From viral vids to celebrity cameos, these are the videos that made headlines.
2021 was another massive year for TikTok — and it’s showing no signs of slowing down just yet. In the past 12 months, the video sharing platform entertained over one billion engaged users with everything from viral dance crazes to life hacks to throwback celebrity content. Whether viewers needed to know if it was a “Bones” day or what to do with their leftover salmon, they turned to TikTok to get the answers.
And whenever something went viral on the app, it was sure to make headlines everywhere else. Reporter Door took a look back at some of the best videos that made the front page and they’re sure to keep you entertained in the year to come.
Take a trip down memory lane with some of the year’s most viral TikTok moments…
1. Kim Kardashian’s Daughter North West Goes Live On TikTok Without Permission
Shortly after Kim Kardashian and her daughter North created a joint TikTok account, things got a little out of hand. At one point, North went live without Kim’s permission. The stream lasted less than a minute but North managed to show off some of the fam’s holiday decorations before letting Kim know she had gone live. It’s safe to say she got in trouble after the stream ended.
2. TikToker Accidentally Picks Up A Deadly Sea Slug
Australia can be a dangerous place when it comes to the wildlife and a TikToker from Down Under narrowly escaped serious injury. While visiting a beach in Queensland, user @julianobayd picked up a brightly colored sea critter to ask others exactly what it was. It turns out that it was actually a deadly sea slug that boasts a very nasty sting that could result in severe pain, nausea, vomiting, acute allergic contact dermatitis, erythema, urticarial papules, potential vesicle formation and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.
3. Oklahoma Mom Gets Kicked Out Of Church When Her Cilantro Is Mistaken For Weed
A young mom found herself being banished from a church after she was accused of attempting to bring drugs into a service. In actuality, the green substance she had in her purse was really cilantro for the menudo she was also carrying with her. When she tried to explain, her protests fell on deaf ears. And when she later asked for her food back, she was told to call the police.
4. Wrestling Fan Immediately Regrets His Bet To Jump In The Ring
A sports fan made a big mistake while he was at a wrestling match! While attending Extreme Midget Wrestling, a man made a bet with his TikToker friend that he would jump in the ring with the wrestlers. Moments later, the man put on a Luchador mask and rolled into the ring — only to immediately get beat up by the wrestlers inside!
5. Hilary Duff Recreates Her Iconic “With Love” Choreography For TikTok Challenge
Hilary Duff recreated one of her most iconic dance moments for TikTok. Shortly after the choreography for her 2007 song “With Love” went viral for its hilariously low effort dance moves, Hilary decided to get in on the fun. The former “Lizzie McGuire” star dueted a fan who had imitated her performance on a late night show — and she completely nailed it.
6. 13 Going on 30 star Christa Allen Turns 30 & Interacts with Teenage Self In Short Video Series
This year was a milestone occasion for “13 Going on 30 Star” Christa Allen, who actually turned 30 herself! To celebrate, Christa created a series of TikToks where she came face-to-face with her “13-year-old self” and dished advice about what it really means to be 30 in this day and age. You can watch the entire series here.
7. TikToker Discovers She Has 50 Siblings
A New Jersey woman got a lot more than she bargained for when she took a DNA test this year. When she got the results, she discovered she had over 50 siblings who all share the same sperm donor father!
8. Dog Mom Shares Freaky Footage of “Ghost” Removing Her Pet’s Collar
TikTok was in for a spook when a user named @shannyfantg shared a video where her two caged dogs appeared to be upset by something in their empty living room. At one point, the dogs suddenly stop barking in unison and stand perfectly still, only for one of their collars to mysteriously fall off by itself.
9. Drew Barrymore Makes Her TikTok Debut Dressed As Her “Never Been Kissed” Character
Drew Barrymore made her TikTok debut in 2021 — except she did it dressed as her “Never Been Kissed” character Josie Geller. She broke out Josie’s iconic prom dress and took part in the popular TikTok trend, “Questions I Get Asked,” to fill fans in on what Josie’s been up to. As for Josie’s relationship with Drew? They’re not the same person, but she totally gets the comparison all the time!
