We’re Literally Only 3 Months Into 2024, And These 106 Shocking And Bizarre Things Have Already Happened
Warning: This article contains brief mention of sexual harrasement, child abuse, mass shootings, and self-immolation.
1.
January 2: The New Year is largely considered a time when people can reset and start fresh. Perhaps, this most fittinglly applies to Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, a 32-year-old woman who was recently released from prison after pleading guilty to the second degree murder of her abusive mother nearly eight years ago.
Well, on January 2, Gypsy defended her husband from a slew on online hate by commenting a now-viral sentiment on his Instagram post, writing: “Ryan, don’t listen to the haters. I love you, and you love me. We do not owe anyone anything. Our family is who matters. If you get likes and good comments great, if you get hate then whatever because THEY DON’T MATTER. I love you💕 besides they jealous because you are rocking my world every night…yeah I said it, the D is fire🔥 happy wife happy life ❤️.”
3. January 3: An inescapable video of a man, later identified as Deobra Redden, went viral after a judge denied his probation and he responded by jumping (FLYING) over her desk and injuring her.
4.
January 3: Shannon Sharpe’s now infamous interview with Katt Williams racked in 56 million views on YouTube. People couldn’t look away as the comedian called out other big industry names for allegedly stealing jokes, accusing rappers of joining the illuminati, and even suggesting Harvey Weinstein offered him oral sex in return for movie roles.
View this video on YouTube
Club Shay Shay / Via youtube.com
5. January 3: Unsealed court documents surrounding Epstein, his victims, and associates were released following years “of public speculation about who the disgraced financier and accused sex trafficker may have involved in his schemes,” HuffPost reported.
7.
January 5: We’ve reached my personal Roman Empire — the emergency door plug from an Alaska Airlines flight that blew out at 16,000 feet.
8. January 5: Gypsy-Rose Blanchard embarked on a press tour of sorts, and appeared on daytime talk show The View, where she admitted to taking “the wrong way out” in reference to her mother’s murder. Host Joy Behar interjected, saying, “Don’t say that… You had no choice really.” And Gypsy had to remind Joy that murder is wrong.
ABC / Via Twitter: @notbrendan
9. January 6: Boeing grounded their 737 Max 9 fleet following that whole airplane without an emergency door plug fiasco.
11. January 6: Chicago’s rat hole — a sidewalk slab with a rat’s imprint — went viral and oddly became a tourist destination that many flocked to.
12. January 7: A phone blown out of the Alaska Airlines flight was found fully operable.
Found an iPhone on the side of the road… Still in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim for #AlaskaAirlines ASA1282 Survived a 16,000 foot drop perfectly in tact!
When I called it in, Zoe at @NTSB said it was the SECOND phone to be found. No door yet😅 pic.twitter.com/CObMikpuFd
— Seanathan Bates (@SeanSafyre) January 7, 2024
13. January 8: After being found guilty on one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault and one count of second-degree harassment, Jonathan Majors appeared in an interview on ABC news. During the taping, he commented on his relationship with actor Meagan Good, who he cringingly said held him down like Coretta Scott King.
ABC News / Via Twitter: @Phil_Lewis_
14.
January 9: Several were arrested after a secret tunnel was discovered under the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in New York.
15.
January 10: Republican candidate Chris Christie announced he’d be ending his bid for president.
16. January 10: News broke that the Escambia County School District in Florida is being sued after a school pulled multiple dictionaries from their library shelves because they contained descriptions (i.e. definitions) of “sexual conduct.”
17. January 11: The FAA announced they were officially opening an investigation into the Boeing incident.
18. January 12: Jonathan Majors was dropped from starring in 48 Hours in Vegas, a movie about Bulls player Dennis Rodman’s infamous trip to Vegas in the middle of the NBA finals.
19. January 13: A group of grown men (football players) pushed their bodies to wild feats in subzero temperatures for extreme salaries.
20. January 13: January continued to be a rough month for Boeing, as a flight in Japan had to return after a crack formed in the cockpit window.
21. January 14: Ryan Gosling was extremely confused by “I’m Just Ken” winning Best Original Song at the Critics’ Choice Awards.
