December is always a prime month to reflect on the trials and triumphs of the past year. Nothing reminds you that time is fleeting like looking back at what you've been through over the past 12 months: the good, the bad and the ugly. It's been the year of celebrity breakups, with two Taylor Swift re-recordings, a food-themed makeup trend, and many other viral moments popping up on our FYPs and in our minds.
You'd be remiss if you didn't acknowledge all the stupid trends that start online. Some trends are downright cute, like the Beckham Dance Challenge, or delightfully unapologetic, like Tube Girl, but of course, there's also some, uh, weird stuff taking over the internet in 2023.
For some reason, men on the internet have been particularly unhinged this year—or maybe it's just that their weird behavior has become algorithmically popular, so everyone is more aware of what's going on in different corners of the internet. From A-list stars using their own accounts to publicly film themselves, to regular people sharing their bizarre interactions, there's a lot to explore this year. Read on to recall (for better or for worse) the craziest things men did online in 2023—ranked from understated warmth to all-out chaos.
10. Travis Kelce’s love of squirrels
This fall, as Swift enters her WAG era by dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, "Traylor" is the word on everyone's lips. Leave it to Swifties to dig up every detail of their favorite pop star's new relationship — and so did the story of Kelce's old tweets hitting the X (formerly Twitter) timeline in November. They're hilarious rather than sinful, with plenty of references to fast food chains, nap time (every few hours), and "squirrels." The craziest thing is that he dozes off too much. Target.
9. They think of the Roman Empire
TikTok users are always coming up with new challenges for people to try out their partners, and this year, all roads lead to Rome. In September, users asked the men in their lives how often they thought about the Roman Empire, and the results were... quite often. Weird, sure, but kind of fascinating, isn't it?
8. Jeremy Allen White’s IG comments
Bear 's popularity has made Jeremy Allen White one of the internet's real crushes this year . In May, details of his divorce were revealed, kicking off his new single life — and he's not shy about it. By August, he publicly commented on a spicy Calvin Klein ad starring Euphoria's Alexa Demie, typing three simple letters: "Wow." Wow that's right.
7. Cole Sprouse calls her dad
Alex Cooper has had an impressive cast of guests on her podcast, but no one has made a mark on the internet this year like Cole Sprouse impression. During the March show, he spoke in depth about his acting career, but most viewers couldn't handle the fact that he dramatically puffed on a cigarette for an extended period of time throughout the interview.
“Cole Sprouse’s performance in ‘Call Her Daddy’ is what happens when a frat boy reads ‘The Catcher in the Rye ,’” one X user pointed out.
6. Tom Brady’s selfie
Speaking of divorced men going crazy on the internet, Tom Brady took to the World Wide Web in February to show off his boxer briefs. Even weirder, he tagged his former teammate in the photo, asking if he was doing the whole thirst trap thing "right." Honestly, if you have to ask, maybe not?
5. Tom Sandoval’s Reality Show Challenge
Depending on how you look at it, Scandoval is the gift that keeps on giving this year. The "Vanderpump Rules" star's romance with co-star Rachel Levis was revealed in March, and details have been emerging ever since.
While Ariana Madix cashes in on the scandal through her partnerships, Dancing with the Stars experience, and upcoming Broadway debut, Tom Sandoval has been Doing his own TV projects, including an embarrassing role on The Masked Singer and competing in a special forces competition. Spoiler alert: He didn't complete the final mission of Special Forces and at one point had to be carried on his back by Jojo Siwa.
4. Guest appearance by George Santos
After George Santos was fired from Congress in early December, he began making quick money in guest appearances. For just $500, you can get a motivational speech, birthday greetings or congratulations on coming out. (This furry video was part of an elaborate prank by Jimmy Kimmel, but I digress.)
In a now-viral video, Santos told recipients "There's no such thing as a diva, okay? It's just a diva. So keep working hard and keep doing great things." Insanity is an understatement statement.
3. Thirsty TikTok Chef
Food trends are a staple on TikTok, but things are getting a little weird in one particular corner of #FoodTok this year. Thirst traps collided with recipe videos to create a genre best described as "thirst home cooks," and unfortunately, these clips are exactly what you'd imagine. I really have nothing to say so check out @thedonutdaddy to see what these videos mean. His resume says "I know what you rub" which can help you predict what the content will be like. Sorry for inspiring you.
2. A husband who is not a pilot
What a fool. In a now-deleted Reddit post on the AITA subreddit in February, a husband explained that he was angry with his wife because she told coworkers about his job (restaurant manager) and his hobby (aviation). Instead, he wants her to call him pilot, a title he feels he deserves because he reads so much about airplanes and plays flight simulator games. Hey, man, you're an asshole.
1. Swiper socks
Where were you when you heard about NYC Tabi Swiper? This is the downside of dating apps that fashion girls around the world are hearing, user @nextlevellexuss shared her experience of matching with a guy on Tinder and hooking up with him, then realizing she was in love with Margiela after he left her apartment Tabis is missing. When she figured it out, she eventually found out that he had blocked her on everything, saw that his girlfriend (!) posted a photo wearing her shoes, and then the internet helped bully him into returning the shoes. What a journey.
Internet people, let us do better in 2024.
