Jezebel’s Really Holding Space for the Best Memes of 2024

Before we turn the clock over to 2025, let’s take a moment to remember the people, moments, and slippery baby hippos that helped make 2024 the dystopian fever dream that it was. 

By Alise Morales  |  December 31, 2024 | 1:05pm
Photos: Screenshots EntertainmentIn Depth
Jezebel’s Really Holding Space for the Best Memes of 2024

Much can be said about 2024, but almost nothing good can be said. From the re-election of Donald Trump to a bevy of assassination attempts both successful and unsuccessful, the global implications of this year’s events can safely be categorized as “not great.” Yet, there’s one area in which 2024 truly shined.

I’m speaking, of course, about the high art of meme generation. Not since the height of Vine have we seen such a banner year for memes (and with TikTok on the verge of being banned in the U.S., we may not see it again for some time). Before we turn the clock over to 2025 and welcome in a new class of internet main characters to both love and despise, let’s take a moment to remember the people, moments, and slippery baby hippos that helped make 2024 the dystopian fever dream that it was. 

This year’s awards for achievements in meme-ability and overall virality go to…

Most Relatable Image: Glasgow Oompa Loompa

Does anything evoke the vibe of the 2020s like a sad woman dissociating at her job? The disastrous Glasgow Willy Wonka experience birthed many memes (shout out to The Unknown), but none sent a shockwave like this shot of U.K.-based actress Kristy Paterson, also known as the Glasgow Oompa Loompa. Between the off-brand costume, vaguely foggy background, the Baby’s First Meth Lab setup on her little table, and Kristy’s visible disdain for everything happening around her, this picture has something for everyone. (Unless you’re a child who came to the event thinking you’d get some chocolate. Then you’re outta luck.)

The Merriam Webster Award for Changing the Vocabulary: Very Mindful, Very Demure

@joolieannie #fyp #demure ♬ original sound – Jools Lebron

2024 was the year of being mindful and demure, regardless of whether or not any of us actually lived up to that standard. When TikTokker Jools Lebron sat down in her car to film a 40-second video advising followers, “See how I do my makeup for work? Very demure. Very mindful. I don’t come to work with a green cut crease…,” she had no idea how far that bit of professional advice would go (and has since said as much).

Lebron already had a substantial social media following when she posted her mega-viral hit, but that video (which currently has 54.8 million views) put the trans creator, her humor, and her vocabulary into a different tier of internet stardom. The audio was used by everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Penn Badgley to Kamala HQ (*long, sad sigh*) and hundreds of thousands of normies like us. Now, Lebron has racked up brand deals, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and made enough money to pay for her transition. Lebron’s rise may not have been particularly demure, but it is one of the few heartwarming stories of 2024.

Most Surprising Descent into Trumpism: Moo Deng

We all remember where we were when we first saw Moo Deng, the perfectly pink-cheeked and perpetually wet baby hippo that won the internet’s heart in 2024. For a brief period of time, Miss Moo had it all: She was adored by millions, fans lined up to catch a glimpse of her shiny little butt, she had a handler to bite whenever she wanted, and she was even portrayed by Bowen Yang on SNL. But it all came crashing down when she showed her true colors–MAGA red.

Just one day before the 2024 election, the Khao Kheow Open Zoo presented the baby hippo with two cakes, one representing Kamala Harris, and one representing Donald Trump. Moo Deng shocked the world when she “voted” for Donald Trump (meaning she ate his cake first), accurately predicting the results of the U.S. election.

Some may say she was merely trying to warn us of what was to come, but for many, the slippery hippo lost her shine that day. 

The Rihanna Award for Achievements in Posting: Club Chalamet


Has there ever been a better year to be a 50-something woman running a Timothée Chalamet stan account? Probably not. From Dune 2 to Willy Wonka to his Oscar-buzzy performance as Bob Dylan, this was Timmy’s year, and so it was also Club Chalamet’s. The internet has long been fascinated by the Club Chalamet stan account, which has developed a following totally separate from its celebrity subject thanks to its moderator’s unique posting style. Club Chalamet does not simply post a never-ending stream of Timmy pics with the caption “Timothée stuns in new photo.” Oh no. Club Chalamet takes the art of the celebrity stan account and makes it her own, often adding cryptic commentary like: 

 

Responding to both friends and foes with her signature wit and directness: 

And if you’re wondering if all of this is simply a highly sophisticated Timmy-loving AI, think again: 

There is simply no one online who is doing it like her, and so we must take off our Bob Dylan pageboy hats in respect of the realest one in the game. (Just don’t ask her what she thinks of his relationship with Kylie Jenner. Then things will get weird.) 

