Johnny Depp, Wordle among year's top trending Google searches
We couldn't stop Googling controversial celebrities — and Wordle help — in 2022.
Google has revealed the top trending searches of 2022 in the United States, which is determined by looking at which terms had the biggest spike in interest this year compared to 2021. Overall, the number one top trending search was Wordle, the word game that became a massive sensation after launching in late 2021.
But in the category of people, the top trending search was Johnny Depp thanks to a spike in interest amid his high-profile defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. Heard, who accused Depp of domestic abuse and was found to have defamed him, was third on the list of trending people. In between them was Will Smith, who infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March. Election results, Betty White, Queen Elizabeth II, and Bob Saget were also top searches.
Meanwhile, the top trending movie of 2022 was Encanto — despite the fact that it came out in 2021. But its earworm "We Don't Talk About Bruno," which was also the year's top trending song, largely didn't become a phenomenon until early 2022. Thor: Love and Thunder, Top Gun: Maverick, The Batman, and Everything Everywhere All at Once were the other top movies, while the top TV shows were Euphoria, Stranger Things, The Watcher, Inventing Anna, and House of the Dragon.
There was also, naturally, a spike in interest around Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, which was the third top trending news story after the midterm elections and the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The top trend under "how to help" was also "how to help Ukraine."
Check out the full list of trending searches here.
You may also like
8 bad things that have happened to Trump in the 3 weeks since he launched his presidential campaign
Jan. 6 Congressional Gold Medal recipients snub GOP officials: 'It's self-explanatory'
