12 Completely Wild Celebrity Moments From 2022 That Honestly Feel Like A Fever Dream Now

If you forgot that Lady Gaga said she was chased by a swarm of flies sent as a curse by the aggrieved woman she played in a movie, I’m gonna need you to read this.

Grimes and Elon Musk tried to hide a baby but got awkwardly rumbled.
Elon and Grimes

In March, during a truly bizarre turn of events, Grimes was forced to reveal while she was being interviewed for a Vanity Fair cover story that she and Elon Musk — who already share a 2-year-old son named X (short for X Æ A-12) — had welcomed a second baby.

If you’re wondering how this could possibly have happened, the writer of the article, Devin Gordon, was interviewing Grimes at her home when they were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a crying baby upstairs.

Caught out, Grimes initially said she wasn’t “at liberty to speak on these things,” but she eventually came clean, revealing that the cries belonged to Elon's and her new baby daughter, named Exa Dark Sideræl (Y for short), whom they’d secretly welcomed via surrogate in December 2021.

Understandably, the writer proceeded to ask why they’d attempted to conceal the baby, to which Grimes candidly admitted, “I don’t know. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Moral of the story: If you’re trying to hide your newborn, don’t do interviews at home?

Lady Gaga said she was followed by a swarm of flies sent by Patrizia Reggiani.
Lady Gaga

After receiving critical acclaim for her lead performance in the A Star Is Born press tour, fans were primed and ready for Gaga to bless us with more pearls of wisdom as she set off to promote House of Gucci in late 2021 — and boy, she did not disappoint.

In the movie — which is based on the real-life story of the Gucci family — Gaga starred as Patrizia Reggiani. She set expectations high ahead of its release by revealing that she was left with “psychological difficulty” and had to enlist the help of a “psychiatric nurse” toward the end of shooting because she “lived as Patrizia” for more than a year.

And in January, Gaga managed to one-up herself by telling the story of how she eventually departed from the character, explaining to W Magazine that she began being followed by a “large swarm of flies,” which she believes were sent by Patrizia herself.

“I truly began to believe that she had sent them. I was ready to let her go,” Gaga said of her character.

FYI, Patrizia is very much still alive and has publicly made clear that she is not one of Gaga’s biggest fans. However, it remains unclear whether the flies were sent under her instruction.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, and Daniel Radcliffe had to ask celebs to stop talking about it.
Will slapping Chris

While you may not have forgotten about this particular incident, it remains one of the most shocking celebrity moments of all time.

At the Oscars in March, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting an award. Jada has openly struggled with hair loss and alopecia, and so her husband, Will Smith, was not happy about the quip. Seconds after the words left Chris’s mouth, Will rose from alongside Jada in the front row and proceeded to smack Chris across the face.

Audience members and those viewing at home were immediately left confused as to what had actually happened and whether it was staged. But when Will won the award for Best Actor moments later and gave a teary speech about protecting his family, it became abundantly clear that this was for real.

A teary Will holding an award onstage

A few days later, Will issued an apology, and it was ultimately decided by the academy that he’d be banned from the ceremony for the next 10 years. However, his remorse wasn’t quite enough to silence his celebrity peers.

Two of the night’s hosts, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, recounted the incident with disgust, saying they were left “traumatized” and “triggered.” Tiffany Haddish called Will's defense of Jada “the most beautiful thing” she'd ever seen. Jimmy Kimmel entered the conversation and said he felt bad for everyone. Cher was confused. And before long, Daniel Radcliffe politely asked that people refrain from giving anymore opinions on the matter.

It’s not entirely clear whether Chris and Will have actually made up yet. Chris has joked about the incident during a number of his stand-up shows, and Will has made a partial return to the public eye to promote his new movie, Emancipation. But one thing’s for certain: We’ll be hearing a ton of jokes about it at the Oscars in a few months' time.

Kim Kardashian photoshopped two of her 4-year-old nieces in the name of “aesthetic.”
Kim close up

The Kardashian/Jenners are no strangers to a photoshopping scandal, but last year, Kim seriously raised eyebrows after posting some photos of her and Khloé Kardashian's 4-year-old daughters, Chicago and True, at Disneyland.

Two Kardashian/Jenner kids

It was immediately apparent to fans that something wasn't quite right with the snaps, and it didn't take long for people to work out that the pictures Kim posted actually matched up with a family Disneyland trip that True hadn't attended. And so it was quickly speculated that — for some reason — Kim had photoshopped True's head onto the body of Kylie Jenner's 4-year-old daughter, Stormi.

Eventually, after four months of rampant speculation, Kim finally confirmed that the theories were correct, revealing that the photoshop blunder came about as a result of wanting to maintain her current Instagram “aesthetic,” which involved pink and blue hues.

