A lot of important pop culture moments happened this year, and a surprising number of them had to do with politics. Of course, there was also the royal wedding, a number of groundbreaking movies, the return of Harry Potter (to Broadway) and Mary Poppins (to the screen), as well as a few surprising celebrities we said goodbye. Here are the most important pop culture moments that happened in 2018, according to AP:
- January: The #MeToo movement takes over the Golden Globe Awards through a sea of black outfits. At the Grammy's, stars wear white roses, and Kesha performs a tearful rendition of "Praying."
- February: Black Panther hits theaters to rave reviews and critical acclaim.
- March: At the Academy Awards, a trio of Harvey Weinstein's accusers—Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek, and Annabella Sciorra—take the stage, while Frances McDormand spills the beans about "inclusion riders."
- April: Kendrick Lamar becomes the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize, Harry Potter hits Broadway, and the creepy horror film A Quiet Place comes out.
- May: The Americans airs its final season finale; Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry; the Roseanne reboot gets cancelled, and Childish Gambino's "This Is America" charts at #1 on Billboard.
- June: Melania Trump wears the infamous "I don't really care. Do U?" jacket from Zara, Beyonce and Jay-Z release their first joint album, and Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade commit suicide days apart.
- July: CBS chief executive Les Moonves is in the hot seat for sexual misconduct and steps down from his position two months later.
- August: Aretha Franklin passes and is eulogized in an eight-hour funeral, and Paul McCartney does Carpool Karaoke with James Corden in his hometown of Liverpool.
- September: Colin Kaepernick appears in a moving new Nike ad, Harry Potter turns 20, and a marriage proposal is made during the Emmys.
- October: Kanye West visits Trump in the White House and delivers a 10 minute speech, Lady Gaga appears in Bradley Cooper's debut film A Star is Born, and Banksy pulls his most elusive stunt yet.
- November: Ruth Bader Ginsburg breaks three ribs but is back in the court days after her fall. She also becomes the subject of a popular SNL rap video.
- December: Kevin Hart is forced to step down from hosting the Oscars, which now needs a host, and Nancy Pelosi's orange-red Max Mara coat becomes a fashion must-have.