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Source: picture alliance / Getty / Elmo
Elmo might be a puppet, but like everyone else, he feels the sting of Donald Trump’s unstable economy and is now searching for new employment.
The internet has been in stitches since a debunked viral post featuring the lovable puppet monster from Sesame Street popped up on LinkedIn. The post features Elmo updating his profile after the Trump administration’s stupid budget cuts.
“Hi LinkedIn, Unfortunately Elmo was recently laid off because of the federal budget cuts,” the post begins. “Elmo worked at Sesame Street for 45 years. Elmo is sad. Elmo loved his time at Sesame Street.”
Like a normal profile on the job-search site, the puppet provided his credentials while sending a heartfelt farewell to friends and other longtime residents of Sesame Street, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster.
“Elmo is looking for his next opportunity,” the post continued. “Elmo is good at so many things. Like hugs. Elmo LOVES giving hugs. Elmo can also recognize the letter E, spell his name, feel empathy, sing ‘Elmo’s Song’ and ask how you are doing. Elmo is open to full-time or freelance roles.”
Elmo’s Post Reflects What’s Going On In The US Right Now
While the unemployment rate in the United States remains steady, currently sitting at 4.2%, it’s not looking good for those who reside on Sesame Street.
Thanks to an executive order issued on May 1 by the Trump administration calling for the cutting of federal funding to PBS and NPR in an effort to save money.
If you’re wondering exactly how much money in the federal budget goes to both entities, Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO, said, “The appropriation for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, represents less than 0.0001% of the federal budget.”
The LinkedIn post has also garnered reactions, which you can see in the gallery below.
3. Blame Donald Trump and Elon Musk
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Source: Michael Buckner / Getty / Halle Berry / Van Hunt
Halle Berry had herself a wonderful Mother’s Day, and she wanted the entire world to know, in a clever way, to plug her intimacy gel.
In a clip shared on her Instagram account, Berry shared a video featuring herself and her boo, singer Van Hunt, snuggled up together in bed very much letting us know that her Mother’s Day will end with some bedroom gymnastics.
The X-Men star is very giddy in bed as she talks about her upcoming pound session, while Hunt is very eager to get to smashing. Who can blame him? It’s Halle Berry, and we are talking about it here.
The social media-savvy actress’s impromptu video was also a clever way to promote her intimacy gel, Let’s Spin. Now available in a convenient travel size, she brought it with her on her trip to Cannes, France.
Berry reveals they are about to use the product, and Hunt, understandably, is very excited. The clip ends with Berry wishing everyone a happy Mother’s Day while “spinning.”
The actress has been the talk of social media thanks to her very revealing custom LaQuan Smith dress, which she wore to the Met Gala and left little to the imagination, especially in the lower region.
Social Media Hilariously Reacts To Halle Berry’s Video
As expected, social media had plenty to say about Berry’s video, all hilarious takes.
“oh look at me I’m van hunt. I made the classic song “down here in hell with you”. I got a great grey beard. I’m about to rock jordan the call center operator’s wig off. fuck you,” Desus, formerly of the comedic duo Desus & Mero wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another post on X read, “Did not expect to end my day with Halle Berry telling the world she’s gonna get put through the mattress on this app.”
How can you not love Halle Berry?
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Anadolu / Getty
The Liberal Party won Canada’s general election in a stunning turnaround, seen also as a rebuke of the actions of President Donald Trump, celebrated on social media.
On Monday (April 28), Canada held its federal election, which resulted in the Liberal Party pulling off what is considered a surprising victory after trailing in polling by as much as 25 points for months. The victory is also considered a sharp rebuke by the nation towards American President Donald Trump, who has antagonized the nation through erratic tariffs and declaring that it should be America’s “51st state.”
The win gives the center-left party a strong edge to claiming the majority in Canada’s parliament with 168 seats – it needs 172 seats, otherwise it would mean working with rivals to form a coalition government. The Conservative Party, while holding 144 seats in Parliament, was rocked as leader Pierre Poilievre lost his riding seat in Ontario to a Liberal opponent. Poilievre had been seen as someone who would be more conciliatory towards Trump and his MAGA principles. He will still be considered the Conservative Party’s de facto leader.
