Year in review: The 32 biggest news stories of 2021

Though 2021 was still a shaky year in many ways, it was a definite improvement from 2020—and that alone is worth celebrating. Still, after 12 long news-packed months, we know that it can be tough to recall exactly which film brought people back to the theaters or which musician made outlandish anti-vaccine claims or which actor sued a media conglomerate.But here’s where we can help. From to to , The A.V. Club has compiled a chronological list of 2021’s biggest news stories so you can sit back and remember this strange—slightly better—year. (Looking at you, 2022.)

In January, graphic screenshots of sexual and cannibalistic DMs from what was believed to be ’s account . In the span of a few weeks, Hammer was dropped by his publicist and team and booted from . He was also accused of sexual assault and the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that he was being investigated in connection with those allegations. [Shanicka Anderson]

Less than a month after the insurrection in Washington, D.C., another meme-powered revolution took place online. In late January, the . For a while, it worked, with the stock skyrocketing “to the moon.” , others held out for more and posted “stonks” in hopes of getting Elon Musk’s attention—as you probably know, he loves memes and thinks they’re [ahem] very genius. But no lunar trips last forever. Regulators and the Robinhood trading app, where most of this nonsense went down, tried to put the kibosh on the whole thing, and by mid-February, the stock fell back to normal. Today, there are probably forgotten GameStop shares collecting digital dust in a Robinhood account. Within months, everyone moved onto something much more lucrative: NFTs. Stonks! [Matt Schimkowitz]

When people lament the authoritarian rule of so-called cancel culture, they like to pretend that the “victim” did nothing to deserve their fate—as if their actions shouldn’t have consequences. And when your boss is Mickey Mouse, like former was, freedom of speech ends at the Magic Kingdom. What can you say? The company turns IP into TV shows and movies to sell toys, theme park tickets, and Disney+ subscriptions, not to have a culture warrior comparing reasonable precautions during a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the world (and 774,000 in the U.S. alone) to Nazi iconography. Publicly traded corporations that make stuff primarily for children tend not to like that. Anyway, now Carano’s making a crowd-financed movie about Hunter Biden, . [Matt Schimkowitz]

In February, came forward and named as her abuser, alleging psychological abuse and sexual assault. In the wake of her announcement, stepped forward with their own claims of sexual abuse and interpersonal violence involving Warner, including Game Of Thrones actor . After being dropped by his , Warner is currently facing and is under investigation by the . [Gabrielle Sanchez]

The unraveling of Sharon Osbourne’s time on CBS’ The Talk was swift, and it all might’ve been avoidable if she had resisted the inexplicable urge to defend Piers Morgan. over racist comments about Meghan Markle. When Osbourne leapt to his defense, it prompted her former co-host Holly Robinson Peete to resurface an accusation that Osbourne had gotten her fired for being “too ghetto” (in addition to). Plus, Osbourne allowed arguments about all of this to happen on the air, making the scandal very public. It was no surprise [Sam Barsanti]

Few obstructions to international trade have ever felt as relatable as the plight of the Ever Given, the utterly massive container ship that found itself . The fiscal and practical effects of the maritime disaster were even bigger than the boat itself—blocking billions of dollars in trade and delaying shipping planetwide, with major knock-on effects to who knows how many industries. The social ramifications were fascinatingly odd, as the planet (or, at least,) got together to revel in a problem caused, refreshingly, not by human evils, wanton cruelty, or a lethal virus, but just because a big, big boat got stuck. [William Hughes]

Shortly after the release of Zack Snyder’s cut of in March, star offered more details about his working experience with director , the creator who replaced Snyder as film’s director, as well as other Warner Bros. executives. Now, thoroughly distanced from Whedon’s 2017 take on the film, Fisher delved into the allegedly racist and inappropriate behavior he endured on set. arrived shortly after Buffy and Angel star detailed her experience working with Whedon as she endured “casual cruelty” and “ongoing, passive aggressive threats.” Her claims were corroborated by Amber Benson and Michelle Trachtenberg, who said Whedon was not allowed in a room alone with her. Later, Wonder Woman star came forward with her own claims about threats Whedon leveraged against her while filming. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

