Admit it. A big part of why you check your social media feeds so many times a day is to see what your favorite celebrities are up to. We do it too! It's like having a celeb magazine in your hand at all times, only it's the celebrities themselves keeping you in the know rather than someone else guessing and making up stories for a tabloid. Millions of people love being able to get instant glimpses into the lives and personalities of their favorite stars, including us. Following celebrities on social media lets us do just that, and it's so much fun.
That's exactly why stars such as Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner have follower counts in the hundreds of millions. Of course, that also means there are lots of eyes on certain celebrities every single time they post. For better or worse, we get to see it all on social media, and for the most part, our favorite celebrities do not disappoint with their posts.
In 2021, there were some truly interesting celebrity social media moments. Some made us smile from ear-to-ear while others were totally cringey — but one thing's for sure, they were all entertaining. We're going to stick with pointing out the ones that inspired us and made us smile, because we like to keep things positive. Keep scrolling to see the best celebrity social media moments of 2021.
Bernie's Mittens
Going way back to the beginning of the year, we can't forget about Bernie Sanders. The Internet exploded with memes after the senator from Vermont was spotted looking completely unbothered at the presidential inauguration in January, wearing a big winter coat and massive mittens. He was never more Vermont than in that moment.
Virgil Abloh Tribute
On November 28, Virgil Abloh, the Black designer who spent years as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, died from cancer at just 41. His final runway show occurred posthumously two days later and drew celebrities including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Drake, and Rihanna, among many others. The show, which took place near the port in Miami, ended up being something of a memorial to the history-making designer, with incredible photos from the event surfacing all over social media.
Britney Spears' Conservatorship Ends
After a years-long legal battle, Britney Spears announced on Instagram that her conservatorship had ended, sending her fans and supporters into a frenzy. Britney actually didn't comment on the end of the legal arrangement until a few days after it happened. "What an amazing weekend … I felt like I was on cloud 9 the whole time!" she wrote, garnering more than a million likes and thousands of comments.
Alicia Silverstone's Reenactments
There's nothing like leaning into what you're best known for, and actress Alicia Silverstone did just that on TikTok this year. Alicia posted several reenactments from her most famous movie role, which is of course Cher in Clueless. The best was this one where her son, Bear, plays the role of her dad in the 1995 film.
Adele's Album Release
Adele sent her legions of fans into a tizzy in mid-October when she took to social media to announce that she would be releasing a new album for the first time in six years. She explained that she'd been working on it for three years, through the "most turbulent" period of her life. Then she released the first single, "Easy on Me," and when everyone realized it was about her divorce, it instantly resonated.
Paris Hilton Shut It Down
Paris Hilton's popularity has experienced quite a resurgence in 2021, in part due to her social media presence. Practically the original celebutante, she took to TikTok to debunk some of the things said about her over the years, including that the shirt she was photographed wearing that read "Stop being poor" was a fake. She said she never wore it and doesn't know who Photoshopped it, but that the shirt actually read "Stop being desperate." Boom.
Megan Fox & Kourtney Kardashian at the Met Gala
Kourtney Kardashian and Megan Fox practically broke the internet when they did a seemingly impromptu photo shoot together at the Met Gala in September, looking super-hot and showing off their new relationships with Travis Barker and Machine Gun Kelly, respectively. Then they followed it up with a sultry ad together for Kim Kardashian's Skims brand, making themselves more relevant than ever before.
Kylie Jenner's Pregnancy Announcement
The entire summer of 2021, rumors swirled that Kylie Jenner was pregnant with her second child. So when she finally posted a video revealing the pregnancy on Instagram in September, it was major. The post racked up more than 150 million likes and validated all of the online sleuths who knew something was up.
Olivia Rodrigo's 'Driver's License'
Eighteen-year-old singer Olivia Rodrigo became a star on TikTok after her song "Driver's License" went viral when fans heard it and assumed she wrote it about her breakup from Joshua Bassett, who stars alongside her in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Now she's a singing sensation with a massive career that has garnered worldwide recognition and a slew of awards.
Blue & Rumi for Ivy Park
Beyoncé gave us all just what we've been waiting for in December when she posted a photo from the new collection of her Adidas line, Ivy Park, which featured not just her eldest daughter, Blue, but her youngest, Rumi. Bey rarely shares pictures of her twins, so we were all shook when we got to see Rumi looking so grown up and slaying photos with her mom and big sister.
BTS Tweets '#StopAsianHate'
Most of us aren't used to seeing seemingly frivolous boy bands take a stand on important issues, but the K-pop group BTS did just that when it tweeted a heartfelt message about the increased incidence of hate crimes against Asians throughout the world, along with the hashtag #StopAsianHate. That tweet ended up being the most retweeted of the entire year.
Bennifer 2.0
Around April, shortly after Jennifer Lopez split with long-time beau Alex Rodriguez, she was spotted canoodling with former fiancé Ben Affleck. Her fans knew almost from the start that it couldn't be anything casual, and for months, we followed along on social media as the evidence of a rekindled romance mounted. Finally, in July, Jennifer gave us all what we'd been waiting for by posting a photo of her and Ben kissing on a yacht during her birthday trip to Italy, and we all collectively swooned. Bennifer is back, y'all!
Cardi B's Maternity Photos
Rapper Cardi B announced her second pregnancy with husband Offset by posting photos from the most stunning maternity shoot on Instagram. In the shots, she looks like an absolute goddess, embracing her baby bump and tending to her first child. The photos are gorgeous and show us a completely different side of the over-the-top music star.
Lizzo Got Real
Singer Lizzo released a hugely successful single called "Rumors" this year. You may have heard it — it was on the radio constantly after it was released over the summer — but instead of celebrating joyfully, Lizzo found herself in tears as she faced fat-phobic and racist comments from online trolls. Instead of acting unaffected by the nonsense, she lived her truth and took to Instagram to shame the haters and remind everyone that words hurt.
Hilary Duff 'With Love'
Hilary Duff proved that she'll always be the cutie patootie we've all known and loved practically our entire lives, when she posted this fun TikTok video this year. The mom of three took part in the "With Love Challenge" duet-style by reenacting one of her own performances alongside a fan, and people absolutely flipped over it.
Will Smith Gets Fit
Will Smith was so over the quarantine weight gain, so in the interest of accountability, he took to social media with a silly video depicting what it's like trying to get fit after not working out in a long time — and we could all totally relate. It was hilarious but so accurate. As for Will, he stuck with it, and now he says he's in the best shape of his life.
Lizzo Does Yoda
Yup, she made the list again! Lizzo made us love her even more when she decided to dress up as Yoda (Grogu) for Halloween and take to the streets of Hollywood in character. Then she performed in costume, of course. She shared a bunch of pics of the transformation process and people's reactions on social, and it was priceless.
Drunk Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift undoubtedly came into her own power in 2021 by rereleasing her own music, and she made herself more relatable than ever before when she posted a funny video in November, reminiscing about "drunk Taylor." We love when celebrities can laugh at themselves! "I cringe, but I miss her," she captioned the lighthearted post.
North West Takes on TikTok
While her parents were busy making headlines all year long, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's oldest daughter, North, got serious about becoming a TikTok sensation. Kim started an account for her, and the 8-year-old uses it to share all sorts of videos — from cute moments with her cousins to outfit inspiration and house tours. About that one … North actually got in trouble with her famous mom for going live on TikTok without getting permission first!