In a victory speech, Prime Minister Mark Carney delineated the new climate of global affairs, aiming at the United States under Trump as no longer being a trusted ally of Canada. “The system of open global trade anchored by the United States, a system that Canada has relied on since the second World War, a system that, while not perfect, has helped deliver prosperity to our country for decades, is over,” he said, adding: “These are tragedies, but it’s also our new reality. We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons. We have to look out for ourselves and, above all, we have to take care of each other.”
Trump has maintained his stance on Canada, adding more fuel to the fire in an interview with The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg and acknowledging his impact on the election: “I don’t even know if it’s a close call. But the conservative, they didn’t like Governor Trudeau too much, and I would call him Governor Trudeau, but he wasn’t fond of that,” he said. Social media also pointed out Trump’s impact as they congratulated Canada on the Liberal Party’s win. “The only thing Trump did in his first 100 days was unite Canada,” wrote Alex Cole in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
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Source: Wirestock / Getty / Gorilla
Who would win between 100 men and one gorilla? Only on social media could this spark a national discussion.
Over the weekend, one user on X, formerly Twitter, who goes by the handle @DreamChasnMike, asked his followers, “i think 100 n***** could beat 1 gorilla everybody just gotta be dedicated to the s***.”
Like with any ridiculous question on the app that is allegedly no longer owned by Elon Musk, a serious debate on the topic broke out, sparking some hilarious reactions, of course, memes.
Some users dropped jokes about what they would do if they found themselves to be one of the 100 men involved in the hypothetical situation with the great ape.
One user joked on X, “me and the homies going to fight the gorilla but wearing suits to make the funerals easier.”
Another post read, “The 100 niggas vs 1 gorilla conversation has me weak cause once he snap the first nigga in half who tf gone wanna go next????”
The debate even found its way onto Shannon Sharpe and Ocho Cinco’s podcast, Nightcap.
Most Folks On X Think 100 Men Stand No Chance Against The Gorilla
The general consensus on social media is that the gorilla would easily beat 100 men.
So, could 100 men beat a gorilla? Well, Newsweek took things a step further and asked ChatGPT what would happen if this situation occurred, with the AI chatbot concluding that victory is possible for the men, but with certain conditions.
Per Newsweek:
Yes, 100 unarmed men could defeat a single adult male gorilla, but:
It would come at extreme cost (likely dozens of deaths or catastrophic injuries).
It would require incredible coordination, courage, and strategic sacrifice.
Without careful planning, the gorilla could very well win or cause immense devastation before being overcome.
“Victory is possible only through overwhelming numbers, sheer courage, and sacrifice.”
Well, we highly suggest you don’t mess with a gorilla because they are an endangered species, and they are strong as hell, just saying.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
9. Brilliant
10. RIP To Sean Price
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Source: Pacific Press / Getty
New York City Mayor Eric Adams opened up about his dating past and fare-beating in a recent town hall meeting, leaving
social media aghast.
The re-election campaign of New York City Mayor Eric Adams took another bizarre turn which left social media users in disbelief. On Wednesday night (March 19), Adams was at a town hall meeting being held in the Arverne neighborhood of Queens, not too far from Far Rockaway. Adams began the meeting in a nostalgic mood, opening up about dating a former girlfriend in the Rockaways. “I had a shorty that lived out here,” he said to the crowd, adding “You know, love is blind,” while reminiscing about the long ride on the A train. He also confessed to jumping the turnstile to avoid paying the fare on occasion. “The statute of limitations is over,” he joked.
Mayor Adams’ trip down memory lane was captured on video, which quickly went viral on social media with users comparing him to the Rashad Tate character in the Power television franchise, played by veteran actor Larenz Tate. Comedian Roy Wood Jr. highlighted the moment and juxtaposed it with a joke he made about politicians being entirely too social from a past routine. “Give him enough time, Eric Adams gone prove you right. As he did today. This joke is 2 years old,” he wrote in the post on X, formerly Twitter.
https://x.com/roywoodjr/status/1902832309264368016
The video is the latest instance that observers are pointing to in questioning Adams’ attitude about his re-election chances after a slow crowdfunding period. He’s been vague about his intentions, with persistent rumors stating that he may opt out of running in a packed Democratic primary and instead run as an independent, giving him more time to raise funds and be more definitive with his outreach. Adams has also lost a good deal of support from allies in the Democratic Party, due to his refusal to condemn the actions of President Donald Trump and his immigration agenda since taking office. Others have withheld their support due to suspecting his lobbying of Trump to have federal corruption charges against him dropped, as recommended by the Department of Justice last month.
