You can depend on the stars to add drama to any scenario, and the last year was no exception.
In truth, 2022 has been a rollercoaster year for entertainment, beginning with the decade’s most shocking live performance.
We examine some of the most memorable celebrity moments from the previous year.
Will Smith strikes Chris Rock with a punch.
The Academy Awards are the most important entertainment event of the year. When one of the evening’s greatest performers, Will Smith, slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face live on stage, the entertainment industry collectively gasped in disbelief.
Smith’s spontaneous swearing, loudly aimed at Rock as he departed the stage, swiftly persuaded observers – both in the star-studded auditorium and those watching the ceremony on television as it was broadcast live around the world – that it was all very real.
Adding to the drama, Smith won his first Oscar mere minutes after the smack.
While Smith promptly apologized to the Academy (though not to Rock) and withdrew his membership, the Fresh Prince star was lambasted by many for what was dubbed “the ugliest Oscar moment in history.”
Since then, Smith has referred to the event, which occurred after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, as “a few awful minutes of indiscretion on my behalf.”
Putting punishment aside, this is Hollywood, and Smith has already released a major new film, Emancipation.
As a result of his behavior, he hopes the film will not be “penalized” during the approaching awards season.
If the film receives any Oscar nominations, which is currently improbable, Smith will not make a return appearance for 10 years; he has been barred from all Academy ceremonies and programs.
Catherine Christie
The social media murder mystery captivated the nation and prompted a nine-day High Court trial.
Competing WAGS Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy fought publicly in a case filled with tabloid-style tell-alls, contemporary detective work, and “a sequence of regrettable accidents.”
In the end, Rooney prevailed, and maybe the most renowned ellipses of the 20th century lived to see another day…
The judge overseeing the case regarded Rooney’s testimony in the libel trial as “honest and dependable,” whereas Vardy’s testimony was described as “manifestly inconsistent… evasive or improbable.”
Rooney was “pleased” that the judge ruled in her favor, adding, “This was never a case I sought or desired.” Vardy claimed that the judge was in error.
In an age of social media fixation, users were advised to consider the hazards before posting and to exercise caution.
Despite the public’s fascination with the case, many were left wondering if the money required to pay the multimillion-pound trial should have been spent more wisely in light of the cost of living problem.
In the meantime, the legal case may be over, but the situation is far from resolved. In 2023, Channel 4 will air a two-part drama based on the trial, while Disney+ will air a three-part documentary based on the trial.
Celebrity queue gate
When the Queen passed away in September, the entire nation mourned. The historic event caused a protracted period of royal protocol, with 10 days to pay respects before the funeral of the deceased monarch.
The queue, or The Queue as it became known, to view the Queen lying in the state took on a life of its own, complete with social media accounts, live streams, and an attraction so great that some individuals joined it twice.
With some members of the public waiting in line for more than 20 hours, the length of time spent in line to view the Queen’s coffin almost became a source of national pride.
In the midst of all this, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, two pristine daytime television hosts, became public enemy number one.
When the news broke that they had skipped the line to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, tens of thousands of people signed an online petition demanding their dismissal from This Morning.
ITV executives argued that the couple had full press credentials and that they had been “misrepresented.”
Holly and Phil were forced to respond to the outcry in a pre-recorded statement that was broadcast on This Morning. They insisted that they “followed the regulations” but “understand the anger” because “it may have appeared to be something else.”
Even Domino’s Pizza joined the battle by tweeting a sarcastic message about the presenters jumping the line to order one of their pizzas.
David Beckham emerged from the line shining after it was revealed that he had waited 13 hours to pay his respects. All positive coverage for the former England great, especially before his less well-received term as World Cup ambassador to Qatar.
The comedian “shreds” £10,000
Joe Lycett is one individual who has been attentively following Beckham’s career.
The Birmingham-born athlete promised to destroy £10,000 of his own money if Beckham failed to terminate his disputed multimillion-pound World Cup promotion arrangement with Qatar before the tournament’s opening match.
