2025?