For three seasons on FX’s Pose, Billy Porter played HIV-positive ball emcee Pray Tell, but it wasn’t until this year that. Porter said he kept his status a secret because he came from a deeply religious family, not even telling his mother until recently, but he had since began thinking of himself as someone who “transcended” the diagnosis due to medication and consistent doctor visits. He says he’s the healthiest now that he’s ever been, adding, “I’m going to die from something else before I die from that.” [Sam Barsanti]

It’s hard to believe how quickly and ungraciously daytime television empire collapsed this year. After allegations emerged that the one-name star had cultivated an abusive and toxic work environment, the backlash was swift and firm. With the show suddenly of viewers each week, it was announced that the upcoming 19th season of would be its last, with the show to end in 2022. The scandal helped bring one of television’s longest-running daytime shows to a close. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

In 2018, Bill Cosby was , leading to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. A little more than three years later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned that ruling, arguing that the use of testimony from a civil trial between Cosby and Constand in 2005—i.e., his public admission to giving Benadryl to Constand, and qualuudes to other women he was sexually pursuing—had violated his due process rights. . Not long after his release, Cosby was already facing at least two other civil suits related to allegations of sexual assault. [William Hughes]

Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus shocked fans when he revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer. “It sucks and I’m scared,” Hoppus acknowledged on social media, even as he expressed hopes for his treatment, and as Blink fans (famous and not) from around the world offered well-wishes. Hoppus that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma, but this is one of those rare 2021 news stories that appears to have had a genuinely happy ending: Hoppus announced in September that the cancer had responded to treatment, and that he was now hopefully for the foreseeable future. [William Hughes]

. Vin Diesel is a hard guy to imitate, with a gravelly voice that also kind of sounds like he just drank a gallon of milk. On SNL, nailed the man who promised to bring movies back. A month later, : In June, It became one of the first major studio blockbusters since the arrival of COVID-19 to receive an exclusive theatrical release, leading to, well, the return of crowds at movie theaters. While movies still aren’t making pre-pandemic money, theaters finally showed signs of life again, with the likes of . Of course, it was really the vaccine that did it. Just imagine, people were more receptive to the idea of sitting in a room with a bunch of strangers after getting the jab. Thanks, jab, and thanks, Vin, for everything. [Matt Schimkowitz]

After 19 years of presiding over Bachelor Nation shows like and (and, not coincidentally, both series’ ongoing, extremely spotty track records on race), blandly charismatic host Chris Harrison finally found himself brought down by: blandly charismatic host Chris Harrison. Specifically, the long-time presenter blundered into trying to defend Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for participating in an “Old South” sorority party a few years before being on the show. The final straw came when he attempted to sell Rachel Lindsay, the franchise’s first Black Bachelorette, on the idea that no one knew that sort of thing was problematic way back in the distant past of 2018. , swiftly followed. [William Hughes]

It seemed like the perfect blend of role and performer: LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow luminary and Star Trek alum, paired with the now-vacant position of Jeopardy! host. Although it started with simple online speculation, Burton suggesting he’d be a natural fit for the job. (Jeopardy! producers, meanwhile, remained weirdly reticent.) (to, admittedly, )—not long before his work was pretty thoroughly eclipsed by the chaos that erupted around the franchise’s eventual picks. [William Hughes]

The mega-rich have everything—so they get bored easily and have to get creative with how to waste their money while also stroking their egos. So, what better way to prove who’s the top billionaire than ? (No, not that kind of rocket.) Virgin founder Richard Branson was the first to become a “space-billionaire,” traveling in the Virgin Galactic VSS Unity. But he was. Bezos kept making trips, and he —well, sort of, since it’s argued that Bezos didn’t actually make it to space, just close enough that it kind of counts. [Tatiana Tenreyro]

