After two years of Covid-induced shutdowns, 2023 was set to be the year the entertainment industry came roaring back. But two historic strikes by SAG-AFTRA and the WGA, inflation, war and the rise of artificial intelligence conspired to once again make for a challenging 12 months.
There were bright spots, many of them surprising and inspiring, like Taylor Swift’s box office bonanza with The Eras Tour, Suits‘ dominance on the streaming charts, the televised crowning of a new king and, of course, Barbenheimer.
Scroll through the photos below to see a tally of the year’s most seismic showbiz events, a few of which you may have already forgotten.
-
“I Chose To Survive”
Image Credit: Jeremy Renner Instagram Deadline broke the news that Jeremy Renner was in critical but stable condition after a snowplowing accident over the New Year’s holiday. The star later told Diane Sawyer of his long road to recovery, “I chose to survive.”
-
Lisa Marie Presley Dies At 54
Image Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images Tributes poured in from fans and from celebrities across the spectrum at the news that, on January 11, Elvis’ only daughter had died.
-
Tom Brady Retires…For Good
Image Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images After seven Super Bowl wins, endless epic TV moments and one previous retirement, Tom Brady announced on February 1 that he was finally, really hanging up his helmet. “I’m retiring, for good,” he told fans in a video post to Instagram.
-
A Year Of Layoffs
Image Credit: Disney What began in 2022 with bloated tech sector and deal-related job cuts emerged in 2023 as wholesale costcutting.
Even before the strikes, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on February 8 that the company would lay off 7,000 employees.
Other entertainment companies soon followed, including agencies UTA, CAA, Verve, APA and A3; News Corp; Paramount Global; Amazon Studios and Prime Video; Roku; NBCUniversal and Lionsgate.
-
Fox Scores With Most-Watched Super Bowl Ever
Image Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images The Kansas City Chiefs comeback 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII garnered 115 million viewers, making the February 12 game the most watched in history.
-
Raquel Welch Dies At 82
Image Credit: Getty Raquel Welch, an actress whose cultural impact was greater even than her 50-year film and TV career, passed away on February 15 after a brief illness.
-
The ‘Everything Everywhere’ Oscars
Image Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Jonathan Wang accepted the Best Picture Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once on March 12, capping a seven-win night for the film, the most for any movie in over a decade.
-
A.I .Arrives
Image Credit: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images Chat GPT-4 was released on March 13, prompting a tidal wave of concern about the future of everything from social media to news coverage to the creation of movies and TV shows.
-
Hollywood Turns 100
Image Credit: Getty Images The Hollywood Sign, Warner Bros. & Disney all turned 100 in 2023, beginning with Warner Bros., which celebrated its centennial April 4.
-
R.I.P., Logan Roy
Image Credit: HBO The death of Logan Roy on the April 9 installment HBO’s Succession was a shocker. The outspoken Brian Cox told Deadline he was “very proud” of himself for keeping the secret.
-
Fox News To Cough Up $787M
Image Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images Dominion Voting Systems CEO John Poulos (3rd from right) told assembled media on April 16, “Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and the customers we serve.”
-
Tucker Carlson Gets Fired
Image Credit: Tucker Carlson twitter On April 24, Fox News suddenly fired Tucker Carlson.
Carlson was cable news’ most-watched personality, making his exit all the more surprising, but he also was its most controversial host.
And as the Dominion trial approached, a trove of internal texts and emails were made public, a number of them embarrassing to Carlson and the network.
-
Charles Crowned King
Image Credit: Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images The pagentry of King Charles III and his coronation on May 6 received wall-to-wall coverage in the U.S., with historian Jon Meacham paraphrasing Shakespeare’s Henry V on MSNBC: “It is this marvelous cocktail, if you will, of the human, the divine, the democratic, the monarchial, the English and to some extent American.”
-
Meet Max
Image Credit: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Image On May 23, Warner Bros. Discovery debuted CEO David Zaslav’s streaming brainchild, dubbed simply Max.
Despite outcry from brand loyalists, Zaslav’s management team concluded that the “HBO” in the legacy “HBO Max” moniker made the general entertainment service seem slightly too rarified when compared to rivals like Disney+ or Netflix.
-
Tina Turner Dies At 83
Image Credit: Franziska Krug/Getty Images Tina Turner, known as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll for her blistering performances and powerfully gritty vocals, died May 24 after a long illness at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland.
-
“A Catastrophic Implosion”
Image Credit: OceanGate Expeditions The world was gripped in late June by the unfolding tragedy that was the search for the Titan submersible that set out to explore the wreck of the Titanic.
