See: 2023’s wild, weird, whacky and some wonderful moments

Jared Leto left Met Gala guests puzzled with a realistic full cat costume based on late designer Karl Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette.

Doja Cat also donned a feline look for the Met Gala. Days later, some real animals got in on the act, wearing looks inspired by outfits worn by Cardi B, Salma Hayek and other stars for the Pet Gala.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and newcomer Ethann Isidore playfully posed in Cannes at the premiere of 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.' Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks and other 'Asteroid City' stars looked overjoyed to be together at the glitzy French Riviera festival, which feted Michael Douglas and gave Johnny Depp his biggest comeback platform yet.

Screenwriters went on strike in early May and actors joined them two months later, grinding all film and television production to a halt. Leading the actors' charge was 'The Nanny' star Fran Drescher (pictured), whose fiery speech announcing the strike galvanised the union.

Live music — once silenced by the pandemic — roared on. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Coldplay and others led to a blockbuster year for concerts. The year will perhaps be best remembered for the everlasting dominance of Swift, who delighted fans with her record-breaking Eras tour. But her superstardom reached new heights through her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce and the blockbuster release of a film version of her Eras show.

Shakira, beleaguered by legal troubles, was on top of the game with her music, notching up several awards this year.

Karol G took home an armful of awards for 'Mañana Sera Bonito' and 'TQG' during the 24th annual Latin Grammy Awards in Seville, Spain.

Singer Rihanna welcomed her second child with A$AP Rocky and, as during her first pregnancy, this one too was peppered with fashion moments.

Ke Huy Quan, right, a cast member in 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' gestures to presenter Harrison Ford after the film won the award for best picture during the 95th Academy Awards in March. Quan and Ford were fellow cast members in the 1984 film 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'

The deaths of stars like Paul Reubens, who as Pee-wee Herman delighted a generation, and Matthew Perry, whose role as Chandler Bing on 'Friends' has delighted audiences around the globe across three decades, stunned fans.