The Winners & Losers of 2025

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to the third annual IBAMMYs Culture Awards Show, where we reflect and honor the best and worst cultural moments of the year.

Brittany is joined by Sam Sanders, host of KCRW's The Sam Sanders Show, and Tre'vell Anderson, host of The Seated podcast. All three nominated a person or moment for each of the four categories. NPR's Culture Committee then voted on a winner. Today, we reveal the winners and losers of 2025 and run through the moments we want to remember or forget.

This year's categories & nominees are:

Word of the Year:
"Slop"
"Clock it"
"Labubu"

Villain of the Year:
Sydney Sweeney
Glinda the Good Witch
Billionaires

The Candle in the Dark:
PinkPantheress
One of Them Days
Liniker

Not-on-My-Bingo Card:
KPop Demon Hunters
Yolanda Adams
Katy Perry

Who will win?

(0:00) How will you look back on 2025?
(2:30) The Word of the Year: Slop, Clock It, or Labubu?
(7:51) Villain of the Year: Sydney Sweeney, Billionaires, Wicked Glinda?
(18:07) What brought you joy this year?
(23:23) Not-on-my-Bingo Card: Kpop Demon Hunters, Yolanda Adams, Katy Perry

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from Bayer.
0:02.3	Science is a rigorous process that requires questions, testing, transparency, and results that can be proven.
0:09.5	This approach is integral to every breakthrough Bayer brings forward.
0:13.0	Innovations that save lives and feed the world.
0:15.8	Science Delivers.com.
0:18.0	For each of you, how would you look back on 2025?
0:22.3	I will look back on 2025 with a shudder going down my spine.
0:28.6	It was just a lot going on, Brittany.
0:32.2	A lot going on.
0:33.5	My theme for the year has just been dancing in decline.
0:37.4	Politics feels off the entertainment industry here in Los Angeles, where I am, My theme for the year has just been dancing in decline.
0:38.9	Politics feels off.
0:43.0	The entertainment industry here in Los Angeles, where I am, feels totally off.
0:45.3	It feels off all the way from New York as well.
0:46.4	Yeah.
0:50.2	And so everything feels off, and yet we're all still dancing.
0:54.1	Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show
0:58.8	about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.
1:16.3	If you are listening to the sound of my voice, then consider this.
1:21.7	Your official welcome to the third annual I-Bammies.
1:25.8	The It's Been a Minute 2025 Culture Award Show.
1:27.1	You know what they say? Three makes it a tradition. Okay. Every year I ask two
	...

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