26-05-2025
Cringe '00s Pop Culture Moments We Can't Forget
No matter how nostalgic you feel, it's hard not to admit that the 2000s were a decade of cringe. Recently, the BuzzFeed Community shared the pop culture moments from the '00s that they shudder the most thinking about, and it's low-key impossible to make it through the list without going into full body cringe...
"Christina Aguilera's style choices "
—Anonymous
"Britney and Justin. 2001 VMAs. All that denim."
—Anonymous, 40, New Orleans
"The Superbowl where Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson's bra. Unexpected and cringey. Why would they invite him back to do the 2018 halftime show?!"
—Anonymous, California
"Britney being chased by paparazzi constantly. Truly awful."
—discostudio
"Literally any time a teenage girl was asked about her virginity."
—Ceinwen
"How certain female celebrities were body shamed. Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, Anna Nicole Smith among others. They were all beautiful and they didn't deserve that."
—Anonymous, 38, Tennessee
"Ashley Simpson being caught lip-syncing on SNL."
—Anonymous, 49, Pennsylvania
"Everything about Jersey Shore and the Kardashians."
—poeticmoon912
"[The Office episode] 'Scott's Tots.' Full stop"
—Matt, Colorado
"It crosses over into the 2010s, but How I Met Your Mother has aged terribly."
"Barney was a sexual predator and his behavior was played for laughs. But I think the thing people came around to more slowly is that Ted may actually be worse because we're supposed to think he's nice and romantic when really his behavior is awful in its own way. The classic 'man slowly wears down woman he's crushing on' trope."—Anonymous
"Flavor of Love."
"Women signed up for a Bachelor-esque style show and the prize was Flava Flav. He gave them all nicknames, and it was peak reality TV. The moment that I will never forget? When Pumpkin SPIT in New York's face during the elimination ceremony and in retaliation, New York shoved Pumpkin into the camera that was filming. These women were really fighting over Flava Flav! "—Anonymous, 33, NC
"The Team Aniston vs Team Angelina stuff. In hindsight, it's really gross."
—Anonymous
"Australians Next Top Model — Sarah Murdoch announcing the wrong winner — awks!"
—Anonymous
"Australian Big Brother's 'turkey slap' — a female contestant was assaulted and it was broadcast on the 24-hour livestream."
—Caitlin
"So many movies that haven't aged well, but the one that comes to mind most is Shallow Hal. Can't believe I thought it was funny at the time."
—Anonymous
And finally, "Definitely Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah's couch. Everything about that relationship with Katie Holmes, really."
—Anonymous
What pop culture moment from the 2000s makes you cringe the most?