23. January 20: A Ravens fan randomly went viral for looking like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
25. January 22: The midwest was hit with a winter storm that sent fire trucks flailing.
26. January 24: In a weird mashup of political and entertainment news, Hillary Clinton penned an open message to Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie about their Oscar snubs.
Greta & Margot,
While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you.
You’re both so much more than Kenough.#HillaryBarbie
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 24, 2024
28. January 25: In dystopian news, lawyers are trying to figure out how to legally create a trust for clients who pass away, have their bodies frozen, and are later brought back to life (should technology ever reach this point). Because, according Scottsdale attorney Mark House, “You don’t wanna come back poor.”
Lawyers are creating legal entities so that frozen, deceased rich people can leave their fortunes to their future revived selves.
Yep. Just another day in America’s trust industry. https://t.co/4nA3VXpkvn
— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) January 31, 2024
29. January 26: Explicit AI-generated photos of Taylor Swift were shared — and thankfully removed from — online, eliciting outcries in support of legislation that would criminalize and punish such acts.
The White House says the sexually-explicit AI images of Taylor Swift are ‘alarming’ and that Congress should take legislative action to address fake abusive images online.
“We are alarmed by the circulation of the false images,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. pic.twitter.com/enqjogoaM5
— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 26, 2024
MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images / Via Twitter: @PopBase
31. January 29: Elon Musk’s Neuralink implanted a “brain computer” in someone’s head that’s meant to “create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow,” according to the company’s website.
Enables control of your phone or computer, and through them almost any device, just by thinking.
Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs.
Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 30, 2024
33.
February 1: Universal Music Group pulled their artists’ songs from TikTok.
Universal Music Group, otherwise known as UMG, represents big-name artists like Taylor Swift, Drake, and Justin Bieber — all of whom have songs regularly used as trending audios on TikTok. However, at the beginning of the month, UMG and TikTok failed to come to an agreement on contract renewal for the app’s use of UMG’s artists’ songs.
In a statement, UMG said, “TikTok proposed paying our artists and songwriters at a rate that is a fraction of the rate that similarly situated major social platforms pay.”
TikTok retorted with their own statement, claiming that UMG is putting “their own greed above the interests of their artists and songwriters,” and added, “TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher. Clearly, Universal’s self-serving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”
34. February 1: Netflix dropped a first look of the anticipated second season of Squid Game. (And yes, Seong Gi-hun is still sporting red hair).
Netflix / Via Twitter: @netflix
35. February 2: The groundhog who predicts seasons, aka Punxsutawney Phil, ruled that there will be an early spring this year, and then the internet immediately called BS. because of our horrible, climate-change-driven weather.
36.
February 3: Sweetly Seasoned issued an apology for withholding a tip for a barber and hairstylist that was gifted by TikToker Keith Lee.
If you somehow missed the saga: Keith Lee visited a food truck in Dallas, TX called Sweetly Seasoned and noticed that a barber and hairstylist unaffiliated with the truck were working out of the same parking lot. The barber and hairstylist were friends of the Sweetly Seasoned owner’s son, and the hairstylist even helped fill orders that day.
To keep transactions simple, Keith tipped Sweetly $2,000 and asked that the owner hand out an additional $2,000 he’d be tipping through their system —$1,000 for the barber and $1,000 for the hairstylist.
The owner of Sweetly Seasoned, however, initially kept the entire $4,000. It wasn’t until later, after much backlash from the internet, that the owner seemingly begrudgingly agreed to issue give the barber and hairstylist their money.
37. February 3: Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton announced he’d be leaving Mercedes to join the Ferrari team.
It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.
But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024
38.
February 4: Taylor Swift announced she’ll be dropping a new album on April 19 during her Grammy speech.
39.
February 4: Speaking of the Grammys, Jay-Z delivered a now-famous speech when accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. While on stage, he questioned how Beyoncé could have more Grammy wins than any other artist, yet not an Album of the Year award, and said some artists in attendance low-key don’t even belong in their categories.
No lies were spoken.
Jay-Z at the #Grammys: “…[Beyoncé] has more Grammys than anyone and never won album of the year.
Some of you will feel like you were robbed. Some of you will get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category! Sorry … when I get nervous, I tell the truth!” pic.twitter.com/1suz8P8APR
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 5, 2024
40.
