Read on to get a glimpse of new celebrity lore and upcoming trends. Graphic by Maddy Broderick.
2025 was marked by numerous unexpected pop culture moments. From fisticuffs with a deranged fan on the “Wicked: For Good” red carpet, Sydney Sweeney’s jeans — or genes — and Katy Perry’s subpar performance of “What a Wonderful World” while she orbited space, last year’s events will be difficult to top. However, the Culture section has a few thoughts as to what the average member of society might expect in the 2026 year of pop culture.
MADDY BRODERICK | CULTURE EDITOR | mbroderick@butler.edu
Timmy and Kylie baby
A Timothée-Kylie baby feels like only a matter of time. After months of speculation, from Jenner sipping white wine in Paris to fans diagnosing her with “pregnancy nose”, the rumor refuses to die. In a recent Vogue interview, Chalamet mused that fatherhood is “on the radar” and even suggested procreation might be “the reason we are here”. However, the couple has kept their relationship relatively private and seems more interested in a low-key romance than feeding the internet’s obsession with a potential Chala-Jenner baby. Hollywood loves a power-couple narrative, and this one is simply too irresistible.
ANA DOLLARD | ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR | adollard@butler.edu
The Ozempic empire will fall
Hollywood has been flooded with images of celebrities using the flashiest new form of weight-loss medication — Ozempic. Celebrities, however, have access to expensive weight loss drugs in addition to personal dietitians and trainers, creating an unbalanced expectation for the non-elite to compete with. If enough people realize that so much of Hollywood has become unrealistic, the inequity of modern-day beauty standards may finally, with some effort, crash and burn.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
Aaron Rodgers genuinely goes missing
After bringing an AFC North title to Pittsburgh, the 42-year-old Rodgers has some decisions to make on whether he will continue playing for a 22nd season or call it quits. However, as the four-time MVP has done in the past, his off-season will likely be filled with limited media access and doses of ayahuasca. Yet, this time around, there will not be any podcast appearances or TV interviews as he is just going to vanish off into the sunset. No big retirement decision. No last dance. He will simply go M.I.A, causing a stir among NFL media, all while he is high off of psychedelics on a beach somewhere.
HARRISON PRYOR | STAFF REPORTER | hrpryor@butler.edu
Jared Leto will, unfortunately, keep acting
From “Morbius” to “Tron: Ares”, Jared Leto has been exclusively leading flops in the past few years. The overzealous method actor continues to headline major franchise movies that always fail. Maybe he has dirt on all of Hollywood, or maybe Hollywood has nothing to do but bet on a dead racehorse. In the likely event that his upcoming performance as Skeletor in “Masters of the Universe” proves to be a bad idea, Leto still has a good chance at getting cast in the next big franchise revival attempt.
SAMUEL DEMIS | STAFF REPORTER | sademis@butler.edu
Daylight saving time will finally become permanent
For years, the United States has been locked in an intense “will they, won’t they” with the idea of ending daylight saving time, which is the system of adjusting clocks to more efficiently use the longer daylight of summer. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, 54% of Americans dislike the adjustment and would be happy to keep their clocks on the same schedule throughout the seasons. Secretary of State Marco Rubio even proposed the “Sunshine Protection Act” in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, which passed in the Senate but did not make it through the House of Representatives. Perhaps in 2026, the U.S. will “spring forward” for the last time.
OLLIE FITZGERALD | ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | ofitzgerald@butler.edu
Dogs in purses are back
Y2K fashion has been on its way back for the past few years — ridiculously low-rise jeans, cheetah print, layered camis — and the fashion world is here for it. What it is not seeing enough of is dogs of all sizes in vintage purses. Think NYC subway, where dogs are only allowed if they are in a carrier or bag. The next renaissance of Y2K style includes man’s best friend. Bring it on, Elle Woods.
REESE PARADOWSKI | OPINION EDITOR | rparadowski@butler.edu
Fetty Wap drops album of the summer
Following his release from federal prison earlier this month, Willie Junior Maxwell II, more famously known as Fetty Wap, was spotted performing his hit “Trap Queen” mere weeks after his freedom walk. With over two years behind bars, he had to have been writing new bars. Summer of 2026 will be Fetty Wap’s post-prison album debut and will be blaring in everyone’s car, just like his self-titled album in 2016.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu
Kim Kardashian will pass the Bar Exam
After failing the baby bar exam three times before finally passing it in 2021, Kim Kardashian had her eyes set on the big test: the California Bar Exam. Her mission to become a lawyer, motivated by her father Robert Kardashian, kept her up studying toward her goal. Glimpses of her lawyer journey came to light on “The Kardashians”. However, the finale of the show’s most recent season ended with the unfortunate news that Kim did not achieve her goal of passing the big test. Dressed in a stylish blazer and Skims, February 2026’s bar exam will be her time to shine. She will pass the test and shock the world.
CALEB DENORME | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | cdenorme@butler.edu
Billy Joel returns to the stage
Quite possibly the most unwelcome pop culture news of 2025 came out when Billy Joel announced he would halt his performance tour due to complications from normal pressure hydrocephalus. The six-time Grammy winner cancelled 17 shows, citing issues with his hearing, vision and balance caused by the condition. If there is anything this world needs, it is Joel on a piano bench in front of thousands of people, belting out iconic hits like “Uptown Girl” and “Vienna”. Sometime in 2026, there will be a Michael Jordan-esque announcement from the renowned “Piano Man”, back to serenade us with his timeless hits.
