There are different types of intelligence. Some people aren't great at math but are really good at writing, and some people prefer a different kind of knowledge altogether — like pop culture trivia.
But don't get it twisted: even a total genius could benefit from pop culture knowledge. Conversations about TV, movies, music, and celebrity antics can be a great icebreaker when meeting new people. They can also be a nice distraction from arguing about politics or bemoaning the state of the world.
So brush up on your knowledge with these pop culture trivia questions and answers. They could even be the basis for your next game night!
To reiterate, this is not a quiz. It's a list of pop culture questions with the answer listed underneath. Though you're more than welcome to cover up the answers and treat it like a quiz if you want to!
1. How many times was Elizabeth Taylor married?
Seven, although two of those times were to the same man (Richard Burton).
2. Who hosts the US version of The Traitors?
3. What do the following fictional characters have in common: Louis de Point du Lac, Edward Cullen, Spike, and Jessica Hamby?
They are fictional vampires
4. Who are the current judges of American Idol?
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.
5. How many Mission Impossible movies have been made?
Seven so far, with an eighth one slated for release in 2025.
6. What is the most-viewed video on YouTube?
Baby Shark, with 14.1 billion views.
7. How many Oscar nominations does Meryl Streep have?
21, more than any other actor.
8. How many women have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director?
Eight women have been nominated on nine occasions — Linda Wertmüller, Jane Campion (twice), Sofia Coppola, Kathryn Bigelow, Greta Gerwig, Emerald Fennell, Chloé Zhao, and Justine Triet.
9. Who holds the record for the most Grammy Awards for Album of the Year as of February 2024?
Taylor Swift, who has won the award four times.
10. What movie is this line from: "You're going to need a bigger boat."?
Jaws
11. Who were the original spy kids in Spy Kids?
Alexa Vega (Carmen) and Daryl Sabara (Juni)
12. What musical features the characters Elphaba, Galinda, and Fiyero?
Wicked
13. After many years in development, the Wicked movie will finally premiere in 2024. Who is playing the leading roles of Elphaba and Glinda?
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, respectively.
14. Who is the most recent actor to play James Bond?
Daniel Craig
15. What show had a huge scandal in 2023 that was dubbed "Scandoval"? Who was involved?
Vanderpump Rules, and it involved cast members Ariana Madix, Raquel Leviss, and Tom Sandoval.
16. Why were the words "eras" and "renaissance" particularly relevant in 2023?
They were the names of hugely successful tours by Taylor Swift ("The Eras Tour") and Beyoncé ("Renaissance World Tour").
17. Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer both opened in theaters on July 21, 2023. What was the name of the meme that emerged in the weeks leading up to their release?
18. What singer holds the record for most Grammy nominations?
Beyoncé, who has 88 nominations. This includes the nine Grammys she was nominated for as a member of Destiny's Child.
19. What was the highest grossing movie of 2023 until it was dethroned by Avatar: The Way of Water?
Top Gun: Maverick
20. What do the following makeup brands have in common: Fenty Beauty, Haus Labs, Rare Beauty, and R.E.M Beauty?
They were all founded by famous pop stars. Rihanna founded Fenty Beauty, Lady Gaga founded Haus Labs, Selena Gomez founded Rare Beauty, and Ariana Grande founded R.E.M Beauty.
21. Who was the most recent person to achieve EGOT status?
As of February 2024, it's Elton John, who won his Emmy in January. The previous person to EGOT was Viola Davis, who won her Grammy in 2023.
22. What Oscar winner was shockingly eliminated from American Idol before her big acting breakthrough?
Jennifer Hudson, who competed on American Idol in 2004 and was cast in Dreamgirls in 2005.
23. What prolific American fashion designer had frequent, well-known collaborations with Cher?
Bob Mackie
24. What morning TV show recently had a scandal because two of its anchors were having an extramarital relationship with each other?
Good Morning America
25. Who is the longest-serving host of The View?
Joy Behar, who was on the panel from 1997 to 2013 and rejoined in 2015.
26. Which two Rupaul's Drag Race alumni went on to release two books, two YouTube shows, and a podcast together?
Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova
27. Who holds the record for winning the most Oscars?
Walt Disney, who won 22 Oscars.
28. What's the longest movie ever made?
Amra Ekta Cinema Banabo (The Innocence in English) is a Bangladeshi film released in 2019 about the Bangladesh Liberation War. It has a runtime of 21 hours and 5 minutes, making it the longest narrative feature film ever released.