February 5: Buckingham Palace announced King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer.
The palace did not specify what kind of cancer the King has been diagnosed with, nor what stage.
41. February 6: A DC Circuit court determined Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election (which later led to the Jan. 6 insurrection), as he previously suggested.
42.
February 6: In an unprecedented move, a jury found the mother of the Michigan high school mass shooter, Jennifer Crumbley, guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
In 2021, Crumbley and her husband gave their 15-year-old son a semi-automatic handgun a few days before the shooting, despite him displaying both behavioral and mental struggles. These notably include an instance where her son texted Crumbley saying that he was “hearing voices and seeing demons,” HuffPost reports, and their son texted friends saying his mother laughed in response to requests for help.
Then, just a few hours before the shooting, school administrators called the 15-year-old’s parents to discuss drawings he’d created of guns and gunshot victims. Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said Crumbley not only dismissed these concerns, but also failed to acknowledge that she’d given her son a gun.
Crumbley’s son was sentenced to life in prison, and Crumbley has been found guilty of four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the victim’s deaths.
43.
February 7: Following Katt Williams’ explosive interview, Shannon Sharpe interviewed comedian Mo’Nique on his show Club Shay Shay.
Clips from the interview went massively viral, as Mo’Nique called out big names like Tiffany Haddish as well as discrimination in the industry.
44.
February 7: Not sure if you even remember her, but Marianne Williamson dropped out the 2024 presidential race.
She has since un-suspended her campaign and is back in the race.
(Girl, let it go.)
48. February 11: Speaking of which, Usher and Alicia Keys quickly became a meme after embracing during their performance.
CBS / Via Twitter: @ITSDJFLOW
49.
February 11: Beyoncé broke the internet after announcing she was dropping new music during a Verizon commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.
Queen Bey gave us two songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”
50. February 11: And not only was she dropping new music, she’s even releasing what is anticipated to be a full country album.
Beyoncé / Via Twitter: @BeyLegion
51.
February 11: Oh, and since we’re talking about the Super Bowl, we may as well note that the Kansas City Chiefs won.
52.
February 11: And Travis Kelce + Taylor Swift shared a now-viral post-win kiss.
53. February 14: Unfortunately, tragedy struck at the end of the Chief’s Super Bowl parade at Kansas City’s Union Station when a shooting occurred, killing one woman and injuring 22 others.
I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today. My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.
— Travis Kelce (@tkelce) February 15, 2024
54.
February 14: Outside of ongoing world news, TikToker Reesa Teesa started her now-viral series retelling the story of her marriage to someone she describes as a “pathological liar”
The series is 50 parts and totals about 8 hours of viewing, but it’s worth every second.
55.
February 15: The entertainment industry was bustling as the Dune: Part 2 cast hit red carpet after red carpet. One of the most notable looks came from Zendaya, of course, who sported this futuristic getup.
56. February 16: After confusion and questions surrounding motivation, two juveniles were charged with gun possession and resisting arrest at the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting. Two men are also in custody and facing second-degree murder charges, USA Today reports.
Two juveniles have been charged in the shooting that killed one person and injured 22 others at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade https://t.co/5gGnWV7FQp
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 16, 2024
57. February 16: Following the tragedy, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany visited victims in the hospital.
#KCSTRONG Below are photos of Patrick & Brittany Mahomes – after visiting with two of the shooting victims. An 8&10 year-old shot while celebrating their hometown team.
The family tells us both are ok but have a long road to recovery. @fox4kc pic.twitter.com/n83iROmFsE
— Malik Jackson (@malikjackson3) February 16, 2024
58.
February 16: A New York State Supreme Court judge ruled that Donald Trump owed the city over $350 million in damages over fraudulent business practices and he has since been barred from officer or director of a New York corporation for the next three years, HuffPost reports.
60.
February 21: The Biden administration canceled federal student loans for about 153,000 borrowers.
“Starting today, the first round of folks who are enrolled in our SAVE student loan repayment plan who have paid their loans for 10 years and borrowed $12,000 or less will have their debt cancelled,” Biden shared in a tweet. “That’s 150,000 Americans and counting. And we’re pushing to relieve more.”
61.
