Here at Digg, we try our best to cover the most important and confounding memes that come across the timeline. But the web is littered with tons of great memes that never quite hit the mainstream and instead just bounce around the weird corners of Twitter or Reddit. Enter our recurring feature, Memes, Ranked.
This week, we’ve got Rolling Stone’s appalling list of the 200 greatest singers of all time, Kevin McCarthy losing the vote for Speaker of the House of Representatives a historic number of times and memes about “Glass Onion” and its charming detective protagonist Benoit Blanc.
3. Rolling Stone’s Greatest Singers List
The meme
On the first day of 2023, Rolling Stone magazine published one of their most controversial pieces to date: a ranking of the 200 greatest singers of all time.
RANKING THE 200 GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL TIME 🎤https://t.co/IYXKLlgMds
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) January 1, 2023
A lot of people took issue with Rolling Stone’s list, and for good reason. There are some glaring, outrageous omissions (Celine Dion, Madonna and Dionne Warwick, to name just a few), as well as some questionable placements (Michael Jackson at #86?). It’s unsurprising, then, that Twitter was soon awash with memes expressing readers’ disappointment and disbelief at the hotly contested ranking.
Examples
No Judy Garland. No Cher. No Céline Dion. No Britney.
— Connor Lounsbury (@ConnorLounsbury) January 2, 2023
Rolling Stone editors tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/rLGWaFUMii
finally read the rolling stones article and they were so real for this one pic.twitter.com/VJNS15DFTV
— Seddera Side (@sedderaside) January 3, 2023
Chong was not included on rolling stone's 200 greatest singers of all time list. pic.twitter.com/cQbZ9IeVIs
— Ba Sing Se (@BaSingSeUpdate) January 3, 2023
actually I think rolling stone is right pic.twitter.com/dzbZNsz757
— Dan (@dannah__montana) January 2, 2023
Alexis Rose was not included on rolling stone's 200 greatest singers of all time list. pic.twitter.com/v1PZCx7kZ0
— no context schitt’s creek (@nocontxtSC) January 4, 2023
Rolling Stone ranks Iyosias as the 112th greatest singer of all time. pic.twitter.com/sxOFEVOhaS
— iyosias (@whitest_injera) January 2, 2023
what do you mean celine dion is not on the rolling stone list??? pic.twitter.com/iIK4yNvQIx
— FENTY LEAGUE SECRETARY (@andysinterlude2) January 2, 2023
Rolling Stone trying to explain the lack of sense in their “greatest singers” list pic.twitter.com/u5Zjpr5TZZ
— N🐍 fan account. (@severushes) January 2, 2023
Mikayla was not included on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list. pic.twitter.com/OXivlwBugp
— out of context hannah montana (@OCHannahMontana) January 2, 2023
Whitney seeing Brandy on that Rolling Stone greatest singers list pic.twitter.com/0ye5Myooqs
— No (@avadakedavery) January 1, 2023
Rolling Stone saying that Michael Jackson is the 86th greatest singer of all-time
— I have so many questions? (@english_shamar) January 1, 2023
pic.twitter.com/AbzVGk9vhz https://t.co/fKk1WGyj2b
Rolling Stone ranks the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.. #rhony pic.twitter.com/m9enPEYlHL
— Donn Gunvalson Parody (@DonnGunvalson) January 2, 2023
and where is she? pic.twitter.com/6xnzXKg60F https://t.co/FMjt8hVwmY
— Vardaan Arora (@vardaanarora) January 2, 2023
Darcy Jimenez
2. Kevin McCarthy
The meme
Yesterday marked the second day of voting on the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Not only is this the first time since 1923 that the speaker’s vote has gone to a second round, but the process has now gone through six failed rounds, as no candidate has yet achieved the number of votes — 218 — required to win the position.
The problem here is that 20 Republicans — the so-called “Never Kevin” group, which includes Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert and others — have pointedly refused to back Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy. After the first vote, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan — who received six votes in that first round — got up to urge his fellow Republicans to back McCarthy. This only led Gaetz to get up and formally nominate Jordan for speaker. In the next vote, Jordan received nine votes. In the first round of voting, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs voted for himself. McCarthy just keeps insisting he’s going to prevail, and refuses to back down.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been repeatedly backing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who keeps winning the highest number of votes, but not enough to win the Speakership.
In short, the whole thing is a shitshow, and a very comical one at that. Here are some of the most delightful memes.
Examples
Even though Kevin McCarthy has now lost five straight times, he can still make the playoffs with a Jaguars win and a Steelers loss or tie.
