Ok sure, 2020 was a rough one. From the global COVID-19 pandemic, the neverending presidential election, the horrific instances of racial injustices and the cancellation of almost all things fun, 2021 can’t come soon enough.
But among all the dark moments were some positive high points. And with a new president set to take office in a few weeks and a COVID-19 vaccine now being distributed, the future seems very bright. From sweet reunions to stylish pregnancy announcements, check out 10 moments from 2020 that actually made us smile.
Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt Reunite
On January 19 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, our long-awaited dream of a Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt reunion came true. After Pitt took home the SAG award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and Aniston won Best Actress in a Television Series Drama for her performance in Morning Show, the two were spotted backstage congratulating each other. The exes, who were married from 2000 to 2005, were seen embracing, smiling and at one point, appeared to hold hands. Sure, the reunion was brief, but just seeing our favorite couple of all time on friendly terms gave us all the hopeful feels. In September, the two reunited again, virtually, when they participated in a charity table read for the 1982 teen drama Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
JLo And Shakira’s Epic Super Bowl Performance
The Kansas City Chiefs may have won Super Bowl LIV, but it was the halftime performers, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, who stole the night. The Columbian pop star opened the show wearing a sexy ensemble by Peter Dundas featuring 123,000 Swarovski crystals in three shades of red. Shakira performed a medley of hits including “She Wolf,” “Whenever, Wherever” “Inevitable,” and “Hips Don’t Lie,” in which she belly danced, played an electric guitar and crowd surfed. JLo then appeared rising from a “skyscraper-turned-stripper pole” and performed a number of her smash songs including “Jenny from the Block,” “Ain’t It Funny (Murder Remix),” “Get Right,” and “On The Floor.” Fans collectively dropped their jaws when she changed into a sparkling catsuit and sang “Waiting for Tonight” while seductively pole dancing. J Balvin also joined the superstar on stage performing “Que Calor” and “Mi Gente,” which were mashed up with Lopez’s songs “Booty” “El Anillo,” and “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.”
Shakira returned to play drums while Lopez’s daughter, Emme, appeared on stage to sing “Let’s Get Loud” with an excerpt from Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” as Lopez was in front of an all-female choir. During this section of Lopez’s set, she wore a feather cape depicting both the Puerto Rican and American flags while children on the field appeared in “cagelike structures,” which was interpreted as a statement on the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. The halftime show concluded with both Latin powerhouses on stage together and synchronized booty shakes which hypnotized the nation.
Vera Wang’s Rock Hard Abs
Vera Wang may best be known for her drop-dead gorgeous bridal gowns but who knew she was hiding abs of steel!
In the midst of the COVID-19 quarantine, the 71-year-old designer nearly broke the Internet showed off her rocking’ bod in a number of killer outfits making jaws drop everywhere. The looks included a bright orange sports bra and tiny white shorts combo, a high-low gown and a grey tank top and white short shorts team with a neon green puffer coat and pointed toe pumps. Slay Vera, slay your 70s!
Taylor Swift Drops A Surprise Album
Taylor Swift drove her fans wild when she unexpectedly dropped a new album, folklore, on a random July morning. Created and recorded in quarantine during the Coronavirus pandemic, the surprise album went on to become the bestselling album of 2020, and even broke the record for the most first-day album streams by a female artist on Spotify. She also went on to receive six nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. And if that wasn’t enough, the “Cardigan” singer released a second “sister album” in December entitled evermore.
Schitt’S Creek Sweeps The Emmys
Holy Schitt! Our favorite comedy, Schitt’s Creek, was on a roll at the 2020 Emmy Awards — grabbing all seven comedy categories. The hilarious comedy show won the big prizes for categories, including Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress and Best Comedy. The clean sweep is historic since it broke several records to become the first comedy to win all awards in the acting category. It’s also said to have become the most awarded comedy in a single year.
“It is absolutely incredible,” said Daniel Levy, star and creator of the sitcom. “My dad [and costar Eugene Levy] said it best earlier tonight, that it feels like a dream that you don’t want to wake up from to be perfectly honest.”
Cardi B And Megan Thee Stallion Drop “W.A.P.”
And music was never the same. On August 7, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion dropped their epic raunchy collaboration track and accompanying video, “W.A.P.,” which stands for “Wet A– P—y.” The hyper-sexualized song and hyper-stylized video was all anyone could talk about and quickly became the new boss bitch power anthem. Kylie Jenner made an unexpected cameo in the video along with singers Normani and Rosalia and rappers Mulatto, Rubi Rose and Sukihana. “W.A.P.” quickly went viral spawning thousands of copycat dance videos on TikTok and an endless supply of memes.
‘Emily In Paris’ Becomes Our New Obsession
Can you say très obsessed? Okay, yeah, it’s farfetched and a bit cheesy, but Emily In Paris is exactly the type of delicious escape we needed in 2020. The Netflix series, created by Darren Star (the legend behind Sex And The City and Beverly Hills, 90210), stars Lily Collins as a driven young American from Chicago who moves to Paris for an unexpected job opportunity with a French marketing firm. The fashion, helmed by Patricia Field, is to die for and don’t even get us started on the French snack of a leading man, Lucas Bravo. The binge-worthy series actually made lockdown bearable.
Emily Ratajkowski’s Stylish Pregnancy Announcement
On October 28, Emily Ratajkowski shared the news that she and her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard are expecting their first child. The 29-year-old beauty made the announcement on her social media with a highly-produced and stylized video, directed by her friend, Lena Dunham, that features the model stripping down naked to reveal her new curves and growing baby bump.
In an accompanying essay for Vogue magazine, Emrata revealed she does not want to know the baby’s gender.
“When my husband and I tell friends that I’m pregnant, their first question after ‘Congratulations’ is almost always ‘Do you know what you want?'” she wrote. “We like to respond that we won’t know the gender until our child is 18 and that they’ll let us know then. Everyone laughs at this.”
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost Tie The Knot
On October 29, in the most unlikely of all wedding announcements, the Meals on Wheels Instagram account shared that the Black Widow actress and the Saturday Night Live star had tied the knot.
“We’re thrilled to break the news that Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost were married over the weekend in an intimate ceremony with their immediate family and loved ones, following COVID-19 safety precautions as directed by the CDC,” the statement read. “Their wedding wish is to help make a difference for vulnerable older adults during this difficult time by supporting @mealsonwheelsamerica. Please consider donating to celebrate the happy couple.”
Way to not make the wedding all NOT about you two!
Kamala Harris’ History-Making Speech
Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, first Black person and first South East Asian American to be elected Vice President of The United States. The California Senator and her running mate, now President-Elect Joe Biden, clinched over 270 electoral college votes to defeat President Donald Trump and win the 2020 election. On Saturday, November 7, Harris delivered an awe-inspiring speech outside the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. Walking out on stage to the song “Work That” by Mary J. Blige, Harris looked like she meant business wearing a crisp, white suit from Wes Gordan for Carolina Herrera’s Resort 2021 collection, teamed with a matching silk pussy-bow blouse.
“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris told the drive-in crowd. “Every little girl that’s watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
“And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you, every step of the way,” she continued.
Harris also thanked Black women, saying they are “too often overlooked, but so often prove that they are the backbone of our democracy.”
We’re crying, you’re crying!