Apparently, Chicago's pink coat had matched the theme “perfectly,” but Kylie hadn't wanted her to share any pictures of her daughter at this time — which was notably a month after the Astroworld tragedy.

Kim respected her sister’s wishes but decided to take matters into her own hands, proceeding to replace Stormi’s face with that of True.

Much to Kim’s delight, even Khloé had apparently been fooled by the editing magic. But, of course, nothing gets past the internet sleuths nowadays. Better luck next time, Kimberly!

Chris Pratt told us not to call him Chris.
Close-up of Chris

Some celebs are known for making diva demands, but Chris Pratt has only one request: Don’t, under any circumstances, call him Chris.

Alright, maybe it’s not that serious. But this year, the Guardians of the Galaxy star dropped the bombshell that “no one” calls him by his actual name, and he likes it that way. “I don’t have a single friend who calls me Chris,” he said during an interview on SiriusXM’s Pop Culture Spotlight in June.

Chris

The actor clarified that his buddies refer to him as “C.P.” or sometimes just “Pratt,” but never “Chris,” revealing that even those who try to call him Chris are soon corrected.

“I went golfing with my friend Chad, my pastor, the other day, and he was like, ‘No one calls you Chris? I'm gonna call you Chris. Alright, Chris. You're up,’” he recalled. “And I was like, ‘No, it feels weird. It's not my name. Don't call me Chris.’”

Of course, it’s not unusual for celebs to professionally go by a name that isn’t actually what they’re called. Emma Stone, for example, is known among friends by her birth name, Emily. Brad Pitt has also been known to introduce himself as William, which is his actual first name.

Chris Pratt, however, has been a Chris since birth, which only served to make the whole thing even more confusing, and we're still without an explanation as to why he's so vehemently against the use of his own name.

Armie Hammer possibly took up work at a hotel in the Cayman Islands.
Armie in a suit

When we’re recapping true WTF moments, it doesn’t get much more confusing than the rumors that Armie Hammer had started working at a hotel in the Cayman Islands.

A tweet showing Armie in the flyer

After being away from the public eye for nearly two years after being faced with a number of disturbing sexual abuse accusations — which he has vehemently denied — people quickly latched onto a viral theory that the actor had sought employment elsewhere.

The rumors stemmed from an intriguing flyer that made the rounds online in July. Branded with the logo of a hotel in the Cayman Islands called Morritt’s Resort, the flyer included a photograph of Armie and advertised him as a personal concierge.

After one Twitter user claimed that her parents had been served by Armie on their vacation, the idea that he might be working at a hotel felt quite plausible, particularly given that he’s known to spend a lot of time in the Cayman Islands.

However, his lawyer was eventually forced to debunk the rumor, telling Variety that the flyer had been a prank among employees at the hotel in question.

The story doesn’t end there, though. A few days later, TMZ published photographs of Armie appearing to be dressed in uniform working at the resort, and soon after, Variety updated their story and claimed instead that Armie actually was working at the hotel.

Despite this, the reports have never been confirmed.

Kendall Jenner proved she's unable to cut a cucumber.
Kendall in a kitchen cutting a cucumber

Kendall Jenner landed herself at the center of viral mockery in May after she showed off her questionable culinary skills during a scene on the family's reality show, The Kardashians, where she prepared herself a healthy snack at Kris Jenner's house.

Standing at her vast kitchen island, Kris watched in confusion as her daughter attempted to slice a cucumber in, truly, the most bizarre fashion possible — backward, with one hand crossed over the other.

Kris quickly suggested that her personal chef might be able to take over, but Kendall was adamant about getting the job done herself. She told the bemused crew, “I'm definitely not a good cutter, so don't zoom in on me. I'm not professional whatsoever.”

The technique was so strange that some fans even theorized that the only possible explanation was that Kendall had staged it on purpose. However, if this was the case, then she perhaps did not achieve the desired outcome, with fans branding her attempts as “embarrassing” and “tragic.”

Despite the backlash, Kendall wound up getting the last laugh a few months later, taking the “cucumber girl” nickname quite literally by dressing as — you guessed it — a slice of cucumber for Halloween. Genius.

Pete Davidson texted Kanye West a selfie to say he was in bed with his wife.
The text from Pete in bed

2022 was undeniably Pete Davidson’s year. He started on a high as the boyfriend of Kim Kardashian and is ending the year linked to Emily Ratajkowski.

But Pete’s year wasn’t without its fair share of difficulties, as he and Kim became embroiled in a public feud with her ex-husband Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

While Kim and Pete were initially praised for maintaining a dignified silence as Ye’s harassment of them became more persistent, the feud came to a head in March when Pete — who doesn't have social media — shared a batch of text messages between him and Ye.

In the conversation, which was posted via his friend’s Instagram account following weeks of relentless aggravation, Pete defended Kim and offered to meet with Ye to discuss their issues privately. “I've decided I'm not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I'm done being quiet. Grow the fuck up,” Pete’s texts read.

