Famous Figures of 2023: Iconic Memes Featuring Pedro Pascal and 'Barbie'

2023 was a year of memorable celebrity moments, with the accompanying memes living up to the hype.

Pedro Pascal solidified his status as the meme king, going viral multiple times throughout the year. In March, a scene from his and Nicolas Cage's 2022 film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, gained new life as a popular TikTok template.

Cage appears visibly displeased as he sits in the passenger seat next to Pascal, who drives along the coastline while the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" plays. As the song continues, Cage gives Pascal a stern look, while Pascal grins widely and looks at his friend adoringly. One viewer described the scene as resembling a typical sleepover with friends. The caption over Cage's head reads, "My friend looking at me after I agreed to stay up late with them," before transitioning to Pascal with the caption, "Me passing out at 9 p.m. like the granny I am."

Pascal found himself becoming a meme once again when a video of him enjoying a sandwich went viral on TikTok for the second time in the same month.

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Check out this amazing deal! Pascal's memes may have been popular at first, but the Barbie movie stole the spotlight in the latter part of the year. With its diverse range of Barbies and their various careers, along with Ken's endearing character, the internet went wild as people embraced Barbie mania.

Keep scrolling to relive and laugh at the biggest celebrity memes in 2023:

Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images ; Jaap Buitendijk Warner Bros. Entertainment

Celebrities Who Got the Meme Treatment in 2023: From Pedro Pascal to ‘Barbie’

In 2023, there were numerous memorable celebrity moments that gave rise to a plethora of entertaining memes. Notably, Pedro Pascal stole the show, becoming a meme sensation and solidifying his position as the reigning king of viral content. One particular scene from Pascal and Nicolas Cage’s 2022 movie, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, gained renewed attention in March when it became a widely used TikTok template.

Cage appears unhappy as he sits in the passenger seat while Pascal drives along the coastline with the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" playing. Throughout the song, Cage glares at Pascal, who smiles and gazes adoringly at his friend. One user humorously compared the scene to their typical sleepover experience.

Pascal found himself going viral with a meme for the second time in the same month, as a video of him eating a sandwich gained traction on TikTok. Earlier in the year, Pascal's memes had been the talk of the town, but the spotlight shifted to the Barbie movie in the latter part of the year. The internet went wild as users celebrated all the different Barbies and their jobs, as well as Ken simply being himself.

Keep scrolling to relive and laugh at the biggest celebrity memes in 2023:

Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Rihanna’s Super Bowl Dancers

Rihanna stole the show at the Super Bowl halftime performance in January, dazzling the audience with her biggest hits and revealing her pregnancy. Clad in red, the singer was accompanied by a multitude of dancers sporting puffy white jumpsuits. As they made their way onto the field in synchronized fashion, the internet transformed the moment into a meme, sparking an array of clever captions. One user on X (formerly Twitter) quipped, "Nick Cannon’s soldiers on their way to work," while another countered with, "Swifties showing up to drop the price of eggs 13% after Taylor asked us to handle it."

Credit: Youtube

Angela Bassett Did the Thing

Ariana DeBose, the host of the British Academy Film Awards, kicked off the event with a rap performance. During her opening number, she gave a shoutout to the nominated actresses, but it was her mention of Bassett that really grabbed the internet's focus.

Bassett ended up winning three awards that night, including Entertainer of the Year. In her speech, she playfully referenced DeBose’s rap. "I suppose Angela Bassett accomplished the thing, huh?" she teased.

After her performance went viral, DeBose decided to deactivate her Twitter account. Bassett disclosed that she had reached out to DeBose to check on her well-being after witnessing the mocking of her performance. "I just wanted to make sure she was OK because, you know, it’s a lot of attention," she shared with Variety at the NAACP Awards. "And she is A-OK."

Credit: YouTube

‘Make Your Own Kind of Music’

Pascal and Cage's close friendship became the subject of memes after a scene from their film went viral on TikTok. The video featured Cage giving Pascal an exasperated look while driving along the coast, followed by Pascal's cheerful grin. TikTok users then took the scene and added their own scenarios where one person is upset while the other has a completely different reaction.

Upon learning about the trending TikTok moment, Cage was initially puzzled by the concept of going viral but ultimately pleased to hear that fans were enjoying the moment.

“Pedro's a great actor,” he said in an interview at the Miami Film Festival in March. “We had a lot of fun together so I'm happy it's making people happy."

Credit: Youtube

Pedro Pascal’s Sandwich

Following his viral moment with Cage, Pascal became a meme once again after appearing on Snack Wars alongside Jon Favreau. During the taste test, Pascal was seen delicately eating a sandwich, which was later re-uploaded to TikTok with a melancholy melody playing in the background. The clip then became a template for placing Pascal in various scenarios, from taking a break at work to experiencing a natural disaster.

Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

This ‘Barbie’ Is

Images of all the featured Barbies and Kens for Barbie’s summer premiere have been released online. Each introduction includes a picture of the Barbie or Ken on a pink bubble, with their profession listed underneath, ranging from "This Barbie is a lawyer" to "He's Just Ken."

While the A-List cast captured the attention of fans, many also desired their own customized Barbie figure. An online Barbie selfie generator emerged, allowing people to transform themselves into Barbies, sparking the creation of memes in the process. Users utilized various characters and celebrities to portray them as Barbies. One meme featured a picture of Ben Affleck looking unimpressed with the caption, "This Barbie is depressed." Another meme showcased Taylor Swift with the caption, "This Barbie is in her own era."

Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Kenergy

Ken was always there to support Barbie with every great meme, especially after the official trailer dropped. Social media users began comparing fictional couples and real-life exes to the iconic toy duo, with one user declaring, "'She's everything ... and he's just Ken'" alongside a photo of Elle Woods and Warren Huntington III from Legally Blonde.

The internet continued to churn out memes poking fun at characters with similar "just beach" occupations inspired by Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Ken in "Kenergy." Tom Cruise in Top Gun, Larry the Lobster from Spongebob, and more all became targets for clever spoofs online.

Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bro. Studios

'Barbenheimer'

Barbie may have been the reigning champion of the summer box office, but it faced tough competition from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Despite expectations of a showdown between these two very different movies, the internet turned the situation into a double feature, generating plenty of memes in celebration.

For example, a user posted a photo of a colorful beach house resembling Barbie’s dream house, next to a completely black-painted house. The caption humorously suggested that the Santa Monica houses may have actually been a 20-year viral marketing campaign for a fictional hybrid film called #Barbenheimer.

Another user created a 'This Barbie Is' meme featuring Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer with the caption, "This ken is death, the destroyer of world." In December, Murphy and Margot Robbie discussed blockbusters, with Robbie sharing that producers asked her to change the Barbie premiere but she stood her ground.

Credit: Maureen Donaldson/Getty Images

Kevin James ‘King of Queens’ Smirk

In September, an old photo of James from his time on the CBS sitcom went viral. The picture shows James as his character, Doug Heffernan, smirking at the camera with his hands in his pockets. Know Your Meme website reported that the image gained popularity when a user shared it with the caption "Me after 1 double rum and diet," sparking the birth of a new meme.