29. How many people watched the Game of Thrones series finale?
19.3 million people.
30. What animal did Britney Spears famously carry on her shoulders during a performance?
A snake!
31. Who was the original drummer of the Beatles and was replaced by Ringo Starr before the band made it big?
32. Who is the most followed person on Instagram?
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 500 million followers.
33. Who is the youngest Emmy winner of all time?
Roxana Zal, who won an Emmy at 14. She won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie in 1984.
34. What is the most watched YouTube video of all time?
"Baby Shark Dance" with 11 billion views
View this video on YouTube
35. Who is the youngest Oscar winner of all time?
Tatum O'Neal, who won an Oscar at 10 years and 106 days old. She won Best Supporting Actress for Paper Moon in 1973.
36. How much money has the MCU grossed overall?
The 30 films released as part of the MCU have grossed more than $25 billion.
37. How many actors have played Batman onscreen?
11 actors have played Batman onscreen — Robert Pattinson, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, Adam West, Robert Lowery, Lewis G. Wilson, Iain Glen, and David Mazouz.
38. What actor has played a superhero in the most movies?
Robert Downey, Jr., who played Iron-Man in 10 movies.
39. Which Glee cast member played a sullen pizza delivery boy on The Office?
40. What are the names of Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian's children?
They are Mason, Penelope, Reign, North, Saint, Chicago, Psalm, and True. Khloé also has a second child whose name she hasn't revealed.
41. How many grandchildren does Kris Jenner have?
12
42. Who were the special guests during J.Lo and Shakira's Super Bowl Halftime performance in 2020?
43. What body part did Tom Cruise injure while filming a stunt for Mission Impossible: Fallout?
His ankle
44. How many years will have passed between the release of Avatar and its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water?
45. How many of the original six Avengers die at the end of Avengers: Endgame?
Two — Iron-Man and Black Widow.
46. What animal is Indiana Jones afraid of in the movies?
47. How many movies have Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams worked on together?
48. Who is the most recent EGOT winner?
Jennifer Hudson, who won a Tony Award in 2022 as a co-producer for A Strange Loop. She already had an Oscar, two Grammys, and an Emmy.
49. How old was Lady Gaga when she released her debut single, "Just Dance" in 2008?
She was 22 years old.
50. "I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot." Who did Elton John say this about, igniting their years long feud?
51. How many Twilight books and movies are there?
Four books, five movies
52. Which Kardashian sister owns a denim brand called Good American?
Khloé Kardashian
53. Which of the celebrities involved in the 2019 college admissions scandal went on to compete on Dancing with the Stars?
Olivia Jade, daughter of Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli.
54. What is Blake Lively's connection to the High School Musical movies?
Her brother-in-law, Bart Johnson, plays Coach Bolton.
55. Who, besides Thor, has wielded Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) in the MCU?
Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America in Avengers: Endgame, and Jane Foster as The Mighty Thor in Thor: Love and Thunder.
56. Who replaced Kathie Lee Gifford on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee?
Kelly Ripa
57. When is Mean Girls Day?
October 3
58. Who was the highest paid actor in 2022 according to Forbes?
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who made $270 million.
59. On The Mandalorian, what is Baby Yoda's real name?
Grogu
60. How many movies has Taylor Swift acted in?
Five — Valentine's Day, The Lorax, The Giver, Cats, and Amsterdam
61. What was Raven-Symoné's last name in That's So Raven?
Baxter
62. Who announced the wrong winner at the 2017 Oscars?
Faye Dunaway, who mistakenly announced La La Land as the Best Picture winner instead of Moonlight, the actual winner.
63. Which Marvel Chris has a super famous father-in-law?
Chris Pratt, who is married to Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
64. Carrie Fisher's unique urn was in the shape of which medication?
It was in the shape of a Prozac pill, and was reportedly one of her most prized possessions.
65. Who famously said, "Kim, there's people that are dying"?
66. Who are the songs "Bad Blood," "All Too Well," and "Back to December" rumored to be about?
Katy Perry, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Taylor Lautner.
67. When Beyoncé sang, "Of course, sometimes shit go down / When it's a billion dollars on an elevator," what was she referring to?
The altercation between her sister Solange and husband Jay-Z in the elevator after the 2014 Met Gala.