February 21: After Timothée Chalamet was lightheartedly criticized for not being as fashionable as Zendaya on the Dune: Part 2 red carpets despite being the lead actor of the films, he and Z showed up in matching outfits.
62. February 21: Previously, Marvel dropped Jonathan Majors from the MCU following his conviction for assault and harassment. The actor played Kang, a primary villain in their current phase, and the titular character for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Now, the title will be changed.
63. February 21: Also following previous news, the head of Boeing’s 737 Max program left the company.
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Head of Boeing’s 737 Max program is out after latest serious incident on company’s marquee aircraft.
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 21, 2024
66.
February 22: It was announced that former talk show host and TV personality Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
Police were called to an ‘immersive’ Willy Wonka Experience after families showed up to an ’empty warehouse’
The event reportedly charged $40 for entry, advertised with AI art, and said it would be a ‘journey filled with wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every… pic.twitter.com/udz8KeWVxQ
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) February 27, 2024
How of Illuminati / Via Twitter: @CultureCrave
70. February 25: Aaron Bushnell, a senior airman, set himself on fire outside of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. He repeatedly shouted, “Free Palestine!”
74.
February 28: A weird conspiracy started, claiming Kate Middleton was missing.
This conspiracy stems from the fact that Netizens haven’t seen Kate in public for months. The last news about her whereabouts up until this point came from Kensington Palace in early January when a statement said the princess was undergoing a “planned” abdominal surgery.
This has led some to jokingly speculate that the statement is a front and she’s actually missing.
“yeh so basically Kate Middleton hasn’t been seen in months like she’s actually missing. word on the conspiracy street is that she’s doing 1 of many things – gone for a BBL, growing out her bangs, lost at the Wonka experience. also she’s possibly banksy x” pic.twitter.com/y1JqXmRZ5u
— Aliyana G (@Aliyana567) February 28, 2024
75.
February 28: Just as this conspiracy was getting started, Kensington palace immediately shut it down.
In a statement, the palace wrote: “Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess’ recovery and we’d only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands.”
76. February 29: And finally, Elmo celebrated Leap Day with this abomination of a post.
77.
March 1: Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and one of history’s most influential manga authors, died at 68.
Fans who grew up on his acclaimed series were joined in their mourning by similarly big names in the anime industry, including One Piece and Naruto creators Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, who released statements detailing how much Toriyama meant to them.
78.
March 4: After a Colorado court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on state ballots because of his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Supreme Court overruled this decision.
A very weird Uno reverse, in my personal opinion.
…and even Elon acknowledged the flood of tweets from users who may have usually been posting elsewhere.
80.
March 6: Nikki Haley dropped out of the presidential race, leaving Trump as the GOP’s last major candidate.
81.
March 7: In aerophobia news, a United Airlines flight lost its tire after taking off from San Francisco International Airport.
As someone who doesn’t fly, I need airlines to get it together and stop fueling my worst nightmares.
90. March 14: In celeb news, Bella Hadid shared a look at her morning routine, which consisted of a lot of pills and a lot of goopy drinks.
TikTok: @babybella777 / Via tiktok.com
92.
March 14: In NSFW news that realistically affects millions, Pornhub disabled access to its website for users in Texas in protest of the state’s age verification requirement.
93. March 17: Despite there being no evidence that such a thing would occur, rumors spread that an ominous “royal announcement” was pending. This led to speculation that the death of King Charles would be announced. Of course, all of this was false.
do I think King Charles is dead? no. do I think it’s hilarious that the Royals have lost all public trust in their word? yes.
— ella dawson (@brosandprose) March 18, 2024
94.
March 17–18: The documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was released, exposing the allegedly toxic work environments and child abuse some Nickelodeon stars endured in the early aughts.
In one of the documentary’s most shocking moments, actor Drake Bell identified himself as a sexual abuse victim of Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck, who was arrested in 2003.
Since airing, at least a dozen more actors have spoken out about their experiences on sets.
103. March 29: After teasing the world with two new songs she dropped during the Super Bowl, Beyoncé finally released her newest album Cowboy Carter.
104.
March 29: Three months after being released from prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard announced she and her husband Ryan Scott Anderson are separating.
The two married in July 2022.
105.
March 29: Lizzo shared the following statement on Instagram: “I quit.”
Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below.
