By now you all know my sensibilities — Julianne Moore saying “thill thmokey” in May December, Michael Imperioli “forbidding” bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, Uma Thurman’s accent work in Red, White & Royal Blue or Trixie Mattel saying “this whole country mollycoddles Christians and I’m fucking tired of it” — when it comes to devising a list of the most significant pop culture moments of the year. The MBIMB image list is a jumping-off point, for sure, but it’s really only skimming the surface. This list is intended to encapsulate more holistically the moments that were perhaps not burned in the brain, but became etched for certain. But the twist is, it’s not my list, but rather one you all graciously contributed to via an ask on Instagram.
I’ve assembled the top ten of your entries, and put a smattering of my faves beneath that. Here we go!
10. The Final Season of The Other Two
The Other Two is an example of a near-perfect show that never managed to find its audience. On par with the absurd brilliance of Broad City and High Maintenance, The Other Two delivered blistering critiques on both celebrity and gay culture (and the Venn diagram created by both) while also recognizing the fun within the absurdity, an absurdity it flexed more and more as the series went on. A perfect answer to the question Lexi Featherston asked before falling out of a high-rise window to her death in 2004: “What ever happened to fun?” This! This was the answer she was looking for, albeit years too late. It’s hard to know what led the show to its demise — poor ratings or HR complaints — but one thing is clear: This show deserved better — and Heléne York deserved an Emmy nod.
9. Jerrod Carmichael’s David Miscavige Joke at the Golden Globes
“Hey guys,” Rothaniel and Poor Things star and host of the 80th Golden Globes Jerrod Carmichael began as the show returned from a commercial break. “Backstage, I found these three Golden Globes that Tom Cruise returned,” he said, cradling the statues. “Look, I’m just the host briefly and whatever, but I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.” This one didn’t get uproarious laughter from the audience, not because the joke didn’t land, but because of the truth bomb he’d dropped on the crowd. Somewhere, from her couch at home, Leah Remini could be heard clapping and pointing at her screen à la Leo DiCaprio in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.
8. Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes’s Exes Dating
Amy and T.J. originally made headlines for having a workplace affair (one that had been rumored as early as 2017). It was hot goss in 2022 because of paparazzi shots that emerged of the pair essentially outing their romance. They went public later that year, both leaving their respective spouses. In a turn of events that surprisingly has precedent (see this Daily Mail headline: “Shania Twain reveals ex-husband Robert 'Mutt' Lange is still with her former BFF 15 years after affair was exposed - but says: 'I got what I deserved!' by remarrying pal's spouse Frédéric Thiébaud”), the pair’s exes — Andrew Shue and Marilee Fiebig — were spotted out together canoodling and putting two cats into the backseat of Shue's green Jeep Wrangler. Good for them — the kittens and the new couple!