Top 15 Biggest News Stories of 2025
15 Biggest News Stories of 2025
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at news stories that defined 2025, some shocking, others tragic, many that just raised eyebrows… and occasionally one that left us optimistic.
Andy Byron & Kristin Cabot Caught on Kiss Cam
The kiss cam is intended to bring couples closer, but in some cases, it’s grounds for separation. At a Coldplay concert in July, Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and the company’s HR head Kristin Cabot wound up on the big screen. After they took cover, Chris Martin questioned if they were shy or having an “affair.” As it turns out, both were married to other people. Although some sources claim the two were just friends, both resigned shortly after the viral incident. Cabot has also filed for divorce from her husband, Andrew, although they were supposedly already separated. According to People, Andrew was also at the concert on a date with someone else. Byron and his wife, Megan Kerrigan, have remained together despite this sitcom-esque fiasco.
The Ukraine-Russia Conflict Rages On
When the Russo-Ukrainian war commenced in 2022, some were hopeful that we wouldn’t still be talking about it three years later. Unfortunately, the conflict has continued with seemingly no end in sight. As of writing, Russia still occupies roughly 20% of Ukraine. Although Ukraine has remained resilient throughout, the number of civilian casualties rose more than 25% between January and October, compared to last year. 2025 also marked the year when the number of Russian troops lost surpassed one million, according to the British Ministry of Defence. It’s as if these two countries are frozen in time, with virtually every day bringing more stories of death and destruction. Attempts at peaceful negotiations have been mostly ineffective, with Russia’s leadership unlikely to compromise anytime soon.
The L.A. Protests Concerning Deportation
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, was introduced in 2002 following the 9/11 tragedies. Although some believe the organization is a fundamental facet of Homeland Security, former senior ICE official Scott Shuchart has expressed fear that Trump is forming a “private army.” Shuchart made this comparison following the protests against mass deportation in Los Angeles, which occurred between June and July. Although the protests were mostly peaceful and didn’t occupy much space, Trump called upon an estimated 4,000 members of the National Guard, which Judge Charles Breyer declared violated the Posse Comitatus Act. California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken legal action against Trump. Discussing whether or not he’d have Newsom arrested, Trump wasn’t exactly opposed to the idea.
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Engagement
Since she first hit the scene, the public has been obsessed with Taylor Swift’s love life. Her relationship with three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce has been different, however. Since they started dating in 2023, fans have speculated whether or not this could be the one. We got an answer in August, when the couple posted, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.” That pretty much summed up everyone’s sentiment, but imagine a school on a global scale. Within six hours, their announcement exceeded one million reposts on Instagram, setting a new record. The engagement was arguably even bigger news than Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which was largely inspired by her relationship with Kelce.
The Southern California Wildfires
No U.S. state has attracted more wildfires than California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. January saw not one, but two of the worst wildfires in Los Angeles’ history. While the Palisades and Eaton were responsible for much of the devastation, a few others led to excavations in parts of Ventura and San Diego as well. L.A. got hit the hardest, however. The colder weather didn’t help. In fact, the Santa Ana winds only fanned the flames of chaos. Although the fires would be contained by the end of January, many lost their lives, over 50,000 acres burned, and more than 18,000 structures were destroyed. In addition to celebrity-owned homes, the fires affected numerous low-income households, some of which were uninsured.
Late-Night Under Attack
In July, Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with President Trump over a “60 Minutes” segment. While they might’ve won in court, it was speculated that Paramount didn’t want Trump jeopardizing a pending Skydance merger. Stephen Colbert went as far as to call this a “big fat bribe.” Coincidentally (or perhaps not, depending on who you ask), news broke that “The Late Show” would end in May 2026. CBS chalked this up to “financial” reasons, despite Colbert’s #1 ratings. Many theorized that one of Trump’s loudest critics was being targeted, a sentiment echoed in September when “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was pulled after the host criticized MAGA’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death. Despite pushback from the FCC and some broadcasters, Kimmel returned to record ratings.
The Louvre Heist
Pulling off a heist at the Louvre sounds like the premise for a Danny Ocean movie or a Dan Brown novel. The Paris museum has seen multiple thefts over the decades, however. 2025 marked the first since 1998, when the still missing “Le chemin de Sèvres” was taken. This year, the French Crown Jewels were swiped from the Galerie d'Apollon. At least eight people posing as construction workers committed the crime in under eight minutes, getting away with eight pieces of jewelry estimated at €88 million. That’s a lot of eights. The crime was committed during the day while the museum was open to the public. Although several arrests have been made, the exact location of the stolen jewels remains a mystery as of writing.
