2022 showed up and showed itself quickly. This year saw the return of crowded in-person events, blockbusters at the box office, unexpected weddings, and proof that pop culture never has a dull moment.
Social media was consumed by celebrity controversies, including the defamation trial involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and, of course, that Oscars slap.
Along with Sidney Poitier, Bob Saget, Taylor Hawkins, Anne Heche, Olivia Newton-John, Naomi Judd, Ray Liotta, Takeoff, and Stephen “tWitch” Boss, many well-known figures passed away during the year.
We reflect on some of the most significant occurrences this year that shaped the entertainment industry.
Moments of 2022
- Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars when Rock made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
- After more than 70 years in power, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, bringing about significant changes for the United Kingdom.
- Johnny Depp and Amber Heard fought in an ugly defamation trial, and the world couldn’t stop looking at it.
- With her Met Gala dress and an unexpected romance, Kim Kardashian caused a stir.
- On guns, Matthew McConaughey gave a moving speech.
- Kate Bush and Tom Cruise made a comeback.
Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars
Best picture victor “CODA” wasn’t the greatest talker of the 94th Institute Grants on Walk 27. The incident between Will Smith and Chris Rock on the Oscars stage, which is now known as The Slap, was the moment that captivated audiences that night and for a number of months afterward.
Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness and said that she could star in a sequel to “G.I. Jane.” Pinkett Smith has spoken out about her diagnosis of alopecia, which led her husband to approach Rock on stage and smack him.
Smith cursed at the comedian after returning to his seat and instructing him not to mention his wife. Everyone in the Dolby Theater was shocked by the incident, especially when Smith later won the best actor Oscar for his role in “King Richard.”
In a video that was uploaded to YouTube months later, Smith offered his sincere apologies for the actions that he had taken that night. For the past ten years, he has been prohibited from attending any Academy events, including the Oscars.
The World Mourns Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch of Britain, passed away on Sept. 8 at the 96-year-old Balmoral Castle in Scotland. While the public grieved the misfortune, they likewise praised the celebrated existence of the sovereign, who served for over 70 years.
Princess Charlotte of Ribs cries close to her mom, Princess Kate, sibling Ruler George and Sovereign Partner Camilla at Wellington Curve after the State Burial service of Sovereign Elizabeth II on Sept. 19, 2022.
Tens of thousands of people waited for hours to pass by Queen Elizabeth’s coffin and pay their respects as she lay in state at Westminster Hall for four days; According to reports, soccer great David Beckham waited 12 hours. Numerous different stars took to virtual entertainment to share words about the sovereign.
As Queen Elizabeth was laid to rest in a state funeral on September 19, billions of people watched. Prince William and his oldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who all attended the service at Westminster Abbey, were among those in line to succeed King Charles III as the new monarch of the United Kingdom.
Johnny Depp sues Amber Heard in televised defamation trial
The defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard turned into an online spectacle, bringing back memories of the dysfunctional marriage between the ex-partners while “Saturday Night Live” made jokes and fans quickly took sides.
In May, Depp and Heard testified regarding competing libel charges. Depp filed a $50 million lawsuit against Heard, claiming that she slandered him in an opinion piece in which she claimed to have been abused at home.
Heard countersued Depp for remarks made by Adam Waldman, Depp’s former attorney, in which he called her allegations of abuse a hoax.
A Virgina jury on June 1 sided with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” actor, awarding him more than $10 million in damages and affirming his position that Heard fabricated claims after six weeks of intense testimony and 13 hours of deliberation. In her countersuit, the jury also awarded Heard $2 million in damages.
In December, Heard filed an appeal against the verdict, and Depp’s team submitted its own notice of intent to appeal the jury’s decision to his ex-wife. Then, on December 19, Heard said that she had settled with Depp. According to Depp’s lawyers, Heard will “donate to charities” and pay $1 million.
Heard has avoided the spotlight since the trial, while Depp has attended the MTV Video Music Awards and Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show.
Kim Kardashian stuns, causes controversy in Marilyn Monroe dress
When Kardashian showed up to the Met Gala on May 2 in the same skin-tight, sparkling Bob Mackie dress Marilyn Monroe wore in 1962 to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy, it was an unforgettable moment.
On May 2, 2022, Kim Kardashian attends the Met Gala.
Although Kardashian received praise for her stunning appearance, there was some backlash due to concerns regarding her rapid weight loss in order to wear the dress and concerns that she may have damaged the historic piece. Before changing into a replica of the figure-hugging nude dress she borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the reality TV star claimed that she had lost 16 pounds in order to fit into it.
A visual artist claimed that he observed irreparable damage to the gown, which has more than 2,500 hand-stitched crystals, in the weeks that followed the event. The claims were refuted by Ripley’s, which claimed that the dress was returned “in the same condition it started in.”
She went to the Met Gala this year with her then-boyfriend Pete Davidson, which was another Kim K. moment. Following the star’s divorce from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in 2021, the comedian was the first to swoon over the star. However, the unanticipated romance did not last long and is said to have ended in August.
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ brings crowds back to theaters
When “Top Gun: The Next Generation” came out, the 36-year wait for a sequel was well worth it. On May 27, “Maverick” hit theaters quickly. In its first four days in North American theaters, the film, in which Tom Cruise reprises his role from 1986 original, generated an estimated $156 million in ticket sales.
Additionally, despite typically experiencing a larger drop during the event’s second weekend, ticket sales remained robust due to favorable reviews and a global promotional tour.