-
Julian Sands’ Remains Found
Image Credit: Nicole Rivelli / © NBC / Courtesy: Everett Collections After months of searching on the 10,000 foot-high Mt. Baldy near Los Angeles, the remains of actor Julian Sands, who went missing while hiking there, were discovered on June 27.
-
Bog Iger Says The Quiet Parts Out Loud
Image Credit: CNBC In a July interview with CNBC’s David Faber, Disney CEO Bob Iger declared that the linear TV business “may not be core” to his company’s fortunes going forward.
On the strikes, when asked if the guilds were being realistic in their demands, Iger responded, “No, they’re not.”
-
SAG-AFTRA Goes On Strike
Image Credit: Getty Images SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher led her guild to strike at midnight July 13, effectively bringing the movie and television business to a halt, joining the WGA in the first industry-wide walkout in 63 years.
-
Barbenheimer Opens
Image Credit: Warner Bros/Universal With the entire industry on strike by mid July, Barbie and Oppenheimer unleashed their Wonder Twin powers at the box office. Together they opened to over half-a-billion dollars globally.
-
“Non-Human Origin Spacecraft”
Image Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images In some of the year’s most riveting television, David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force at the U.S. Department of Defense (center), calmly and convincingly testified before a House Oversight Committee about what he called “non-human origin spacecraft.”
-
Kevin Spacey Acquitted
Image Credit: Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images On July 26, Kevin Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men in the U.K.
-
William Friedkin Dies At 87
Image Credit: Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images The great William Friedkin, an Oscar winner for The French Connection and director of The Exorcist, died on August 7 of heart failure and pneumonia.
-
Hilary Hits Southern California
Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images For the first time in recorded history, a tropical storm made landfall in Southern California as the once-hurricane Hilary brought unseasonal rain and flooding to region.
On August 21, the National Weather Service in Los Angeles issued the following blanket statement: “All rainfall daily records have been broken.”
-
Donald Trump Gets A Mugshot
Image Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office On August 24, Donald Trump became the first former president to have his mugshot taken when he surrendered in an alleged scheme to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia.
-
Release Date Dominoes
Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two was among the biggest releases to move out of 2023 due to the then-ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, but it was far from the only one.
In a landscape that seemed to mirror the shifting sands of Arrakis, Universal’s The Fall Guy, Sony’s franchise-starter Kraven the Hunter, MGM’s Challengers starring Zendaya and Focus Features’ Ethan Coen road comedy Drive-Away Dolls all, one by one, moved into 2024.
-
Strike Force Five Launches
Image Credit: Spotify Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, John Oliver, Steven Colbert & Jimmy Fallon joined forces to do a podcast, the proceeds from which went to their sidelined crew members.
-
Danny Masterson Found Guilty Of Rape
Image Credit: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Actor Danny Masterson arriving with wife Bijou Phillips for his retrial for raping three women between 2001 and 2003. He was ultimatley found guilty and, on September 30, sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
-
Coco Gauff Wins US Open
Image Credit: AP Nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open, becoming the youngest American to do so since 1999, when a teenaged Serena Williams won.
-
Russell Brand Accused
Image Credit: Russell Brand/YouTube Just hours after Russell Brand posted a non-specific denial on YouTube, a joint investigation by the Sunday Times, the Times and Channel 4 Dispatches reported on claims that the comedian raped, sexually assaulted and emotionally abused multiple women – as well as one teen – over a seven-year period.
-
Rupert Murdoch Announces Retirement
Image Credit: Fox Corp. In a momentus announcement, especially ahead of a presidential election, 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch announced on Septemer 21 that he would be stepping down as chairman of the board of Fox and News Corp.
-
The Sphere Is Here
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and stand-in drummer Bram van den Berg opened ‘U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere’ on September 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The venue, if not the performance, blew minds.
-
After 27 Years, An Arrest In The Tupac Case
Image Credit: Getty/Hulu On September 29, Las Vegas police arrested Duane “Keefe D” Davis in connection with the much-discussed 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur. A Clark County grand jury handed down a murder indictment later that day.
-
‘Suits’ Is A Hit
Image Credit: Getty Images Suits, a four-year-old show spent 15 weeks at the top of the streaming chart this year, the most No. 1 overall finishes in Nielsen Streaming Top 10 history.
Even Suits creator Aaron Korsh seemed a little stunned by his series’ runaway success in its second life. “I always thought we were underestimated, but it turns out, even I underestimated #Suits,” he wrote.
