It seems each year gets more chaotic and less predictable. Who could have possibly foreseen 99 per cent of 2025’s pop culture moments? However, here are ten of my predictions for 2026.
1. Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet to get engaged.
After three years together, some fans were so eager that they started fake news of Kylie’s ‘new’ surname on her Golden Globes seating card. However, the public’s excited reaction to this story certainly shows the widespread hopes for this prediction.
2. A Susan Boyle revival.
After her and Timothée’s public declarations of mutual admiration on the back of his Marty Supreme press tour, this “greatest Briton” has re-entered the limelight. After recovering from her 2022 stroke, she may make a major 2026 comeback with new music and perhaps even a tour.
3. JD and Usha Vance will divorce.
And Erika Kirk will open a beauty line. TikTok will be eager to sympathise for them and humanise their political agendas, causing further fence-sitting between their conservative push and our engagement with the drama of these political caricatures.
4. Potential pregnancies for both Taylor Swift and Zendaya.
After some iconic recent engagements, these A-lister couples may be spending the latter half of the year preparing to expand their families as 2027 comes around.
5. Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter collaboration.
With OR3 and a Man’s Best Friend tour coming sometime soon, this iconic Disney Channel cross-over looks increasingly likely. Ever since their January 2021 feud I have been hoping for this, but certainly Joshua Bassett has been hoping for anything but.
6. Avengers Doomsday A-Lister gets cancelled.
Alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day, 2026 is the year that Marvel will have any notability since 2021. I predict either James Marsden or Joseph Quinn, after subtle and recent controversy, may be quickly ‘cancelled’ causing an iconic press tour.
7. Emma Chamberlain announces her directorial debut.
Likely a TV show akin to the 2025 hits ‘I Love LA’ and ‘Adults’, presenting Gen Z entering career and adulthood. Arguably what would be her first noteworthy career move since Youtube, I see her skyrocketing even further in popularity.
8. Addison Rae manages a complete rebrand.
However much I adore her and her music, I still view her as a TikTok personality, but with her Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, 2026 could be her year for the world to leave our “Hype House” perception of her behind.
9. Former Mormon and reality star ‘Bachelorette’ to get engaged and later call it off.
For those who are aware of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Taylor Frankie Paul will be no stranger. As our next ‘Bachelorette’ we can certainly expect a chaotic, but ultimately futile, effort to re-marry.
10. Finally an iconic Met Gala theme on par with ‘Heavenly Bodies’.
This year’s theme has been announced to be ‘Costume Art’, aiming to explore the relationship between clothing and diverse human body representations. Whether it be Zendaya with a subtle reference to a baby bump or Kylie Jenner showcasing a big rock around her finger, this may be a Met Gala that goes down in history.
“Susan Boyle” by Wasforgas is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.