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Source: Tierney L. Cross / Getty
Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert attempted to defend her racist attack on Congressman Al Green by asking about “white pimps”, which led social media users to mock her.
Controversial Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has come under fire for doubling down on a racist remark using a curious statement. Boebert zeroed in on Texas Democrat Al Green after his protest of President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address. “Al Green was given multiple opportunities to stand down, to sit down, to behave, to show decorum. And he did not,” Boebert said at the time. “For him to go and shake his pimp cane at President Trump was absolutely abhorrent.” Her comments would lead another Democratic Representative, Chrissy Houlahan, to introduce a resolution condemning Boebert. The Colorado politician expressed surprise in an interview with Grant Stitchfield on the Real America’s Voice Network.
https://x.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1899631976245498035
“To attack me for referencing his cane as a pimp cane, and Grant, I stand by it,” Boebert began, “I have never seen Al Green actually use his cane as a support to walk. I have seen him shake it for years, all throughout the Capitol during any meeting that I’ve ever been present with him in, and if that gold-plated cane isn’t a pimp cane, I don’t know what is.” But she didn’t stop there. “But maybe Hula Hoo is really the racist here. Are only blacks pimps? Is that what I’m hearing? Are there no cisgendered white pimps in America?” As she spoke, the graphics team for the show put up an artist’s rendering of Boebert in a purple fur coat holding a jeweled cane.
Boebert and fellow Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene have a history of being openly disrespectful, including repeatedly heckling President Joe Biden during his State of The Union address in 2022 which led some of their fellow Republicans to criticize their behavior as “unbecoming.” Social media users took immediate notice of her using “white pimps” as a way to justify her remarks, with some bringing up her ejection from a performance of the Beetlejuice musical in 2022 for vaping in the audience and visibly groping her date at the time. Others called her out for being ableist. Bluesky user Boops McGee honed in on that point, writing: “It’s not a pimp cane. It’s a cane. Al Green is a politician who uses a tool to help him walk, just like many of his constituents who are dependent on Medicaid assistance.”
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Source: Nathan Stirk / Getty / X
Elon Musk is too busy firing and laying off government workers to pay attention to his crappy platform X because it was running like absolute crap on Monday.
X, formerly known as Twitter, has been down for thousands of UK and US users for a good portion of the day. Outage tracking website Downdetector.com reported more than 21,000 incidents of people in the US reporting issues with the platform during the first incident and 10,800 in the UK.
The platform reportedly returned to normal around 2:30 a.m. PT, so the outage lasted about 45 minutes in total.
X wasn’t out of the woods yet. Later in the day, around 6:45 a.m. PT, Downdetector.com reported 8,000 incidents, and the platform eventually went down again minutes later.
The last time X suffered a significant outage like this was in August 2024, with 66% of users reporting issues with the app, website, and server connections.
Since Musk reluctantly acquired the platform for $44 billion and laid off about 80% of its employees, X has been running terribly.
According to the Tesla chief, his company suffered a massive cyberattack.
“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against 𝕏. We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved,” Musk wrote on his personal X account.
Right now, Musk’s time and attention have been on his DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), which has been under fire for firing thousands of government employees and shutting down government agencies like USAID as part of the Trunp administration’s efforts to cut government spending and waste. This has been nothing short of the purest of jigs.
X Users Always Deliver The Jokes When The Platform Suffers An Outage
As with every time X goes down, the reactions from users are always hilarious.
“When you think Twitter is down but you can’t go on Twitter to see if #TwitterDown is trending because Twitter is down,” one user on X wrote alongside a GIF of Chandler from the show Friends looking sad while looking out of a window.
https://x.com/jjeonghyeons/status/1899148534735147184
Currently, the platform is up and running again, but we won’t be shocked if it goes down again. You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Theo Wargo / Getty
The controversial founder of Fyre Festival announced that the second edition of the concert event will take place on a Mexican island, causing many online to express disbelief.
On Monday (February 24), Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland announced that the second edition of the ill-fated music fest will take place this year. In a press release that was shared on social media, McFarland stated that it would be a “three-day escape to the Mexican Caribbean where you’ll explore by day alongside your favorite talent and come together at night to celebrate with music,” with patrons being hosted in “world-class accommodations” with the ability to take part in “adventures led by international and local talent, taking guests on boundary-pushing excursions by day and uniting for intimate beach-side performances at night.”