68. How many husbands did Liz Taylor have?
69. What former celebrity couple announced their divorce by calling it an "conscious uncoupling"?
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin
70. What actor turned talk show host used the word "entanglement" to describe her own extramarital relationship?
Jada Pinkett-Smith, who used the word to refer to her relationship with August Alsina.
71. How many Jersey Shore cast members have competed on Dancing with the Stars?
Three — Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, Nicole "Snooki" LaValle, and Vinny Guadagnino.
72. What show currently holds Netflix's all time viewership record?
73. Which English actor shocked fans in 2021 when he announced he was leaving his hit Shondaland/Netflix show after just one season?
Regé-Jean Page when he announced he was leaving Bridgerton.
74. What sibling duo have 13 Emmy nominations between the two of them?
Derek and Julianne Hough, all in the category of Outstanding Choreography.
75. What late night talk show host famously welcomed his second baby in the lobby of his building?
Seth Meyers (and his wife Alexi Ashe)
76. What English actor uses the name DJ Big Driis when he performs as a DJ?
77. The formation of One Direction and Little Mix is often credited to Simon Cowell, but recently revealed X Factor footage showed that they were largely assembled by which two singers?
Nicole Sherzinger (One Direction) and Kelly Rowland (Little Mix)
78. Which departed cast members returned to Grey's Anatomy for guest appearances during Season 17?
Patrick Dempsey, TR Knight, Eric Dane, and Chyler Leigh.
79. What real life phenomenon was covered in the movie The Big Short?
80. How many women have won the Oscar for Best Director and what are their names?
Just three — Kathryn Bigelow, Chloé Zhao, and Jane Campion.
81. What insurance company has had a fictional spokesperson named Flo since 2008?
82. How many times has Colin Firth played a man named Mr. Darcy?
Four times — Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Bridget Jones's Baby
83. What Game of Thrones cast member also had a prominent role on The Wire?
Aiden Gillen, who played Littlefinger on Game of Thrones and Tommy Carcetti on The Wire.
84. How many actors have played Prince Charles on The Crown?
Four — Billy Jenkins, Julian Baring, Josh O'Connor, and Dominic West.
85. Why did Patton Oswalt, Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart all publicly criticize Jay Leno in 2010?
Because Jay Leno accepted NBC's offer to return to host The Tonight Show, even though NBC had a contract with Conan O'Brien that said he would host once Leno retired. Leno took his original job back after O'Brien had it for one season.
86. Which member of Fountains of Wayne has an Emmy Award for songwriting?
Adam Schlesinger, who wrote "Stacy's Mom" and has an Emmy Award for his work on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.
87. Which singer appeared on Glee as a fictional character even though the show had already covered her real-life song?
Demi Lovato, who appeared as Dani in Season 5 even though her song "Give Your Heart A Break" had been covered in Season 4.
88. What movie won the first ever Oscar for Best Animated Film?
89. For which role did Marilyn Monroe win a Golden Globe for Best Actress In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy?
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk in Some Like It Hot
90. What is the highest grossing rom-com of all time?
91. Who won RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3?
Trixie Mattel
92. Whose fan bases go by the nicknames Pine Nuts, Cumberbitches, and Lizzbians?
Chris Pine, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Lizzo's.
93. Which character has the most screen time in the Lord of the Rings franchise?
Frodo, who has about 120 minutes of screen time.
94. How many times has Olivia Colman played the Queen of England?
Twice — She played Queen Anne in The Favourite and Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown.
95. Which two American Idol judges famously feuded the entire time they worked together?
Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj
96. Who has the most subscribers on TikTok?
Khabane Lame, who has 152.3 million followers.
97. What reggaeton star announced in 2022 that he will retire after his next tour?
98. Who is the host of Wheel of Fortune?
Pat Sajak
99. What former Bond girl also appeared in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings?
100. What movie is the famous line "Hold onto your butts!" from, and who delivered it?
Samuel L. Jackson said it in Jurassic Park.
101. Which Real Housewives of New Jersey star spent 11 months in prison for fraud?
102. Who coined the phrase "hot girl summer"?
103. Which The Bachelorette star caused controversy by choosing a fiancé and leaving the competition after just four weeks?
104. Which two The Office cast members described their relationship as "insanely complicated" while presenting together at the 2022 Emmy Awards?
Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak
105. How many children does Nick Cannon have?
11, with number 12 on the way
106. Who won Big Brother Season 24?
