The year 2025 has been filled with cultural absurdities.

Toothy plush dolls became one of the hottest and most elusive collectibles. A fiery feud between two rappers boiled over at the Super Bowl. And a viral cheating scandal between a boss and his employee became the biggest meme of the year.

Here’s a full look at NBC News’ list of the biggest cultural moments of 2025.

WINTER

THE TIKTOK BAN THAT NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED

After months of anticipation for the day U.S. users would lose access to TikTok, a nationwide ban of the app — which was supposed to take effect in January — puttered out as neither President Joe Biden nor President Donald Trump expressed interest in enforcing the new law. U.S. users anxiously rushed to join other platforms, including the Chinese-owned RedNote, in prot

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