Further details revealed that the festival will be held at Isla Mujeres, a luxury tourist destination just off the coast of Mexico from May 30 to June 2. Specifically, the festival will be staged at “Playa Fyre”, which is just west of Isla Mujeres according to coordinates on the event’s website. The local government of Isla Mujeres stated that it has not received any permits from organizers when contacted by The New York Times. 2,000 tickets are now available, with prices ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million. The latter price is for an all-inclusive “Prometheus” package promising round-trip airfare from Miami to Cancun as one of the perks.
There are no performers scheduled so far for Fyre Festival 2, and in an interview with NBC’s Today, McFarland said “I’m not in charge of booking the talent,” adding that the musical acts would be from different genres including Hip-Hop, rock and electronic pop. “I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again. But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again,” McFarland said in a statement, adding: “After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for FYRE 2. The adventure seekers who trust the vision and take the leap will help make history. Thank you to my partners for the second chance.”
The news of the festival potentially taking place caught the attention of numerous skeptics online, who had jokes for those considering going to the festival after the first iteration failed spectacularly leading McFarland to spend six years in prison beginning in 2018. He was released in 2022. “We have Trump round 2 so why not Fyre Festival round 2,” wrote Blue Sky user Daniel Braten.
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Source: Jacob Kupferman / Getty / Steve Smith Sr.
When former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. woke up on Saturday morning, we are positive he didn’t think he would be one of the top trending topics on X, formerly Twitter.
Things got interesting for the former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver, now an NFL Network analyst, when the husband of a woman on X responded to his post featuring a video of himself playing golf, accusing him of sleeping with his wife. He came bearing receipts in the form of text messages.
Smith has been married since 2000 and has four children.
Man just found out that former NFL receiver and current NFL Network analyst Steve Smith Sr. has been sleeping with his wife. He posted the texts and a phone call with Smith on X after finding out.
“I’m sorry”
pic.twitter.com/Q6FckGDXy8
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) February 22, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The accuser shared a screengrab of the alleged sexts between Smith and his wife while tagging multiple news outlets, Smith’s sponsors, Yeti Coolers and TaylorMade, his former team, the Panthers, Ravens, and, for some strange reason, Antonio Brown.
He also shared a video of an alleged phone call between himself and Smith where you can hear the former pro football player saying, “I’m sorry,” and a photo of a bare-chested Smith with a unicorn graphic over his midsection.
The man claims his wife met Smith while working for the Ravens marching band.
Social Media Had Jokes About The Situation
Following the revelation of social media has been on one, of course, it was nothing but pure jokes, especially regarding the explicit nature of the sexts.
“White man crashing out on Twitter cause his wife’s fucking Steve Smith Sr….and yall think I’ll leave this app? Tuh. NEVER. Can’t pay for this kind of live entertainment,” one user on X wrote.
Another user was too tickled by the accuser’s wife telling Smith he almost shifted her contraceptive device. “Rearrange my IUD…..I am dead,” the user said.
Bruh, moments like these make the dumpster fire that is X bearable.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
Even before a disruption in January caused by a looming U.S. ban, TikTok’s domination of video-based social media usage had started to wane. The service’s share of U.S. consumers’ time spent using social media apps fell to 29% in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 34% in the prior-year period, according to MusicWatch. In that same time span, YouTube Shorts’ share increased from 24% to 26% and Facebook Reels improved from 16% to 18%, while the “other” category rose one percentage point to 6%, Instagram Reels was flat at 18% and Triller remained at 3%.
That coincided with an overall downward trend in social media use. The average time spent using social media apps per week dropped from 7.9 hours in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 6.5 hours in the fourth quarter of 2024, says MusicWatch principal Russ Crupnick. That’s not an unexpected trend as Americans move further past pandemic-era behaviors, but Crupnick also notes that average times will fall as older, more casual users adopt social media platforms.
Trending on Billboard
Still, that overall decrease doesn’t account for TikTok’s declining share of consumers’ attention. A few years ago, the app seemed like an unstoppable freight train as its influence spread across tech and commerce. It also became a powerful promotional vehicle for artists, many of whom launched their careers by going viral on the platform. Once TikTok proved there was an insatiable demand for short-form video, Instagram and YouTube launched copycat products with Reels and Shorts, respectively. Its impact even spread to Amazon, which launched a TikTok-styled feed for product discovery called Inspire in 2022 (Amazon announced it was shutting down the feature earlier this week). Music streaming services also followed suit: At Spotify, artists can now post short video messages to their fans.