Somewhere, there’s someone who truly believes Donda isn’t finished. And that person is Ye, formerly Kanye West. Teased for a whole-ass calendar year, the impossible-to-defend rapper’s 10th album was a star-studded event, we think. , , in the lead-up to the album. throughout the summer, , which was . Once it was out, : We all pored over the record for approximately two days and never listened to it again. The rapper’s association with , earning them a Grammy nod for their troubles, didn’t exactly make the album a joy to return to. Another JESUS IS KING to take up space on our phones. When will we learn? [Matt Schimkowitz]

was one of the most surprising news stories of the year, not because she did it but because Disney had even allowed it to happen. The suit was prompted by Disney’s decision to release Black Widow in theaters and as a premium Disney+ rental simultaneously, which probably contributed to, which (due to the language in her contract) meant Johansson got less money than originally promised. With Johansson, Disney wisely and now has her. [Sam Barsanti]

In one of the more wholesome ongoing stories of this year, Brendan Fraser received an outpouring of support following his triumphant return to feature acting, in what fans are calling the “Brenaissance.” Fraser previously opened up about the long-term harm caused by that he experienced, and how it almost derailed his career and personal life. His upcoming films include Martin Scorsese’s , Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, and HBO’s . He also joined CW’s in addition to his ongoing role on Doom Patrol, and played a memorable character part in Steven Soderbergh’s 2021 release . All of this excitement about Fraser’s return where Fraser teared up upon learning about widespread online support for him. Cheers for Brendan! [Gabrielle Sanchez]

Following several rounds of guest-hosted episodes, Jeopardy! announced that it had finally found Alex Trebek’s successor: Executive producer tapped to host special episodes). However, Richards’ reign was cut short after news of his surfaced. Richards was accused of discrimination on the set of the Price Is Right during his tenure and he was named in two legal complaints from models on the show who alleged unfair treatment. If that wasn’t enough, he was also accused of making it appear like other candidates who guest-hosted Jeopardy! had a real chance at scoring the hosting gig, when he had himself in mind the whole time. Ultimately, Richards and Sony announced that he was as Jeopardy! host. He was also ousted from his role as producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel Of Fortune. [Shanicka Anderson]

For something first pitched more than a decade earlier, kind of came out of nowhere: Not even Netflix seemed like it expected Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s South Korean spin on Battle Royale murder games to become a success—let alone become the most watched show in the service’s history. Squid Game fever swept the planet in the back half of 2021, influencing , , and more. Of course, given the show’s success, it was inevitable that responses to the series (and comprehension of its deeply unsubtle themes) would be just as diverse. After all, nothing says “I have understood this brutal satire of capitalism” like , right? [William Hughes]

Seemingly every year has a “gate” conspiracy theory, and this time it was BallGate. Nicki Minaj’s read like one of those hoaxes that clueless family members love to share on Facebook. Minaj explained that she wasn’t ready to be vaccinated because she was still doing her “research,” as her cousin’s friend in Trinidad woke up with huge balls post-vaccination and had to cancel his wedding. Actually, enlarged balls sounds an awful lot like an STD and not like something that’s listed as a side effect for any vaccine—we’re sure anyone with a pair of balls would happily tell you, theirs likely work just fine after being vaxxed. But, because Minaj tweeted this out to her more than 200 million followers, s. [Tatiana Tenreyro]

​​Bo Burnham set out to save the world with comedy in his musical Netflix special, . In the midst of singing about white women’s Instagrams and FaceTiming his mom, Burnham also perfectly captured the overwhelming sense of dread that has permeated this capitalism-ruled life since the pandemic started. For the special itself, Burnham earned , and the subsequent recently received a for Best Music Film. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

After a month-long trial in Brooklyn, disgraced rapper R. Kelly was on nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking. With charges dating back nearly 30 years, the court found that Kelly used his power and wealth to lead a sex ring that recruited young women and underage girls. The brought to light the many abuses Kelly doled out against children and women, including the late singer Aaliyah. He currently faces decades of prison time. [Gabrielle Sanchez]