Other 2022 movies like “Elvis” and “Minions: Black Panther: The Rise of Gru Both “Wakanda Forever” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” also sold as many tickets as it did before the pandemic.
Stranger Things’ resurges ‘Running Up That Hill’
The fourth season of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” debuted on May 27. Based on the number of hours watched during its first 28 days on Netflix, the season is the most popular English-language series this year. The series also sparked a revival of Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)” shortly after Season 4 was released.
When Max (Sadie Sink) is nearly killed by Vecna in the Upside Down in the fourth episode, her friends play the song to help him fight off Vecna and escape death.
The song rose higher on the music charts after the premiere of the new season than it had before 40 years ago. Additionally, it gained adoring ears from a new generation when it went viral on TikTok.
More TV discharges molded mainstream society in 2022, including the second time of “Rapture,” the initial two times of “Abbott Rudimentary” and Apple TV+’s “Severance” and Hulu/FX’s “The Bear.”
Matthew McConaughey makes an impassioned speech about guns after Uvalde
After meeting with President Biden, Matthew McConaughey gave a 20-minute passionate speech on gun control on June 8 at the podium of the White House press briefing room. He was talking about the May 24 mass shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas, which killed 19 children and two teachers.
“This is a different time. We’re in an open door right since we have not been in previously, a window where it seems like genuine change – genuine change – can occur,” McConaughey said.
The entertainer likewise composed a commentary on the issue and framed measures he accepts should be taken to discourage weapon brutality including requiring personal investigations to buy firearms, laying out Warning Regulations and ordering stricter guidelines for getting attack rifles.
Hip-hop titans lead Super Bowl halftime show
Along with other icons of rap and R&B, Dr. Dre frontlined the Super Bowl 56 halftime show in a performance that truly reflected Los Angeles.
Dre performed “California Love” and “Still D.R.E.” along with Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar on Feb. 13 at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
50 Cent made an unexpected appearance on the show, performing “In Da Club” upside down, just like in the classic music video.
Despite the Rams’ 23-20 victory over the Bengals, the night’s real winner was the halftime show memes.
Britney Spears marries Sam Asghari; Jennifer Lopez weds Ben Affleck
In 2022, dozens of celebrities got engaged or got married, but Britney Spears’ star-studded surprise wedding and Bennifer’s return took the cake.
Up until the day of the event, Spears and her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari kept their June 9 wedding under wraps. Be that as it may, subtleties arose via virtual entertainment of “the most dynamite day” with notable visitors, including Paris Hilton, Madonna, Selena Gomez and Drew Barrymore.
In February, Jennifer Lopez and her now-husband Ben Affleck went to the premiere of “Marry Me.”
Bennifer likewise at long last made it down the passageway – two times! Lopez and Affleck, who rekindled their romance in the early 2000s last year, tied the knot on July 16 at a Las Vegas wedding chapel and on August 21 at a much more elaborate wedding in Georgia.
Lopez wrote after their wedding, “We did it.” Love is lovely. Kindness is love. Additionally, love proves to be patient. Patient for twenty years.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph shines at the Emmys
Although there wasn’t nearly as much drama as there was at the Oscars in 2022, Sheryl Lee Ralph delivered the motivational speech that everyone needed.
Ralph educated the audience as she accepted the award for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for her performance in ABC’s breakout sitcom “Abbott Elementary.” While doing so, she sang the opening verse of Dianne Reeves’ 1993 song “Endangered Species.”
“I am here to tell anyone who has ever had a dream and believed it wouldn’t, could not, or wouldn’t come true that this is what believing looks like.” This is what endeavoring resembles. And never, ever give up on yourself,” she advised.
Adidas ends partnership with Ye over his antisemitic remarks
In October, one of Ye’s biggest partners, Adidas, cut ties with the rapper, finally hitting the star’s wallet for his brash behavior and hateful rhetoric this year.
In a statement, the company stated, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism or any other form of hate speech.” Ye’s recent statements and actions are unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they go against the company’s values of mutual respect, fairness, diversity, and inclusion.
Balenciaga, Gap, TJ Maxx, Vogue, and the talent agency Creative Artists Agency were among the numerous additional brands that parted ways with Ye.
Taylor Swift makes Billboard chart history with ‘Midnights’
Taylor Quick’s 13-track “Midnights” (in addition to seven extra melodies on the “3 a.m. Version” of the collection) set various standards for the artist its most memorable seven day stretch of delivery.
The album went straight to No. 1 on Bulletin’s 200 collection graph with the greatest deals week for any collection in almost seven years with 1.57 million comparable collection units acquired in the U.S. as indicated by Luminate, the information organization that administrations Announcement.
With songs from her new album “Midnights,” Swift became the first artist in history to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Out of the Hot 100, 10 out of 10??? Is this my tenth album? The pop star tweeted, “I AM IN SHAMBLES.”
In March 2023, she will begin The Eras Tour to accompany “Midnights.”
Heidi Klum goes full slug for Halloween
One of the most memorable events of 2022 involved Heidi Klum showing up to her annual Halloween party dressed as a huge earthworm.
Alongside her husband Tom Kaulitz, who was dressed as a fisherman, the model crawled on the blue carpet wearing a suit that was mauve and flesh-toned. Klum’s yellow-contact eyes and mouth were barely discernible through the costume’s slits, allowing him to converse with guests and reporters.
“I want to bring a smile to their faces… I thought it’d be amusing,” she said.
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