The hour passed, and Beckham remained silent. Therefore, Lycett live-streamed himself dumping the money into a wood chopper in what appeared to be a bunker.
However, not everything was as it appeared. The next day, Lycett, who is known for his high-profile stunts, revealed that everything had been a hoax.
Beckham’s Qatar World Cup contract was described as “absolute b*” by the speaker, who claimed that while the £10,000 he put into the woodchopper was real, the money that came out was counterfeit. Instead, he stated that he had donated the funds to LGBTQ+ organizations well before the financial crisis.
Lycett then shredded Beckham’s cover copy of Attitude – the first-ever front cover of a homosexual magazine to feature a Premier League footballer – which he said was symbolic of Beckham’s standing as a gay icon.
Lycett’s audience was divided between those who believed he was seeking attention and those who welcomed him as a hero.
Due to Lycett’s fraud, Qatar’s terrible human rights record and a ban on same-sex couples received ample attention. If it had been a paid promotion, the level of press coverage he earned for his prank would have cost almost £3 million. Quite a feat.
Politics meets reality TV
When the year’s most-watched reality program meets one of the most contentious politicians of the past decade, you know there will be fireworks.
When former health secretary Matt Hancock joined up for I’m A Celebrity… jaws fell. Get Me Out Of Here! Secretary of Health during the COVID epidemic, resigned in 2021 for violating lockdown regulations by having an affair with his ministerial assistant, Gina Colangelo.
Allegedly paid £400,000 for his ITV appearance, many in Westminster and many of his voters in West Suffolk were angry.
The media watchdog Ofcom received hundreds of complaints about the politician’s appearance on the show, and during the second week of the show, a COVID campaign group floated a nine-meter (30-foot) protest banner over the camp, demanding that he quit.
Mr. Hancock, age 44, stated that he entered the Australian rainforest to “convey critical messages to the masses” and “go where the people are” rather than “sit in ivory towers in Westminster.” He also expressed a desire to increase awareness of dyslexia.
During his 18 days in the camp, he was stung by a scorpion, doused in slime, custard, and feathers, and buried in a coffin filled with snakes. He was chosen by the public to participate in the first six consecutive bushtucker trials. In addition, he consumed the anatomical remains of a camel, a sheep, and a fisheye.
He placed third, behind Ex-Lioness Jill Scott and Hollyoaks star Owen Warner, as opposed to being elected king of the jungle.
Since then, Mr. Hancock has stated that he would not return to politics, stating in a letter to the prime minister that he has “found a whole new universe of possibilities that I am thrilled to explore.
He will not be the last politician to dabble in the entertainment industry (others include Nadine Dorries, Kezia Dugdale, and George Galloway). And if you’re missing your nightly dose of Mr. Hancock, have no fear; he’ll be back in January on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
Harry Styles – did he spit on Chris Pine or not?
The romance between 28-year-old Harry Styles and 38-year-old Olivia Wilde, which has since ended, has propelled him to prominence over the past year.
They met while filming the psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling, which was plagued with rumors of cast disputes, including suspicions of a feud between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh, who played her leading lady.
The picture, which was released in September to lackluster reviews, was partially overshadowed by rumors that several cast members did not get along.
However, internet talk reached new heights after a viral video appeared to show Styles spitting on his co-star Chris Pine during the Venice Film Festival.
Twitter users questioned whether the image depicted the ex-One Direction member spitting in Pine’s lap before sitting down next to him, with Pine reportedly looking perplexed and giggling to himself.
Representatives for Pine denied that the encounter occurred, calling it “an entirely invented exchange” and attributing it to “some strange delusion of some sort.”
Styles teased audiences the following evening at his Madison Square Garden concert in New York: “I just popped very briefly to Venice to spit on Chris Pine… but don’t worry, we’re back!”
A starry-spital assault captured on film? Or some type of social media-enhanced communal hallucination? In the lack of clear evidence in any direction, only Styles and Pine may ever know the truth.
Tearful Adele cancels shows
She was anticipated to earn over £500,000 for each performance, following in the footsteps of Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion.