Ye was obviously not pleased with the message and replied asking Pete where he was, prompting the comedian to respond with a shirtless selfie with the caption, “In bed with your wife.”

I don't think anyone had Pete Davidson telling Ye to “grow the fuck up” over text on their 2022 bingo card, but here we are.

Brooklyn Beckham claimed he was rich because of his career as a chef.
Brooklyn with his very wealthy parents

This year, Brooklyn Beckham got married, found himself in the middle of a feud between his mother and new wife, sparked amusement by sharing an “experimental” gin and tonic recipe, and *checks notes* called himself a professional chef.

The awkward moment came about when he was featured in Daniel Mac's popular What Do You Do for a Living? TikTok series.

In the viral video, Brooklyn — at the wheel of a $1.2 million McLaren P1 — was asked what he did for work in order to be able to afford such a car, prompting him to respond that he’s a chef.

Of course, the implication was that Brooklyn — a child of two of the world’s most famous people and the son-in-law of a billionaire — had managed to get his hands on the sports car thanks to his work as a professional chef, which, FYI, is currently limited to a number of poorly received television appearances and YouTube videos.

Since he'd overlooked the actual reason he’s driving a million-dollar car at the age of 23, people were not happy with Brooklyn, and he soon became the subject of intense mockery.

However, he seemed to take the backlash in stride, saying in an Instagram live that he’s still “learning” when it comes to cooking.

Harry Styles appeared to spit on Chris Pine in the middle of a movie premiere.
Four cast members of Don't Worry Darling

After months of swirling drama about Don’t Worry Darling and its stars, the world watched with bated breath as the entire cast came together at the Venice Film Festival in September.

And while body language experts and fans alike had their sights fixed firmly on the reportedly feuding Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh, it was an entirely different duo whose behavior got the world talking.

Screenshot of Harry looking down at Chris

It all started after a viral video, taken from inside the screening theater, showed Harry Styles approaching his seat as the audience applauded his entrance. Seated next to him, Chris Pine also clapped along for the singer, but — in the very same moment that Harry bent down to take his seat — he abruptly stopped and stared into his lap with a bemused smirk.

The timing of Chris’s unusual gesture wound up sparking the theory that Harry had spat on him, and honestly, if you’ve watched the video a thousand times over, like me, it isn’t hard to understand how people came to that conclusion.

Spitgate consumed every inch of the internet for about 18 hours before Chris’s team was forced to issue a strongly worded statement refuting the “ridiculous” claims.

A few days later, Harry also made light of the online frenzy while onstage at Madison Square Garden, telling fans he was glad to be back in the city after a quick trip to Venice “to spit on Chris Pine.”

Liam Payne debuted several new accents.
Liam being interviewed at the Oscars

Despite Will Smith shocking the entire world in March by slapping Chris Rock, it was bizarrely Liam Payne who managed to divert our attention for a brief moment in a truly perplexing interview immediately after the incident.

For reasons unknown, the former One Direction star was among the first to be asked for his thoughts on "the Slap" and — again, for reasons unknown — proceeded to give his answer in every accent but his own English one.

“Will Smith actually used to live behind my house; I’ve had the pleasure of knowing his son and his daughter very well. We did Men in Black III with him,” he said, starting off strong with an Irish-sounding tone.

“I believe whatever he felt that he did, he had the right to do,” he went on, transitioning into something more Dutch. “I also felt there were three losers in one fight” — back to Irish.

“He didn’t know, being Chris Rock, he didn’t want to do what he had to do, being Will Smith, and she did nothing, being Jada,” he added, now in something reminiscent of an Australian accent, but also American.

Unsurprisingly, the clip went viral and garnered some pretty hilarious reactions, including, “Around the World in 80 Accents by Liam Payne.”

Charlie Puth lost his virginity to a fan and told us about it.
Headshot of Charlie

Charlie Puth took refreshing honesty to a whole new level this year by recounting the literal story of the first time he had sex.

Giving fans a near-exact play-by-play of the experience, the Grammy Award–winning singer told Bustle that he lost his virginity to a fan at a small gig in Boston at the age of 21. “This girl came up to me and was like, ‘Can you sign my chest?’” he revealed. “I was like, I feel like a rock star.

Charlie went on to explain that the girl had been “lovely,” but admitted that it’d been a fleeting encounter that he wished could’ve been a little more “memorable.” “I never saw her again,” he said.

The singer, who’s since gone on to be known for his “horny” TikTok presence, also revealed that the first song he ever masturbated to was “This Love” by Maroon 5. “Now I’m good friends with Adam Levine. [I told him] and he was like, ‘That’s really weird,’” he said.

So…yeah. Take from that information what you will.


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