When Meghan McCain announced that, it was really only a surprise because of how long she lasted. McCain joined the show in 2017, and she spent most of that time getting into increasingly heated on-screen spats with Joy Behar and the rest of the View women. However, she didn’t completely end her tenure on a bad note. While announcing her departure, she told her former co-hosts, “You are the most talented women in all of television, hands down, and it has been so incredible to be able to do with this with you.” [Shanicka Anderson]

, but the frustrating story of “Blurred Lines” (a song that even co-writer Pharrell Williams realized) is not. This year, Emily Ratajkowski—who appears in the original video and credits it with being her “big break”—wrote a memoir, My Body. In the book, . The video’s director, Diane Martel, said that she immediately shut down the shoot and that Thicke apologized, but it was “as if he knew it was wrong without understanding how it might have felt for Emily.” [Sam Barsanti]

Among the most undeniably tragic stories to ever come off a Hollywood set, —even though its cause was banal. Headlines that decried “Alex Baldwin shot and killed someone” . There was no conspiracy, just plain old corner-cutting that got cinematographer ; producers looking to save money by hiring non-union, inexperienced crews contributed to her death. In the weeks that followed, stars criticized the use of real guns on sets, while others looked for someone to blame. But at the end of the day, the tragic accident was precisely the kind of thing . [Matt Schimkowitz]

Was anyone really clamoring for Mel Gibson to come back? And will any disgraced celebrity ever have the decency to just crawl into a hole and stay there forever? The answers to those questions are evidently not every encouraging, because years after Gibson attempted a comeback as and, Hollywood is happy to re-embrace Gibson as a cool action guy. and! Good for him! It sucks! [Sam Barsanti]

Poised to be one of the year’s biggest films, was far from a sure thing. The adaptation, coupled with many failed attempts at adapting , scared studios from going all-in on spice. Those who assumed Denis Villeneuve’s space epic was a franchise starter would be forgiven, considering there’s an HBO Max TV show based on the thing and, well, nothing gets made unless it’s a franchise. Still, many were shocked when they saw the words “Part One” underneath the film’s opening credits title reveal. Thankfully, their nearly three-hour investment in the world of Arrakis would not be in vain; days after the film’s release, . Thank God-Emperor. [Schimkowitz]

When Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer was released, it was promptly and by trans Netflix employees for Chappelle’s transphobic comments. In a leaked company-wide email sent out amid the growing controversy, threw his support behind the special, claiming, “We don’t allow titles on Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don’t believe The Closer crosses that line.” After the email was leaked, trans employees believed to be responsible were suspended. Between Sarandos’ statement and those employees getting punished, other Netflix employees organized a large . [Shanicka Anderson]

Details about the tragic stampede incident at Houston’s Astroworld festival continue to come in, but what we know is that a crowd surge happened before the headlining set from Astroworld co-founder Travis Scott. It resulted in and many more hospitalizations, prompting investigations into and multiple lawsuits against everyone involved—including one with hundreds of plaintiffs looking for against Scott, Live Nation, Apple, and more. [Sam Barsanti]

2021 became a huge year for Britney Spears. Her fanbase had been trying for years to get people to pay attention to the pop star’s oppressive conservatorship, which was controlled by her father Jamie Spears. It wasn’t until the documentary came out that the public understood the magnitude of the conservatorship, as well as the effect that the media’s treatment of Spears had on her mental health. With wider support from the #FreeBritney movement, Spears decided to finally speak out, . Jamie—facing backlash for his alleged treatment of his daughter—. She . [Tatiana Tenreyro]

Two women came forward, in December, to . Both woman provided of their alleged assaults. The first woman says her assault happened in 2004 when she worked at a “high profile” firm in Hollywood. The alleged incident occurred during a night when Noth invited her over to his apartment. She says she was treated for her injuries at Cedar-Sinai Hospital, and sought help from the UCLA Rape Crisis center two years later. The second woman says her assault happened in 2015 in New York. She says the alleged assault left her feeling “totally violated.” In a separate piece for , a third woman says her assault happened in New York in 2010.Noth has denied all of the allegations and dismissed them all as “categorically false.” However, he has been, had the acquisition of his tequila brand cancelled, andsays he won’t be filming any additional episodes. [Shanicka Anderson]