Zohran Mamdani Elected New York’s Mayor
After a monumental defeat in 2024, Democrats saw several significant victories this November. The one that arguably attracted the most headlines was the mayoral race in New York. With Eric Adams’ re-election campaign fumbling amid ongoing controversy, the election came down to three candidates. While Curtis Sliwa was the Republican nominee, most agreed that the race was between Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Mamdani stood to become New York’s youngest mayor in over a century, in addition to the city’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor ever. He achieved all of these milestones with over 50% of the vote. Despite endorsing Cuomo, Trump seemingly got chummy with Mamdani in the Oval Office.
“Prince” Andrew Stripped of Titles
There was much discussion in 2025 concerning who is in the Epstein files, as well as whether the full client list would be released to the public unredeacted. Few have fallen further due to their ties with Epstein than Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Up until this year, the public knew him better as Prince Andrew. He was stripped of that title, along with various other honors and residence at Royal Lodge, as the Epstein scandal continued to unfold. Andrew lost many of these privileges following the self-termination of Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Epstein and the former prince of sex trafficking. Giuffre’s memoir was published posthumously in October, the same month news broke that Andrew would no longer be Prince Andrew, yet is still eighth in line.
The Twelve-Day War
The Gaza war, which has been ongoing since 2023, wasn’t the only military conflict connected to Israel in 2025. In June, Israel bombed Iran, reportedly due to the latter country’s nuclear program. Although Iran possesses a potentially concerning amount of enriched uranium, there’s no evidence that the nation has any nuclear weapons as of now. Nevertheless, Israel launched the surprise attack, which not only led to deaths and injuries among Iran’s military, but civilians as well. The Iran–Israel war lasted nearly twelve days, finally reaching a ceasefire with intervention from the U.S. and Qatar. Even so, there remains skepticism over Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s continued military operations across the Middle East, which are showing few signs of a peaceful resolution.
Sean Combs Convicted
This rapper’s reputation has spiraled since his ex, Cassie Ventura, brought forth sexual assault allegations in 2023. This was followed by numerous accusations from other parties, leading to an arrest in 2024. Combs’ trial finally began in May 2025, reaching a verdict in July. While Combs was found not guilty on the more serious charges concerning racketeering and sex trafficking, he was found guilty on two counts of illegally transporting individuals for sex acts. By October, Combs was sentenced to four years' incarceration with another five years of supervised release. Taking the year Combs already served into account, he’ll likely be released in May 2028. Combs’ legal team has pursued a pardon from President Trump, although the White House has rejected that plea… for now.
Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was a divisive figure, to say the least. The right and left were equally shocked, though, when news broke that Kirk had been fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University in September 2025. Tyler James Robinson, who has been accused of shooting Kirk, turned himself in shortly after. Critics of Kirk noted his support of gun rights, having stated, “it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year…” Although not everyone was sympathetic, many who disagreed with Kirk’s political views expressed empathy toward him and his family. With political tensions rising over the years, Kirk’s death could be seen as a boiling point. Yet, the water doesn’t seem to be getting any cooler.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Meeting with Donald Trump & JD Vance
It’s been a chaotic year at the White House, and not just because of remodeling. In February, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance met with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office. What ensued was louder than any bulldozer. Although many were eager to hear about the Mineral Resources Agreement, it wouldn’t be signed until April. Instead, this meeting played more like something out of reality TV. While it started professionally enough, things went south when Vance accused Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful.” It wasn’t long until the presidents were talking over each other, as Trump pressured Zelenskyy to “make a deal” with Russia. The shouting match ended abruptly, with Trump saying it’d be “great television.” Few would call it great foreign policy, however.
Leo XIV Becomes the First American-Born Pope
Speaking of JD Vance, he met with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday. The next day, Francis passed away following a series of medical problems. On May 8, 2025, the papal conclave selected Francis’ successor, Leo XIV. Named Robert Francis Prevost at birth, Leo XIV made headlines as the first Pope who was born in the U.S. Leo XIV was raised in Chicago, going on to serve as a missionary in Peru. This also made Leo XIV the first Pope with Peruvian citizenship. Leo XIV additionally received Vatican City citizenship in 2023, the same year that Francis made him a cardinal. Originally being from Chicago, it should come as no surprise that Leo XIV reportedly prefers his hot dogs without ketchup.
The Government Shutdown
With the Republican controlled House and Democrats in the Senate unable to reach an agreement on the U.S. federal budget for 2026, the government shut down on October 1. This wasn’t the first shutdown on President Trump’s watch, but it was even longer than the one from 2018-2019. In fact, it was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Over these 43 days, almost 900,000 federal employees were furloughed while nearly two million worked without compensation. The shutdown affected various programs, including SNAP, which over 40 million Americans rely on for food aid. An agreement was finally met on November 12, although some argued that Democrats “caved” to a deal that leaves the future of the Affordable Care Act uncertain.
Which news story shocked you the most in 2025? Let us know in the comments.