Adele was left “upset and humiliated” after being forced to postpone her highly anticipated Las Vegas residency just 24 hours before the opening night. The concert would have been her first in five years.
In a sorrowful social media video, the 34-year-old artist cited “shipping delays and COVID” as the reason for the news’s cancellation.
Some fans have previously spent hundreds of pounds to see her in the United States.
The Weekends With Adele series was slated to include the artist performing two concerts every weekend from late January through mid-April 2022.
Instead, her performances were rescheduled for November 2022 to late March 2023, with Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman’s husband, and country artist, filling her spot at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace.
Adele later described the response to the cancellation as “brutal,” confessing that she was “a shell of a person for a few months” as she grappled with “grief” and “guilt.”
Better late than never, critics have praised the postponed residency as “amazing,” awarding it five-star reviews, with fellow chart-topper Stormzy calling her performance “the greatest he’d ever seen.”
End of an era for Australia
After almost four decades and 8,903 episodes, the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours was canceled.
The show, which has shown the lives of Ramsay Street residents since 1985 and arrived in the United Kingdom the following year, launched the careers of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pierce, and Natalie Imbruglia, among others.
Channel 5, which has aired it since 2008, revealed the news to a collective sigh from people who had grown up watching it – a must-see after a long day at school.
At its peak, the number of viewers reached nearly 20 million, a number that is now reserved for World Cup finals and royal weddings. In recent years, however, the UK audience for both of the show’s daily broadcasts had decreased to approximately one million people.
Channel 5, Freemantle Media (the show’s TV production firm), and Australian broadcaster Network 10 were unable to negotiate an agreement to assure the show’s survival.
Ex-cast members such as Kylie and Jason, Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, and Holly Valence made cameo appearances in the double-episode finale airing at the end of July.
Nonetheless, like a boomerang, Neighbours has returned. Within a few months of the cancellation news, Amazon Freevee revived the show.
In 2023, a brand-new television series will begin filming in Australia, with an anticipated international premiere in the second half of the year. Watch this area for further updates.
Bennifer
In a plot twist worthy of a movie, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot 18 years after canceling their wedding the first time around, much to the delight of early 2000s nostalgia enthusiasts.
It was the culmination of a relationship that had spanned two decades and two separate relationships, as well as numerous tabloid covers. In 2004 they notably called off their engagement and split up, but in 2021 they reconciled.
Since then, Lopez has described their breakup as the “worst heartbreak” of her life, stating, “I honestly thought I was going to die.” Fortunately, her sadness has since transformed into happily ever after.
Their first wedding location was a Las Vegas drive-through chapel with a “tunnel of love” – The Little White Chapel.
Because this is Hollywood, there were two ceremonies, followed by a walk down a white carpet on the grounds of Affleck’s $8.9 million (£7.5 million) estate in Riceboro, Georgia. Among the notable attendees were Matt Damon, George Clooney, and Renee Zellweger.
Vogue published a full-length shot of Lopez’s Ralph Lauren couture gown with cascading fishtail ruffles and a cathedral-length veil, while Lopez revealed details of the wedding on her website, in her newsletter, and on social media.
Affleck was previously married to actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel; however, the couple split in 2018 after 13 years of marriage.
Lopez and her 2011-divorced ex-husband Marc Anthony share 13-year-old twins Max and Emme. In 2021, Lopez ended her engagement with former big league baseball player Alex Rodriguez.
John versus Amber
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard engaged in a libel battle in Fairfax County Circuit Court, Virginia, during the summer of 2022.
Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard for an article she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018 on her experiences as a survivor of domestic abuse. According to Depp’s attorneys, the post falsely accused him of being an abuser.
The messy and intimate details of their toxic relationship were examined for six weeks, with evidence including graphic images of Depp’s severed finger and images of Heard with apparent bruises and marks to her face and body, as well as bald patches on her head where she claimed her hair had been pulled out.
Numerous witnesses also testified, including Heard’s sister Whitney, LAPD police officers, private nurses, and even Kate Moss, Depp’s ex-girlfriend, in a brief video appearance.
