The most buzzed about. Will Smith, Julia Fox, Adam Levine and more stars got the meme treatment in 2022 after making headlines for viral moments.
Fox became a TikTok sensation in February after a clip from her interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast went viral. After she was asked about being a source of inspiration for director Josh Safdie, Fox stated she was “Josh Safdie’s muse when he wrote Uncut Gems.” However, the actress pronounced the film’s name like “unka jahms,” which caused a frenzy on the social media platform.
The video took the internet by storm and had many people impersonating Fox’s quirky moment, including stars like Shay Mitchell and Cara Delevingne. The Italy native responded to the trend by commenting on Page Six’s social media, stating, “Omggggg I was stoned leave me alone!!!! Hahahahahah.”
Unlike Fox’s light-hearted moment, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum cemented himself in internet infamy in March. During the Oscars, Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss. The King Richard actor rushed the stage and told Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”
Even though Smith ended up winning an Academy Award that evening, he was officially banned from attending the ceremony for the next 10 years. Viewers of the awards show and stars in attendance were left stunned. Social media flooded with images of the dramatic incident repurposed with relatable and ludicrous captions.
Following the event, Smith apologized to the stand-up comic with a lengthy statement shared via Instagram. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” he wrote.
The Maroon 5 frontman, meanwhile, went viral in September when Sumner Stroh accused the rocker of having a year-long affair with her in a viral TikTok. In the video, the social media personality showed off screenshots of alleged conversations with the “Payphone” performer. Levine, for his part, is married to Behati Prinsloo and they share two daughters, Dusty and Gia. (The South Africa native was pregnant with their third child at the time of the scandal.)
One alleged message read: “It is truly unreal how f—king hot you are. Like, it blows my mind.” The steamy DMs were replicated into memes.
The “She Will Be Loved” singer addressed the claims on his Instagram Story. While he did not deny sending the messages, he was adamant he did not have an affair.
“A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air. I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life,” he wrote at the time.
Keep scrolling to see which stars became a meme in 2022: