2024 may have been a year of very serious political changes, however, there were also many meaningless and funny moments, which will no doubt be etched in the memory and play “sayings” for many years to come.
Here are some of the most notable funny moments of the year ending.
Trump: Eat dogs
A completely unconfirmed rumor on social media about Haitian immigrants eating…dogs in Springfield, Ohio reached Donald Trump, who shocked the world when, during a presidential debate with Kamala Harris, he exclaimed: “In Springfield they eat the dogs!”.
He continued, in fact, saying that “the people who came eat the cats! They eat the pets of the people who live there. And this is happening in our country – and it’s a shame!”
Harris, who was seen laughing on air and saying ‘this is unbelievable’, replied when it was her turn: ‘We’re talking about extremes.’
The rumors were also fueled by Trump’s vice president, Jay Dee Vance, who said that “the pets have been kidnapped and eaten by people who should not be in this country.”
Later, however, he did not hesitate to declare on CNN: “If I have to create stories so that the American media will really pay attention to the plight of the American people, then that’s what I will do”!
The… soaked Sunak
The British nation watched in disbelief as Rishi Sunak stood outside the Prime Minister’s residence to announce the May 2024 general election.
And that, not because of the announcement itself – but rather because the then prime minister defied the pouring rain by delivering his speech without an umbrella.
Sunak’s shoulders looked increasingly wet during his eight-minute speech, leaving many wondering if it was a Tony Blair-like tactic – showing his devotion to the country through sweaty blue shirts – or if it was just a oversight.
Sunak, however, later explained his reasoning to the people of his constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, saying: “That’s our tradition, the prime minister, in the big moments, calls the election and gets out there. I thought, come rain or shine, it’s the right thing to do.”
“But no, I haven’t got pneumonia yet… My suit on the other hand, I’m not sure what condition it will be in when I get back to London,” he added.
And he admitted that the audience continued to give him…umbrellas in the days following the speech.
Biden’s strange golf conversation with Trump
Few would have expected golf to be a key topic of discussion in the much-anticipated presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, before the former withdrew from the US election race and was unsuccessfully succeeded by Kamala Harris.
But in one of her many weird and funny moments, Trump started bragging about his golfing accomplishments in an attempt to prove his mental and physical prowess against his opponent.
He claimed he had just won “two club championships, not even seniors. Two regular club championships.”
“To do that,” he continued, “you have to be pretty smart and be able to hit the ball from a distance. And I do!”.
Nodding to Joe Biden, Trump added: “He doesn’t. He can’t hit a ball 50 yards. He challenged me to a golf match… He can’t hit a ball 50 yards.”
Biden, four years Trump’s senior, laughed throughout his rival’s claims, giving the impression that he can simply ignore them and move on to more pressing matters.
“Look, I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him,” he said instead. “I got my handicap down to six when I was vice president” – then it was Trump’s turn to laugh.
“And by the way,” Biden continued, “I’ve told you before that I’m happy to play golf with you if you can carry your own bag… Do you think you can do it?”
“That’s the biggest lie, that he had six handicaps,” Trump replied, prompting Biden to revise the number to “eight” and while Americans watched a dialogue bordering on the ridiculous.
In the end, however, Trump commented: “Let’s not act like children”…
Breakdancing at the Olympics is breaking the internet
Breakdancing’s Olympic debut hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after Australian Raygun’s unconventional moves failed to earn her a single point from the judges.
The dancer was mercilessly mocked on social media after she completed what was widely described as a… ‘kangaroo dance’, lifting one leg while standing and leaning back with her arms bent towards her ears.
The 37-year-old even apologized to the breakdancing community after her weird moves went viral, saying she didn’t want to cause any backlash.
But she defended her work – insisting she took the competition “very seriously” – and slammed the “devastating” abuse she has suffered since.
In November, she revealed that she had quit the competition altogether because of the criticism.
But love it or hate it, her program will go down in Olympic history.
Snoop Dogg’s clothes at the Olympics
And speaking of Olympic history, iconic rapper Snoop Dogg has been a special correspondent for Sky News partner network NBC throughout the summer Olympics in Paris and hasn’t exactly shied away from the spotlight.
The American star bucked expectations by ditching his typical baggy jumpsuits and long chains for some Olympic-themed outfits.
More specifically, he showed up for the ride in… full riding gear.
He also wore shirts with some of his country’s most talented athletes, including beach volleyball player Kelly Cheng and tennis ace Coco Gauff.
Drunk driver crashes into Sunak’s cottage
Matthew Wootten, 44, on June 25, 2024, while Rishi Sunak was still Prime Minister of Britain, deliberately drove his white Volkswagen Scirocco into Victory Gate at Checkers in Buckinghamshire.
Wootten, who was seriously injured and caused £38,000 worth of damage, tested positive for breathalysing nearly three times over the limit, was jailed for two years and eight months and disqualified from driving for 40 months.
Banana sells for millions – and then the buyer… eats it
When news broke in November 2024 that a banana stuck to a wall sold for $6.2 million at an auction in New York, it was a shock.
Even more so when the buyer, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun, decided to… eat the banana he “invested” his eccentricity – some would say, his stupidity into.
But don’t worry – it wasn’t the banana itself that was worth millions!
The banana, duct tape, and wall formed a piece of “art,” called Comedian, that went viral after Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan first presented it at Art Basel Miami Beach in 2019.
So what Sun actually did was buy a certificate of authenticity and the power to duct tape any banana to a wall and call it the Comedian, meaning he can replace the banana with another one.
No cat, no damage, then.
Starmer calls for the return of the…sausages, talking about Gaza
The most incredible blunder was made by Keir Starmer, when he spoke about the need for a ceasefire in Gaza, while delivering his first speech to the Labor conference as Prime Minister of Britain.
He was heard asking for the return of… “the sausages”, before quickly correcting this to say “the return of the hostages” (sb in English, hostages are added hostages and sausages, hence the hapless Starmer’s confusion).