The trial followed a three-week High Court battle between Depp and The Sun newspaper in 2020 over the tabloid’s depiction of him as a “wife-beater.” It was the second exposure to their problems.
The Sun won that case with Heard as their star witness, but Depp would emerge victorious this time.
Once the world’s highest-paid actor, Depp’s attempt to re-establish his brand through a second microscopic exposé of his private life was an enormous risk.
However, it paid off. Instead of being in court for the conclusion of the case, he continued his tour of the United Kingdom with singer Jeff Beck.
Heard, who initially demanded a retrial and appealed the conviction, has recently withdrawn her appeal, citing a “loss of faith in the American legal system.”
Royal upheavals
Royal admirers were stunned by the stunning allegations made in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix documentary series, aptly titled Harry And Meghan.
Among the revelations was the dissolution of Harry’s friendship with his brother William and his assertion that the Daily Mail was responsible for Meghan’s miscarriage.
Harry said that the Prince of Wales had horrified him by screaming and shouting at him during a Sandringham summit, a gathering of senior royals convened in early 2020 to discuss the couple’s decision to step down from their responsibilities.
He further claimed that Kensington Palace “lied to protect my brother” when it issued a statement rejecting a rumor that William had forced him to leave the royal family.
Regarding Meghan’s miscarriage in 2020, Harry stated: “I believe my wife miscarried as a result of what The Mail did. I observed the entire event… How many weeks along was she, considering the stress, the lack of sleep, and the timing of her pregnancy? I can say, based on what I observed, that her miscarriage was caused by their actions.”
Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace, which represents the Prince and Princess of Wales, have commented on the series.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Clarkson’s essay about Meghan, written after the series, has received the most complaints ever.
According to reports, the couple will still be invited to the coronation of King Charles on May 6, which is also the fourth birthday of Harry and Meghan’s son Archie.
And if the unparalleled television access to the royal family’s private lives hasn’t been enough to gratify, have no fear: there will be more exposure. In January, the widely awaited memoir Spare by Prince Harry will be released. Spare promises “raw, unflinching honesty” and is written by the same novelist who authored Andre Agassi’s award-winning autobiography Open.
He reportedly received roughly £30 million for a four-book deal with Penguin Random House, so while the Royal Family may be eager to put an end to the drama, more juicy details are likely to emerge.
Kanye West admits he ‘likes’ Hitler
To say that Kanye West has not had a good year would be an understatement. His antisemitic remarks, which included abuse of Jewish people and support for Hitler, were swiftly and justly criticized by the majority of his coworkers and led to his dismissal.
Social networks, like Instagram and Twitter, have frequently (though temporarily) suspended his accounts for violating their standards.
West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, tweeted that he was “doing death con 3 ON JEWISH PEOPLE” before claiming that he was not antisemitic because “black people are truly Jews as well.” In an Instagram post, he also claimed that record producer Sean “Diddy” Combs was controlled by “the Jewish people.”
He also uploaded an image of a swastika intertwined with a Star of David, hours after saying, “I like Hitler” and seeing “the good aspects” about the dictator in an interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
His statements, which were deemed insane and hazardous, have lost him both money and his reputation. His talent agency and bank, JP Morgan, as well as brands including Balenciaga, Foot Locker, Gap, and Adidas, have severed connections. He is no longer a billionaire.
In addition, Adidas is presently investigating charges of wrongdoing, including claims that he showed colleagues pornographic and explicit photographs of Kim Kardashian.
A completed documentary about him has also been shelved, and Madame Tussauds in London has taken his wax figure off display.
As a response to the Black Lives Matter movement, he wore a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt during Paris Fashion Week, much to the surprise of onlookers.
Previous controversial statements by West include his notion that slavery was “a choice” and his characterization of the COVID-19 vaccination as “the mark of the beast.”
His ex-wife Kim Kardashian commented on his behavior, stating, “Hate speech is never acceptable or acceptable.”
West, unfazed by his fall from grace, has declared his intention to run for president in 2024 and has requested Donald Trump to be his running partner.