Exactly why TikTok lost share in 2024 isn’t clear. “It’s hard to say,” says Crupnick. “Is this a function of all the political nonsense going on around the app? Is it a function of YouTube and some of the competitors catching up a little bit? Is it a little bit of exhaustion with music on social video? Or is it all three?”
Whatever the case, this reshuffling of the landscape has led artists to flock to other platforms and eroded TikTok’s dominance as a promotional vehicle. Experts who spoke with Billboard about TikTok’s decline described a changing social media landscape in which the platform remains a powerful marketing tool but has lost some of its allure and potency. For a variety of reasons, consumers are spending more time at TikTok’s competitors, and artists are thus seeing more opportunity at platforms such as YouTube and Instagram.
One factor in TikTok’s decline in market share is YouTube and Meta successfully leveraging the scale and scope of their respective platforms to become serious contenders in short-form video. YouTube, in particular, has succeeded in integrating Shorts into a platform that used to be occupied only by long-form videos. “I think YouTube has done a good job of building an ecosystem,” says J.D. Tuminski, founder of Casadei Collective Marketing Agency. “They do a lot of education for artists and labels about building the Shorts ecosystem that feeds into the bigger picture of music video content and lifestyle content.”
Jenna Rosenberg, head of operations and marketing at Gorilla Management, agrees that YouTube has benefitted by combining short-form and long-form videos. “I think when people are watching the longer videos [on YouTube] they can easily get sucked into the short-form part of that platform as well, and vice versa. Whereas TikTok, it’s literally just the vertical short-form content.”
At the same time, YouTube and Instagram are increasingly seen as friendly to creators. “Anecdotally, YouTube and Meta pay better than TikTok,” says Tuminski. “Also, the TikTok creator fund is always shifting. There are different thresholds that you have to meet to be able to earn on there, and they’re not always clear.”
TikTok, on the other hand, is seen as prioritizing some of its e-commerce initiatives. TikTok Shop, for example, allows creators to stream live videos and sell goods and merchandise. In January, TikTok Shop sales were up 153% year-over-year, far exceeding the growth rates of Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu, according to Bloomberg. While live shopping may be a sensible practice for a TikTok influencer, musicians tend to shy away from that kind of activity — and as a result, they aren’t flocking to TikTok Shop. “An artist isn’t necessarily going to go on TikTok Live and say, “Hey, come and buy my vinyl,’” says Rosenberg. “It’s just very uncomfortable for them.”
The standoff between Universal Music Group (UMG) and TikTok may also have played a part in shifting sentiment around the app in the music community. In February 2024, UMG began pulling its content from TikTok over a disagreement about compensation, among other factors. For many artists and labels, that dust-up was “a warning sign” that TikTok’s dominance in social media wasn’t secure, says Dan Roy Carter, managing director of digital consultancy Carter Projects. “Deals fell apart, carefully designed viral campaigns became eye-watering wastes of budget, and acts who had built their presence reliant on TikTok were left very much bent out of shape.”
“I think a lot of folks were looking for alternatives, even before all the political things that are going on,” says Tuminski. Artists want to work with brands they trust, he adds, and they will go where their fans are. If one service isn’t providing what they want, “they’ll go to somewhere that makes a little bit more sense to them.”
Things have worsened for TikTok in 2025 due to a pending shutdown in the U.S., although President Donald Trump provided a stay of execution when he entered office. The looming ban caused traffic to decline, however, and pushed people to download alternatives such as RedNote. As of this week, TikTok has lost one-tenth of its U.S. users since the first week of January, according to Similarweb data published by The Information.
Still, TikTok remains a powerful and influential force in music and entertainment. By 2024, a third of U.S. adults used TikTok, while almost six in 10 teens (57%) say they use the platform daily and 16% say they’re on it “almost constantly,” according to Pew Research. People use TikTok mostly for pop culture and entertainment but also viral music and dances, humor and comedy, personal stories, fashion advice, product recommendations, politics and, for 5% of U.S. adults, news.
“There is still huge value in TikTok as a platform for music discovery and promotion, and perhaps their ability to tap into merch, ticketing, and conversion to paid streaming will usher a second coming,” says Carter. “But its days of being the only horse are seemingly coming to an end.”
