For the third year in a row, Alex Toussaint was my top Peloton instructor. So when he won the MVP Award at the NBA celebrity All-Star Game, I was cheering like a personal friend had won. I met him this fall, and he’s just as charismatic as he is through my Peloton screen. After seeing his basketball skills, I desperately wanted him to be cast opposite Jack Harlow in the “White Men Can’t Jump” reboot. Apparently production has already wrapped on that, so here’s hoping a director or Hollywood casting agent is smart enough to snatch him up for a big TV/film debut in 2023. — Evans
Let’s just say the ladies of Xscape still got it. There’s been a lot of drama behind the scenes with the group in the past few years. But they pulled it together to put on a spectacular medley for fans at the Soul Train Awards in November. — Evans
The mess that had an absolute chokehold on my spirit in 2022 was the viral video of Kimberly Kardashian saying, “It seems like nobody wants to work these days.” Like many of my burnt-out millennial peers, I find there is nothing more motivating than having a girl boss billionaire telling me to “Get your f**king ass up and work,” while the economy limps toward a recession. I’m looking forward to more mess and more #werk #inspo from my fave Kardashian gals in 2023. — Lizzie Grams
In the most recent season of “Never Have I Ever,” we found our beloved, chaotic Devi to be the most evolved version of herself. She was more insightful and mature, but much to our delight, she was a mess-magnet. She got jealous and sabotaged what felt like a great relationship. She threw (iced) coffee in another hottie’s face. She cheats on an academic competition and gets caught. And of course, on every episode, she’s in her head in the most unhelpful way. Through it all, Devi remains loyal to her meandering journey as a regular teenager trying to find happiness after trauma — not some model minority who shuts the F up and stays out of trouble. This contemporary, nuanced South Asian American character is inspirational to so many of us who went rogue as a teenager and are, now, better for it. Devi’s mess is a moment for Brown girls and women everywhere. We love to see it. —Punjabi
You might have forgotten that this was this year since it happened in January. But the drama between Elmo and his friend’s pet rock was so funny to see unfold. Honorable mention: Elmo saying “balsamic vineguh” on the “Tonight Show.” — Evans
This may be one of the Blackest moments I’ve ever seen on a game show. Keke Palmer and Yvette Nicole Brown read each other’s thoughts through the smallest gestures and one word at a time on “Password.” Iconic. Palmer had a helluva year and among many other big moments, announced her pregnancy on “SNL” in December. — Evans
I started following actor and internet sensation Devale Ellis a few years ago, when he frequently posted hilarious videos with his adorable kids and his wife Khadeen — who’s a star in her own right. He appeared in a web series that I loved, and then suddenly it seemed like he was everywhere, especially this year. He stars on BET+ show “Zatima” with my favorite “Sistas” actor Crystal Renee Hayslett and most recently starred in a Christmas film opposite Eva Marcille, “A Christmas Fumble.” Love seeing an internet star skyrocket to even bigger fame. — Evans
“The rats are absolutely going to hate this announcement. But the rats don’t run this city. We do.” New York City Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s bold proclamation was, I guess, meant to scare the city’s rodent masses into hiding. Instead, the online masses took her words like a manifesto, applying the sound bite to all the times the downtrodden need a little unearned confidence — because while we can pretend the rats don’t run this city, deep down, we all know they do. — Capewell
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