From surprises to scandals, the celebrities that shape our culture never fail to create memorable moments. 2018 was full of celebrity shenanigans, here is the Emerald’s breakdown of the biggest pop culture moments of the year:
1. Logan Paul
Youtube sensation Logan Paul shocked fans when he posted a video of Aokigahara, a forest on top of Mt. Fuji in Japan that is well known for suicide. In the video posted on Dec. 31, 2017, a dead man who had commited suicide was briefly shown on camera — this sent fans into a frenzy. The next day, Jan. 1, 2018, Paul took the video down and apologized, but it was too late — he lost access to Youtube’s premium ad program and his ongoing projects with Youtube we halted for several months.
2.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
After the announcement of their engagement in November of 2017, Prince Harry and star of the hit television show “Suits,” Meghan Markle, married in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May. The couple then announced in October that they were expecting their first child together, all while embarking on their first royal tour as a married couple.
3. Kanye West
Rapper and clothing designer Kanye West shocked the world when he went on “TMZ Live” in May and said that slavery “sounds like a choice.” The rapper faced tremendous backlash for the comment but later apologized — not for the comment but for how it made people feel. West later went on the Jimmy Fallon show in August and continued to discuss his comments and clarify his opinion.
4. Mac Miller
Rapper Mac Miller died on September 7 in Studio City, California of an apparent drug overdose. In November the coroner announced the cause of death as an accidental drug overdose. Prior to his death in May, the rapper went through a public breakup with on-again, off-again girlfriend Ariana Grande.
5. Roseanne
The reboot of the hit sitcom “Roseanne” was cancelled in May after premiering only two months earlier. The cancellation occured after the star of the show, Roseanne Barr, tweeted “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” “Vj” stands for Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who served as a senior advisor to former president Barack Obama. The tweet was seen as extremely racist; as a result, ABC cancelled the reboot.
6. Cardi B
Rapper Cardi B gave birth to her first daughter on July 10 with her rapper husband, Offset, right by her side. The two got married in 2017 and after much speculation, Cardi announced the pregnancy on “SNL” during a live performance in April. The birth of her daughter Kulture came with controversy due to Cardi’s decision to withdraw from a joint tour with Bruno Mars in order to spend time with her daughter.
7. Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian
Sisters Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian both gave birth to baby girls; Jenner’s daughter, Stormi, was born in February while Kardashian’s daughter, True, was born in April. Both sisters kept their pregnancies quiet, but it was only Khloe who opted to make an official pregnancy announcement via instagram in 2017. Jenner did not publicly address her pregnancy until after her daughter was born.
8. Kate Spade
Designer Kate Spade passed away on June 5 after an apparent suicide. The designer was found hanging in her Manhattan apartment by police. Her husband later stated that Kate struggled with depression and had previously sought treatment.
9. Mason Ramsey
After a video went viral of a young boy yodeling in an Illinois Walmart, Mason Ramsey shot to fame. The “yodeling boy” was featured on the “Ellen” show, later performed at Coachella and eventually signed a record deal with Atlantic Records.
10. Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin
Singer Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin secretly married in September after getting engaged sometime in July. The marriage comes after the couple’s on-again, off-again relationship sparked up in April following Bieber’s split from Selena Gomez just a month earlier.