Katt Williams’ Club Shay Shay interview rattled the year. Usher gave a stunning performance during Super Bowl halftime in Vegas, proving that he’s still got it. Wendy Williams’ documentary was broadcast on Lifetime, giving viewers an update on the former talk show host.
The year had some profound moments, especially for Dawn Staley’s undefeated season – leading the University of South Carolina Gamecocks to win the women’s national championship.
Dawn Staley and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks Women’s Basketball team championship win; Photo Credit: Getty Images and the AP
In 2024, various teams also celebrated championship wins, including the Boston Celtics in the NBA, the Florida Panthers in the NHL, the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB, the UCONN Men’s Basketball Team, the Michigan Wolverines football team, and the New York Liberty, who secured their first WNBA championship.
Still, the year wasn’t so good for Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy, now incarcerated until his trial, dominated the headlines, mainly throughout the year, as the lawsuits kept coming. Everything went down a spiral for the rap mogul in 2024, from his home getting raided to the CNN video release of him brutally attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle it out, with Lamar going after Drake’s head with his “Not Like Us” song, now nominated for a Grammy. Writer E. Jean Carrol was awarded a $5 million civil lawsuit against Trump for defamation following her accusation against the former president of sexual abuse from the 1990s.
L-R: Drake and Kendrick Lamar; Photo Credit: Getty Images
The year had some news-breaking moments – President Joe Biden stepping out of the race and nominating Madam Vice President Kamala Harris as the candidacy for president for the democratic party, who won the Democratic nomination. Harris set fundraising records, raising more than $1 billion dollars during her short period in her campaign. Harris and Trump went toe-to-toe on the campaign trail, making a heavy presences in the battleground states.
The campaign trail was dangerous for Trump, as multiple assassination attempts were made against him. Trump end up winning the election, which shook a lot of critics after he was elected to become the US president and 34 felony convictions.
Left: U.S. President Biden addressing the reasons for abruptly ending his run for a second term; Right: Trump after his assasination attempt in Pennsylvania (Photo Credit: Getty Images); Bottom: U.S. President Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Trump participate in the Presidential Debate – (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
Beyoncé ventured into the country music scene with her album Cowboy Carter, which featured popular songs such as Texas Hold’Em, 16 Carriages, and Jolene. She didn’t win any CMA awards or People’s Awards in the country music category, despite having a total of 29 nominations (17 CMAs and 12 People’s Choice Awards), but ended the year strong with resiliency in her stellar Netflix Christmas Day performance, bucking in with 27 million views.
Left: Beyonce’s surprise appearance at the Grammy’s (Photo Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images); Right: Luigi Mangione, suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is escorted by police (Photo Credit: Pamela Smith/AP); and (Bottom): Team USA gymnastic team posing during the Olypmic medal ceremony in Paris 2024 (Photo Credit:,Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
2024 experienced the lost of many notable legends: James actor James Earl Jones, singer Frankie Beverly, former President Jimmy Carter, actor John Amos, musician icon Quincy Jones, popstar Liam Payne, Dexter King (son of Martin Luther King Jr), NFL great OJ Simpson, actor Carl Weathers, fitness guru Richard Simmons, actress Shannen Doherty, sports casters Greg Gumbel, actor Tony Todd, and poet Nikki Giovanni.
Left: Quincy Jones (Music Producer, Composer, Music Executive) – Photo Credit – Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, Right: Former NFL great OJ Simpson – Photo Credit: Robert Riger/Getty Images; and Bottom: actor James Earl Jones – Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Michael Zorn / Invision / Associated Press
Other 2024 highlights were the nationwide Palestine-Israel war protest; project 2025; the 2024 Paris Olympics; potential TikTok ban; Tyson coming back to the ring at the United Healthcare murder; President Biden’s clemency – including his son, Hunter Biden, before the end of his term, and much more.
What were some of the best highlights and surprising moments of 2024?