popculture

The “2026 is the new 2016” nostalgia wave is one of the clearest early‑year pop culture storylines, with social feeds full of people insisting this year “feels like” the mid‑2010s again. The vibe is less about exact dates and more about mood: a return to bright, slightly chaotic pop aesthetics, meme‑y humor, and a heavy dose of internet déjà vu, summed up in explainers like People’s breakdown of the viral trend. On TikTok and Instagram, creators are leaning into 2016 nostalgia with edits that m

Jenny McCarthy, a former MTV host, says the classic music‑video era has largely passed, reflecting on how different the channel looks today compared with its peak. In a new interview, McCarthy recalls the years when viewers regularly tuned in for premieres, countdown shows, and live studio performances instead of finding clips on their phones. The comments are presented as one perspective on a time when a single TV channel played a central role in shaping what many people watched and listened to