Seven times when celebrities broke the internet: Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Adele and more
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement announcement sent the internet and social media into a total meltdown - and we will all remember where we were when we saw the news.
Music News Blitz writer Evie Scroggie takes you through some moments when the world collectively had to pick its jaw back up from the floor.
2025: Music marries football
Let’s begin with the most recent internet crashout. Music superstar Taylor Swift and NFL sensation Travis Kelce have just announced their engagement.
On a random Tuesday in August, fans were minding their own peaceful business scrolling through Instagram when they saw it.
The picture of American footballer Travis Kelce down on one knee before the people’s pop princess Taylor Swift, accompanied with the caption “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married”.
The internet went crazy.
Not just because we’re all obsessed with their relationship, after growing up listening to all the rough rides Taylor has suffered through when it comes to love...but because Taylor always has an ulterior motive with her announcements.
Maybe this random Tuesday in August wasn’t so random at all, and it’s driving fans insane trying to figure it out.
August is a month she frequently refers to in her music. 13 is known to be her favourite number...13 + 13 = 26. Her + Travis = August 26?
Who knows the true reason behind the timing of this announcement, if any? We don’t, but we sure are trying.
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2023: Riri shows her baby
During her incredible half-time performance at the Super Bowl, Rihanna unzipped her custom red Loewe jumpsuit and rubbed her stomach, announcing her second pregnancy to the world.
A representative for Rihanna quickly confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter shortly after the show.
I am not ashamed to admit that myself, and I know a lot of you reading, only watch the Super Bowl for the half-time show.
So, us Riri fans who had stayed up late to watch the performance specifically for her were shaken up with excitement to say the least.
The internet didn’t shut up about it for weeks, and you couldn’t go on social media without watching the reveal all over again.
To this day, I still believe it is one of the most iconic pregnancy announcements. I hope that the baby appreciates that moment for the rest of his life.
2022: Will Smith vs Chris Rock
Let me take you back three years to the 2022 Oscars. During his presentation for Best Documentary Feature, Chris Rock made an unscripted joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Her hairstyle was a result of Alopecia, an autoimmune condition where a person's immune system attacks their hair follicles and causes sudden hair loss.
Chris Rock stated that he “can’t wait to see” Jada Pinkett Smith in a sequel to the film G.I. Jane, in which the main character has a shaved head.
Clearly upset by such a joke, Will Smith got out of his seat and made his way up onto the stage and over to Chris Rock, where he then slapped him across the face.
Smith then returned to his seat and shouted profanity directed towards Rock, instructing him to “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth”.
It’s safe to say, the moment was posted all over social media, and many memes were made.
A debate was sparked publicly as to whether Smith was right in defending his wife or whether he was too sensitive to a joke. We love a supportive husband, but was this too far?
2018: Introducing Stormi
On February 4 2018, Kylie Jenner, the youngest sister of the famous Kardashian clan, introduced her baby to the world after months of speculation.
She released a YouTube video titled “To Our Daughter”, documenting her entire pregnancy and introducing her first baby, Stormi Webster.
She also posted a picture of Stormi’s small hand gripping hers on Instagram, along with the caption ‘Stormi Webster’.
That photo became the most liked post in Instagram history at the time, with over 18 million likes in a matter of days, eventually over 20 million likes.
Though there had been some speculation, fans were so shocked by this news.
We thought it impossible for such a huge celebrity living every day in the limelight to hide such a large secret for nine months.
Safe to say, as someone in such a family known for gossiping sisters, and someone who is followed around by relentless paparazzi every day of her life, we were honestly really impressed at how well she managed to keep this secret.
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2015: Hello ‘Hello’
After a three-year-long complete hiatus, on October 23 2015, Adele returned to the music scene, releasing the song ‘Hello’ and its music video simultaneously.
They both went viral immediately. The power behind Adele’s angelic voice, accompanied by the dramatic black and white visuals, was more than enough to mesmerise the public.
Reaching 27.7 million views within the first 24 hours of being released, the Vevo record for most views in a single day, previously held by Taylor Swift, was broken.
It took only 88 days for the music video to reach 1 billion views.
Not only that, but the opening to the song also became a separate internet sensation in itself.
The line “Hello...it’s me” became a meme, gif, and overall social media phenomenon.
We were all, and still are, obsessed.
2015: Zayn shatters teen girls’ hearts
Now, possibly the most heartbreaking crashout the internet has experienced - Zayn Malik leaving One Direction.
One devastating day in March of 2015, Zayn Malik took to Facebook and Twitter to announce his departure from the band One Direction.
Fans all around the globe reacted instantly, of course, and heartbroken hashtags were trending within minutes of the announcement.
Twitter recorded over 8.4 million tweets using hashtags such as #AlwaysInOurHeartsZaynMalik within the first 24 hours.
This one did literally break the internet, as the sheer volume of tweets caused brief service issues and outages on Twitter.
This moment marks the first heartbreak of most teenage girls in our One Direction-obsessed generation.
2014: The magazine cover that started it all
And finally, we all know that Kim Kardashian is known for many, many things. But did you know she is believed to be responsible for the first-ever “breaking the internet” incident?
In November 2014, Paper Magazine showcased its cover, a picture of Kim Kardashian posed nude, whilst simultaneously balancing a champagne glass upright on her rather large backside.
The cover line literally said "Break the Internet Kim Kardashian," becoming the phrase that is now the pop culture shorthand for the most viral celebrity moments.
Not only did Paper Magazine’s website reach over 50 million page views in only 48 hours, but each form of social media was flooded with memes, reactions, and even parodies of members of the public and celebrities recreating the iconic photo.
The magazine cover marked another milestone in the Kim Kardashian portfolio, and we have her to thank for one of our favourite phrases.
In the words of our mother, Kris Jenner, “You’re doing amazing sweetie!”
Summary
Celebrities are always doing something that makes our screens pause and our apps glitch.
I wonder what the next internet crash will be caused by. The maintenance team behind Instagram might not be looking forward to it, but we sure are!
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