10. Alicia Silverstone & Christian Siriano Recreate The Iconic “Clueless” Bedroom Scene
Alicia Silverstone recruited her BFF Christian Siriano to recreate the iconic bedroom scene from “Clueless.” In the TikTok, Alicia reprised her role as Cher as she attempts — and ultimately fails — to seduce her crush, Christian, while watching the movie “Spartacus” in bed. The duo nailed all the details, although they switched things to give the scene a happy ending!
That wasn’t the first time that Alicia recreated a scene from “Clueless” though! Earlier in the year, she got her son Bear to help take on the scene of Cher describing what high school boys are like before she is rudely confronted by one herself.
11. Lizzo Reacts To Online Rumor That She Killed Someone by Stage Diving
Lizzo used TikTok to clear up rumors that she had killed someone while stage diving during a concert. Although she said she had never even stage dived before, she took the opportunity to give it a try while proving her point that she couldn’t possibly have killed someone.
“So I see a lot of annoying things about me on the internet, but the thing that bothers me the most is this rumor that I stage dived at a concert and killed somebody. That rumor, it’s a lie, first of all, I’ve never stage dived in my life. And bitch, kill somebody?! You all really gonna put that on my motherf—ing name? Like, I know I’m big, but bitch, I’m not that f—ing big,” Lizzo said in the video.
12. TikTok Gets Spooked By “Haunted” Southern Mansion
TikTok user @abandonednashville may always be sharing eerily empty homes and buildings but one particular home caught people’s attention. Between the strange stains on the carpet, broken wood flooring, and decrepit furniture, viewers were positive the spooky mansion was haunted.
13. Ben Affleck Sends Strange Response After TikToker Unmatches Him On Raya
Before Ben Affleck was back together with Jennifer Lopez, he was looking for love on celebrity dating app Raya. Things didn’t quite go according to plan when he matched with TikTok user @NivineJay, who didn’t believe he was actually the actor. When she decided she was being catfished, she unmatched with Ben — who in turn sent her a strange video on Instagram, trying to prove his identity.
“Nivine, why did you unmatch me? It’s me,” Ben said in the video, showing a closeup of his face.
Nivine thought the interaction was so hilarious that she decided to share it on social media. While she got some backlash for sharing the personal video, she says she didn’t mean any harm by it and just thought it was funny that she had thought she was being catfished.
14. Avril Lavigne Channels Her Inner “Sk8er Boi” In Her TikTok Debut
Avril Lavigne threw it back in 2002 in her TikTok debut! In the first video posted on her account, she donned her iconic tie over a t-shirt and lip synced along with the song while sitting atop a skate ramp in her backyard. When she got to the chorus, the video cut to an actual “Sk8er Boi,” the one and only Tony Hawk, who showed off his moves on the ramp.
15. Heroic Teenager Fights Off The Bear Attacking Her Dogs
A heroic teenager named Hailey didn’t think twice when it came to rescuing her dogs from a bear that was approaching her backyard. In video captured on a security camera, the bear can be seen swiping at the barking dogs and actually pinning one of them against the wall. Hailey quickly intervened and pushed the bear off the wall, who thankfully retreated, and she was able to grab her dogs. Although no one was seriously hurt, it definitely was a frightening few moments.
16. Paris Hilton Reveals The Truth Behind Her Stop Being Poor Shirt
It’s been over 15 years since Paris Hilton allegedly wore a shirt that read “Stop Being Poor” and she’s finally setting the record straight. It turns out that she never wore the shirt at all and the infamous image was PhotoShopped. Paris made the reveal on TikTok, showing that the shirt she was actually wearing said “Stop Being Desperate.”
17. Lizzo Drunkenly Slides Into Chris Evans DMs
Lizzo decided to shoot her shot with Chris Evans in 2021 by way of drunken DM. On TikTok, Lizzo admitted that she had sent the actor a series of emojis after a night of drinking — and he actually responded!
“No shame in a drunk DM [face-throwing-a-kiss emoji] god knows I’ve done worse on this app lol,” Chris wrote, even giving Lizzo a follow back.
Their DMs didn’t stop there though and Lizzo shared a small snippet of their continued conversation, where Chris told her he was a fan and she should “keep up the great work!”