Best Meme-Turned-Halloween Costume: B-Girl Ray Gun

From the moment B-Girl Raygun first kangaroo hopped onto our screens during the 2024 Olympic Breakdancing competition, we knew we were seeing major Halloween Costume potential. Sellers on Amazon and Walmart must have recognized it too, as sellers quickly began offering “Australian Breakdancer” ensembles for anyone who wanted an excuse to clear the dance floor at a party this year. Raygun (real name Rachael Gunn) may have retired from competitive breakdancing after the backlash to her viral performance, but her contributions to breaking will live on in the Instagrams of those who donned a baseball cap and marbled green-and-yellow matching set.

Most Likely to Stay in 2024 (Fingers Crossed): Lookalike Contests

If there was ever a sign that the youth craved more third spaces, it was the dozens of lookalike contests that took over cities everywhere in the final months of 2024. What started with a simple Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in Washington Square Park quickly ballooned into a worldwide sensation. There was a Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest in Chicago (prize $50 and a pack of cigarettes), a Paul Mescal lookalike contest in Dublin, a Harry Styles lookalike contest in London, a Dev Patel lookalike contest in San Francisco, a Zayn Malik lookalike contest in Brooklyn’s Maria Hernandez park, a Jack Schlossberg lookalike contest in Central Park, a Zendaya lookalike contest in Oakland, CA (god bless anyone with the confidence to enter this), a Tom Holland lookalike contest in Boston, and finally, it all came full circle with a Luigi Mangione lookalike contest back in Washington Square Park. We had our fun, but I think it’s safe to say society has seen enough celebrity lookalike contests for now. Time to move on. 

Most Likely to Continue Into 2025: Hawk Tuak

@videoman_byahpositive The Original Hawk Tuah #hawktuah #spitonthatthing #meme #viralvideo ♬ Originalton – Videoman_byAHPositive

No reflection on this year’s memes would be complete without a mention of Haliey Welch, aka the Hawk Tuah Girl. It all began with a viral video of a drunk woman with a Southern accent talking about “spitting on that thang.” Within weeks, Welch had sold over $65,000 in Hawk Tuah merchandise, started her own podcast “Talk Tuah” on Jake Paul’s Betr Media, and became embroiled in a crypto pump-and-dump scheme that may have her in trouble with the SEC. This all only took six months. Given the pending legal action, I fear Miss Welch will continue to be a thang well into 2025. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t all have to start referring to her as Secretary Welch before the year is out. 

Honorary Mention: New Jersey Drones

What Happened to the New Jersey Drone Panic? Did Everyone Just Go Inside? www.splinter.com/what-happene…

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— Splinter (@splinternews.bsky.social) December 27, 2024 at 3:23 PM

Do we know what’s happening with the New Jersey drones? Or did we all just collectively agree to deal with them after the holidays? Either way, in an age of unfettered conspiracy theories, I don’t think anybody is forgetting about these drones any time soon. 

 Most Impactful Meme of 2024: Holding Space for “Defying Gravity”

Wicked was always bound to be a meme machine, but no one could have ever predicted the sheer force of theater kiddery that would be on display when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo began their press tour. Social media had already started roasting Grande and Erivo for how easily any question about filming Wicked could bring both actors to tears, but nothing could have prepared us for what would happen when they sat down across from Out’s Tracy E. Gilchrist and we first heard the immortal words, “People are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that.” 

What followed would be the stuff of meme legends. For the next 30 seconds, every line uttered would become a meme onto itself–from “I didn’t know that was happening” to “I’ve seen it on a couple of posts” to the indelible “I work in queer media”–and that was all before Ariana reached over to clutch Cynthia’s index finger in support. 

I guess that’s just the kind of magic that can occur when two tired, emotional women sit down to do hours of press in tandem. 

That’s it! The most viral moments of a year marked mainly by its viral moments. Here’s hawk tuah-nother meme-able year to come! I’m sure we’ll continue holding space for all of these memes until the next great internet main character emerges to turn our attention away from the horrors–or at the very least, until the next Wicked press tour.

 
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