Seven of the most talked about pop culture moments of 2022

Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap will go down in history as one of the most outrageous entertainment and live television moments, and the world can’t stop talking about it.

Less than 24 hours after his shocking behavior, the Oscar-winning actor offered a public apology to Chris Rock, the members of the Academy, the producers, the attendees, and everyone who watched around the world.

The regretful star also apologized to Serena and Venus Williams, their family and King Richard’s crew — the film that earned him the Oscar for Best Actor. His apology came after reports confirmed Rock didn’t want to press charges against Will.

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation trial ended after a six-week trial that captivated the world. Seven jury members in the Fairfax, Virginia, courtroom deliberated for three days, unanimously deciding that Amber Heard defamed Johnny Depp on three counts, saying he should be awarded $15 million. The jury also favored Heard’s countersuit on one count, saying she should receive $2 million.

It all started over a 2018 opinion-editorial essay in The Washington Post by Heard titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” The essay never mentioned Depp by name, but his attorneys believed it referred to allegations she made against him during their 2016 divorce. Depp’s team argued that he never once hit Amber during the relationship and he was the real domestic violence victim.

Jennifer and Ben celebrated their nuptials a month after eloping in Las Vegas. The happy couple, which rekindled their relationship in 2021, married for the second time in the actor’s multimillion-dollar compound in Riceboro, Georgia. This estate was supposed to host Affleck and Lopez’s wedding 20 years ago.

In true Jennifer Lopez’s fashion, the newlyweds hosted a three-day intimate celebration for family and friends that kicked off on Friday, August 19, with a rehearsal dinner, the following day, Saturday 20, continued with a ceremony, and on Sunday, they closed the festivities with a barbecue and picnic. Per The Daily Mail, the wedding price tag is over $400,000.

Jennifer and Ben announced their engagement in April after rekindling their romance in 2021. “It turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient,” Lopez wrote, referring to all the time they spent apart after breaking up.

“Stick around long enough, and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive-through in Las Vegas at 12:30 in the morning in the tunnel of love drive-through, with your kids and the one you’ll spend forever with,” the star said. “Love is a great thing, maybe the best of things — and worth waiting for.”

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian called it quits after nine months of dating. E! News confirmed with an insider that while they have “a lot of love and respect for each other,” long distance and demanding schedules “made it really difficult to maintain a relationship.”

The former couple started dating back in November after her appearance on Saturday Night Live, where they shared a kiss, and they got serious fast. It’s safe to say Davidson might be feeling down after the physical modifications he made for the Skims founder. By March, he already had a branding of her name and multiple tattoos, including one that said, “my girlfriend is a lawyer.”

Davidson, who was reportedly ready for marriage, even met Kim and Kanye West’s kids, hanging out solo with Saint at Walmart. The former SNL comedian even got what seems to be their initials “KNSCP” on his neck: Kim, North, Saint, Chicago, Psalm.

Khloé Kardashian welcomed a baby boy with her ex Tristan Thompson. Kardashian and Thompson conceived True’s sibling “in November“ 2021, a month before Tristan fathered a son named Theo Thompson with Maralee Nichols. Tristan’s first son is a 5-year-old son Prince Thompson whom he shares with his ex Jordan Craig.

“We did an embryo transfer like days before Thanksgiving, and I found out about Tristan’s situation the first week of December. It’s just so close. I wouldn’t want anyone to think I did this after the fact. Why would I want to have a baby with someone who is having a baby with somebody else?” she said during a The Kardashians episode.

“Tristan and I are having another baby,” the 38-year-old reality star previously said. “It’s supposed to be a really exciting time, and it’s just a difficult experience.” She also revealed that it has been “a difficult time” in her life. “But it’s the start of something positive and happy and beautiful.”

The Colombian singer and the soccer player announced their separation in June. As per Reuters, the stars announced the end of their relationship via their PR agency. “We regret to confirm that we are parting ways. For the well-being of our children, who are our highest priority, we ask that you respect their privacy. Thank you for your understanding,” they informed, referring to the two children they have in common, Milan and Sasha.

Weeks later, she released the song “Te Felicito” with Rauw Alejandro. The song was under the spotlight, with her fans believing it was a hit to Piqué.

After turmoil, the exes reunited in court on Thursday, December 1, to ratify their child custody agreement. The former couple, who never married, but had two sons and lived together as a family for 11 years, allegedly came to a suitable arrangement for the benefit of their boys. The star and the recently retired soccer player signed the agreement in Barcelona.

The world witnessed how Kanye West used social media to trash talk about his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her family, friends, celebrities, fashion brands, politicians, and even journalists.

The rapper even made people wonder if it was the end of Yeezy after sharing antisemitism and other hate speech, which eventually destroyed his business relationship with Adidas, followed by different brands and personalities which decided to cut ties with the “Donda” singer.

Adidas no longer sells and produces Yeezy-branded products, and payments to Kanye and his companies have stopped. Adidas is embracing losing €250 million ($246 million) in their fourth-quarter sales.

In addition to Adidas, other brands such as Balenciaga and Vogue retired their support to him. The talent agency CAA also dropped West as a client. At the same time, production company MRC it’s shelving West’s documentary.

The turmoil continued when West appeared on a podcast and falsely claimed George Floyd died due to abuse of substances. Floyd’s estate informed they would be suing the rapper for USD 250M.