— Vic Vela (@VicVela1) January 4, 2023
Kevin McCarthy has lost the Speaker of the House SIX TIMES….One…Two….Three …Four….Five….Six Times! pic.twitter.com/hFPjuRYjkM
— Richard N. Ojeda, II (@Ojeda4America) January 4, 2023
What if Kevin McCarthy threatened to cut off a finger every time he loses a vote?
— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) January 4, 2023
Kevin McCarthy begging Democrats to support a motion to adjourn pic.twitter.com/3I0Tg1nfoF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 4, 2023
Tobias Ziegler: I just figured out who you are.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) January 4, 2023
Kevin McCarthy: He's going to say "Satan."
Toby: No. You're the guy who runs into 7-11 to get Satan a pack of cigarettes.
Kevin McCarthy today pic.twitter.com/c38iZr0LET
— Tyler Thurston (@reedthurston) January 4, 2023
McCarthy every few hours: pic.twitter.com/XuMyyOmuVp
— Meena Harris (@meena) January 4, 2023
“How am I supposed to compete with this?” - Kevin McCarthy’s dominatrix muttering to herself as she watches C-SPAN.
— Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) January 4, 2023
If Kevin McCarthy loses once more he gets a free sub.
— 💀DeathMetalViking💀 (@DeathMetalV) January 4, 2023
Molly Bradley
1. “Glass Onion” & Benoit Blanc
The meme
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” hit Netflix over the holiday break, and writer director Rian Johnson hit another home run. The Benoit Blanc memes were hot and heavy, as everyone wanted to imitate Daniel Craig’s horrible southern accent. And the plot of the movie is about a billionaire, which of course lends itself to making fun of rich people. So behold, the best of the best in terms of memes surrounding this movie. Spoilers ahead, sort of.
Examples
[Benoit Blanc voice] and nine to the race of men, who above all else desire—what? powah. precisely. but they were all of them deCEIved. for ANOTHAH ring was made
— Allison Epstein (@rapscallison) December 30, 2022
"But Monsieur Blanc, you couldn't be suggesting little old MOI had something to do with Miss Mousey's disappearance?"
— Matt Baume (@MattBaume) December 28, 2022
"Of course not, my dawlin'. But what conFOUNDS me is the lack of fingerprints in her dressin' room. Say, those wouldn't happen to be satin gloves you're wearin'?" pic.twitter.com/YjWr7VtRWS
*Benoit Blanc voice* I believe it was you who threw your boss ovahbawd. Futhuh more, it strikes me you did so in order to kill him, certainly not to put into play a series of cosmic coincidences resulting in him having a new suit and an axe to grind. Ain't that right, Stahscream?
— Grumplestiltskin twitch.tv/brainmage (@Brainmage) December 30, 2022
[Benoit Blanc in Jurassic Park] So whatchyuh tellin me is that this confoundin mosquituh is of an utmost importance in the untanglin and producin of this here dino DNA? Sweet beans, life does have a way of, well uh, findin a way
— breebunn (@breebunn) December 29, 2022
ACTUAL BENOIT BLANC DIALOGUE
— Conor Smith (@conorsmith) January 1, 2023
I keep returning in my mind to the glass onion. Something that seems densely layered, mysterious and inscrutable. But in fact, the centre is in plain sight.
BENOIT BLANC IN YOUR TWEETS
What in tarnation!? I do declare a murder. Consarn it! Yee-haw!!
“My friends, you have angered the Ancient Red Dragon, who I previously informed you was not to be trifled with…” pic.twitter.com/SeQPA0Xz8I
— Sam Comerford (@RRollplaying) January 3, 2023
Live footage of Ben Shapiro tweeting about why he didn't like Glass Onion. pic.twitter.com/YXXLu50Plq
— Adam Lance Garcia (@AdamLanceGarcia) December 26, 2022
Glass Onion (2022) pic.twitter.com/DtIDgoTC0k
— Catrina (@ohcatrina) December 25, 2022
ben shapiro watching glass onion pic.twitter.com/cKOI7Ez50R
— saul goodwoman (@blindspottings) December 26, 2022
tom, who works for meta, watching glass onion https://t.co/C1WuQ7B2gr pic.twitter.com/3R7dWwWMdB
— Michael (@_FleerUltra) December 26, 2022
Jared Russo
And if you're hungry for more memes, here's the last edition of "The Week's Best Memes, Ranked”, where we rank nepo babies, Salt Bae being obnoxious at the World Cup and assassination coordinates.