-
Israel And Hamas Go To War
Image Credit: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images On October 7, Hamas launched a massive surprise attack on Israel from Gaza. The attack prompted a declaration of war by Israel, followed by sustained retaliatory air strikes, ground battles and much civilian suffering.
-
CNN Gets A New Leader
Image Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images Generally well regarded former BBC boss Mark Thompson took the reins at CNN on October 9, just as the network got its biggest test of the year: covering the ourbreak of war in the Middle East.
-
Alex Jones Ordered To Pay $1.5B
Image Credit: Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images In a series of judgements finding him liable for spreading lies about the 2012 school massacre, InfoWars founder Alex Jones was ordered to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the 26 people who were murdered, including 20 children.
-
Taylor Swift Rules The Box Office…And The World
Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images In 2023, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the highest grossing concert film of all time, with over $250M worldwide.
As if that weren’t enough, her 1989 (Taylor’s Version) bowed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, she became the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify’s history, her “Cruel Summer” from a four-year-old album hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and The Eras Tour itself was the highest-grossing tour of the year, making her a billionaire.
-
Pete Davidson Is Pitch Perfect On ‘SNL’
Image Credit: NBC In SNL‘s first show back after the writer’s strike, just one week after the attacks on Israel, host Pete Davidson delivered the perfect SNL monologue for the moment. He spoke of losing his father, a New York City firefighter, on 9/11 when he was just seven.
“Sometimes comedy is really the only way forward through tragedy,” Davidson observed.
-
Disney Turns 100
Image Credit: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Disney had dozens of events planned tied to the company’s centennial on October 16, but investors turned out to be much more focused on its stock price, which hit a five-year low on October 27.
-
Netflix Adds 8M Subscribers
Image Credit: Getty Netflix announced in October that its subscriber base had grown another 8.76 million for a lofty total of 247.15 million, besting Wall Street’s Q3 expectations.
-
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Lives Up To The Hype
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection Martin Scorsese’s 306-minute epic opened to rapturous reviews in Cannes before going on to surpass $100M at the box office less than than three weeks after its October 20 release date.
-
A 7’4″ Ratings Powerhouse
Image Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The NBA has pinned its hopes on 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama. And the 7′ 4″ Frenchman delivered in his October 25 debut with the San Antonio Spurs, gaving ESPN its most watched opening night in 11 years and the storied Spurs their most watched regular season game ever (outside of Christmas Day).
-
The WGA Strike Ends
Image Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images After five acrimonoius months, the Writers Guild of America leadership on November 8 agreed to a tentative new contract with the AMPTP companies. In its announcement, the guild called the deal “exceptional.”
-
We Lost A Friend
Image Credit: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images Beloved Friends star Matthew Perry passed away on a late October Saturday afternoon and, despite his well-documented struggles with addiction, friends and fans were shocked by his sudden departure, prompting an outpouring of love for the actor.
-
‘The Marvels’ Melts Down
Image Credit: Marvel / ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures After months of speculation, ‘The Marvels’ posted the lowest-ever opening weekend for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, which only increased concern about the future of the rusting of the platinum brand that is the MCU.
-
Diddy Sued For Rape
Image Credit: Jeff Vespa/Getty Images As a statute of limitations was set to run out, Diddy was sued by former girlfriend Cassie for rape and intense physical and psychological abuse. The duo quickly settled, but two other such cases were filed against the hip-hop mogul shortly thereafter.
-
‘Coyote Vs. Acme’
Image Credit: Warner Bros. In a move reminiscent of its ‘Batgirl’ decision, Warner Bros. Discovery shelved the already-completed ‘Coyote Vs. Acme’ to get a $30 million tax writeoff. After a hue and cry from the creative community, WBD allowed the film to screen for streamers and said it would consider allowing an acquisition.
-
All Hail Denzel!
Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Deadline broke the news on November 13 that Denzel Washington will play the ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal in an untitled epic for Netflix.
-
Elon Musk Vs. His Advertisers
Image Credit: Getty Images After owner Elon Musk reshared an anti-Semitic trope, many of the biggest media companies in the world paused their advertising on the service, including Disney, WBD, Apple and Comcast.
Musk later crossed a Rubicon of sorts by ripping into the companies. He then decided to burn the bridges behind him.
-
Jenna Ortega Drops Out Of ‘Scream 7’
Image Credit: Everett Collection Deadline confirmed that Jenna Ortega, who was a lynchpin draw in getting ‘Scream VI’ to the horror franchise’s best opening ever, won’t return for Scream VII due to scheduling conflicts.
