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.

Published on: Dec 29, 2025 12:35 PM IST

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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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The conclave memes: Following the death of Pope Francis, the Vatican’s centuries-old process of selecting a new pope unexpectedly became meme fodder. Online users treated the papal conclave like prestige TV, sharing fancams of cardinals, joking about alliances, tracking chimney smoke updates, and posting about the seagulls perched on the Sistine Chapel roof. The memes leaned heavily on the recent film Conclave. (X)

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What was meant to be a harmless kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert in Boston became one of the internet’s most viral scandals when the camera landed on Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s head of HR, Kristin Cabot. Their visibly panicked reaction prompted Chris Martin’s now-famous quip that they were “either shy or having an affair.”  (File Photo)

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The internet feasted when the once-friendly relationship between Donald Trump and Elon Musk collapsed in public view. After Musk criticized Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, the two traded barbs online, ending months of visible mutual admiration.  (AP)

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Cynthia Erivo scratching her head: A still from an interview showing Cynthia Erivo scratching her head became a universal reaction image for confusion, disbelief, or realizing something doesn’t quite add up.  (File Photo)