The best memes of 2023, from Pedro Pascal eating a sandwich to Gwyneth's ski trial

Nicole Collazo Santana
·11 min read
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If you want to remember 2023, look back at the memes. Memes memorialize the dominant feelings of a year, the TikTok trends and the pop culture moments.

Thanks to the memes of 2023, phrases like “Roman Empire” and ”Ken” are shorthand for bigger ideas and are a normal part of vocabulary. Below, peruse through the defining moments of 2023 — at least, according to the internet.

Angela Bassett did the thing

Ariana DeBose did the thing with her energetic performance at the BAFTAs in February and the Internet did the thing with the memes.

In an original tune written for the awards show, DeBose shouted out the women nominees in rap form. The clip of the specific lines, “Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis, my ‘Woman King’ / Blanchett Cate, you’re a genius / Jamie Lee, you are all of us” quickly took over X, then known as Twitter.

Some memes focused more on DeBose’s pronunciation of "Angela Bassett" while others were just fixated on the lyrics.

Even Bassett herself made a reference to the moment in her speech at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards.

Pedro Pascal eating a sandwich

2023 was the year the internet fell even more in love with actor Pedro Pascal. Pascal, in one of many memes he inspired this year, eats a sandwich peacefully. Typically paired with a pensive piano sound, it’s used as a representation of just that inner peace, and as a meta commentary on Pascal’s popularity.

Succession ‘ludicrously capacious’ bag

Ever since Kendall Roy screamed into a towel in the bathroom, “Succession” memes have been a part of the show’s history.

The final season of "Succession" delivered a new joke: the "ludicrously capacious" bag. Tom Wambsgans used the phrase as an insult and people on the internet were quick to mash it up with other pop culture moments.

King Charles’ coronation

"73-year-old man finally gets job."

King Charles III’s coronation in May, the first British coronation in more than 80 years, was destined to spark some buzz online. Memes of the ceremony dominated the month, including one of Katy Perry seeming to struggle to find her seat.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow was at the center of a civil lawsuit in May alleging she crashed into another skiier at a Park City, Utah, ski resort in 2016, causing serious injuries. Paltrow denied being at fault in the Feb. 26, 2016, accident, with a court filing saying Terry Sanderson’s suit was an “attempt to exploit her celebrity and wealth.” The trial become something akin to must-watch TV, as people tracked her outfits and expressions. Jurors found Sanderson was 100% at fault in the crash, and that his fault was the cause of Paltrow’s harm, awarding her $1. At the end of the trial, she allegedly told her accuser “I wish you well,” culminating the wave of memes of the trial on a strong note.

Grimace

His was an unexpected comeback like no other. McDonald’s brought back Grimace, a character of unknown and frankly mystifying origins, in June as part of a deal for his birthday, which included a Grimace Shake (a trend of its own). Grimace even visited TODAY at 30 Rock!

McDonald’s also transformed its own X account and let Grimace take over, where they were posting some emotionally funny posts like:

Jennifer Lawrence crying her way through 'Hot Ones'

Jennifer Lawrence fought her way through a spicy wing after spicy wing on the YouTube show "Hot Ones." She asked host Sean Evans, through tears, “What do you mean?” The moment became a reaction meme.

X/Twitter rebrand

Following a lengthy process to finalize the purchase of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk officially rebranded the social media platform in July. The change was met with criticism ... and humor.

'Barbie'

People didn't wait for the "Barbie" trailer for the memes to begin. The posters started the format, "She's everything. He's just Ken," the first of many formats (see: "This Barbie..."). From there opened a floodgate of pop culture crossovers.

Barbenheimer

It wasn’t only the summer of “Barbie”; it was the summer of Barbenheimer. The record-breaking films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” took over the Internet thanks to their shared release date ... and very different vibes.

All of those Ken memes

The movie was called "Barbie," but Ken took up much of the spotlight. From his "Mojo Dojo Casa House" to his "I'm Just Ken" ballad to "this Ken's job is...", Ryan Gosling's Ken introduced a whole new genre of meme.

Among the high profile moments? Pete Davidson recreated a version of "I'm Just Ken" on Saturday Night Live. NBC News Contributor Jacob Soboroff was part of our TODAY Ken representation!

Selena Gomez in a blanket

Selena Gomez shared a photo of herself wrapped in a blanket and staring out into the distance — and it quickly sparked reactions from people online, using it to capture cozy, comforting moments of all kinds.

After this picture and another viral moment at the VMAs, Gomez published an Instagram Story saying she will “never be a meme again.”

Girl Math

From the creators of "girl dinner" came "girl math," a somewhat controversial way to talk about financial decisions. According to girl math, cash is not real money, buying on sale is saving money and Botox is an investment.

Kevin James

Kevin James became the King of Memes when a photo of his "King of Queens" character Doug Heffernan, smirking and radiating an indescribable energy, went viral.

'Seemingly ranch'

Amid the hubbub around Taylor Swift's blossoming romance with Travis Kelce, a Swift fan account tweeted a photo of the singer with a fan at a Kansas City Chiefs’ game saying she was eating “seemingly ranch” with chicken tenders. Swiftie language was never the same. Heinz created a custom ranch dressing to commemorate the moment.

Roman Empire

Maybe now’s a good time to ask a friend whether they still think about the Roman Empire. In this trend, women asked their men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire, and were often surprised by the findings.

The trend has evolved to what is your Roman Empire, which can be anything from a specific moment in pop culture to a topic that seems to fascinate you, and only you.

Lewis, who is not a Jack-o-lantern

A talking jack-o'-lantern from Target proudly declared his name was Lewis, and the internet was never the same. The eight-foot-tall decor sold out from stores.

Spotify Wrapped

Spotify Wrapped is an annual experience where users are able to share their music habits and lightly roast themselves. This year had a new feature, sorting people into cities where residents listen most like them.

Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal

There are two kinds of people, as this moment from the 2022 movie "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" shows. In it, Cage is looks over at Pascal with a displeased. Pascal beams while he drives. Tag yourself.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com