In photos: Coldplay kiss cam scandal and 7 other global meme moments of 2025
From Vatican rituals to pop concerts gone wrong, 2025 memes crossed borders, turning religion, politics, AI, and celebrity slip-ups into global jokes.
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Holy airball: TikTok users embraced the phrase “holy f—ing airball” as a bait-and-switch meme, often using it to puncture braggy setups or dramatic expectations. (X)
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JD Vance baby-face meme: US Vice President JD Vance’s rounded features and expressive expressions made him an unlikely meme star. Online edits exaggerated his baby-faced look, sometimes bald, sometimes wigged, placing him into absurd scenarios that spread rapidly across platforms. (X)
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Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday: One of TikTok’s most enduring audio trends paired Jess Glynne’s Hold My Hand and the relentlessly cheerful “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday” jingle with videos of travel disasters. Missed flights, flooded resorts, and chaotic hotels were all edited against the upbeat soundtrack.(X)
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‘Grok, is this true?’: As AI anxiety surged in 2025, users began tagging X’s chatbot Grok under viral posts with the question, “Grok, is this true?” What started as an earnest attempt at fact-checking quickly became satire, with people summoning the bot to explain obvious jokes, personal drama, or even to roast its creator, Elon Musk.(X)
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