This year did not lack in online mischief. Trolling, in general, has always been a favorite hobby of the chronically online. When you're bored, anonymous and increasingly deranged, hoaxes and rumors become a reliable source of dopamine. Why not photoshop a fake news article? Anything can be plausible with the right percentage of believability.

The trolling of 2022 was just as sensational as the year. On TikTok, Twitter, Reddit and elsewhere, LOLz were farmed at the expense of others who believed anything from a mass, ladybug infestation to the infamous Chris-Chan supposedly escaping from prison.

Spreading misinformation (in a cheeky, nuanced way) has never been easier in human history. Most likely, 2023 will be more of the same, maybe even better. But for now, let's look back on the year in trolls, rumors and hoaxes and laugh at the many ways that others (definitely not us) fell for such easy bait.

Gentleminions

Many ironic (to the point of cringy) highschoolers flooded the Minions premiere, treating it like a dinner party and a zoo.

• Type: Troll

• Duration: June 2022 – July 2022

• How It Started: In anticipation of the Minions prequel movie Minions: Rise of Gru, lots of memes surfaced that referenced both the Fernanfloo Dresses Up and Tickets To X, Please templates, satirically painting the average Minions enjoyer as a dapper and handsome sigma male. As a result of the memes' impact, gaggles of teenage boys arrived at their local movie theaters and malls dressed head-to-toe like Fernanfloo, as if they were off to prom.

• How It Unraveled: The boys ended up getting really rowdy as mosh pits formed in the theaters during the movie. Popcorn was thrown and random slurs were yelled. Eventually, many theaters banned the so-called "Gentleminions," and if anyone showed up in formal attire, they'd be turned around. Yeat's influence also didn't help the situation because his song "Rich Minion" was an absolute banger.

Hideo Kojima Killed Shinzo Abe

The death of a politician by an inventive killer leads to an inventive game designer being wrongly identified.

• Type: Hoax

• Duration: July 2022

• How It Started: After Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan, was assassinated in mid-2022, some crafty anons on 4chan decided to identify the COVID-masked killer as beloved video game designer Hideo Kojima. The "identify the shooter" hoax of course stems from the long history of memes that identify Sam Hyde as every, American mass shooter.

• How It Unraveled: After the image of Hideo Kojima in a red circle spread to various, mainstream platforms, some journalists actually believed the hoax, thinking that they were the first ones to report on something important. Any savvy internet user already knows Hideo Kojima after playing Metal Gear and Castlevania for hours on end. Ultimately, the hoax evaporated rather quickly but the memes idolizing Kojima as an assassin continued into the end of the month.

Ladybug Raid

A mysterious TikToker threatened environmental terrorism via an obtuse method of releasing millions of ladybugs.

• Type: Hoax

• Duration: April 2022 – May 2022

• How It Started: Way back in December 2020, an anonymous TikToker tried to start a hoax about releasing 100,000 ladybugs in New York City's Central Park. The person claimed that ladybugs were cheap to buy in bulk, and if prompted by enough likes on the video, they'd do it. It got a lot of engagement but no follow-up video. That is until April of this year when the person reposted it and then started a saga, showing video after video of millions of ladybugs crawling on top of rocks and grass, purportedly to start an invasion.

• How It Unraveled: A lot of people across social media platforms became highly aware of the apparent Ladybug Raid happening in Manhattan, especially once the anon posted videos about being targeted by the government for environmental terrorism, getting put on house arrest with an ankle monitor and then eventually fleeing to Columbia in a final string of videos where they bragged about their escape underneath a waterfall. In the end, it seems one TikToker was behind the hoax.

Ghost of Kyiv

At the start of the Russian invasion, one Ukrainian fighter pilot captivated the world despite only being a piece of wartime lore.

• Type: Rumor

• Duration: February 2022 – May 2022

• How It Started: The Russian invasion of Ukraine was arguably the biggest event of the year and it led to a lot of memes and general internet discourse. The Ghost of Kyiv, in many ways, was the catalyst. Basically, a rumor spread that a Ukrainian fighter pilot was the most-skilled soldier ever, having reportedly taken down six Russian fighter jets in less than 24 hours. At the time, everyone on the internet was pretty much rooting for Ukraine, so the news of an underdog jet with a catchy nickname drew the attention of millions.

• How It Unraveled: Skepticism brewed as no real evidence of the pilot actually surfaced, only one, hazy video with a watermark boiled to the top. The Ukrainian Armed Forces continued to reiterate that the Ghost of Kyiv was real on their Facebook page, mostly using his image to clown on the Russian troops and their supporters. A few months passed and Ukrainian officials finally admitted that the hero was never real, however, he was real in their hearts instead.

Rahul Ligma & Daniel Johnson

As the dust settled amid Twitter's mass layoffs, two trolls picked up their cardboard boxes and fooled some silly reporters.

• Type: Troll

• Duration: October 2022 – November 2022

• How It Started: After Elon Musk finally made the big Twitter acquisition in late October, mass layoffs at the company ensued, sparking outrage from online onlookers. Two pranksters were clever enough to capitalize on their own meme clout by wandering outside Twitter HQ, holding cardboard boxes, looking lost and, hopefully, catching the eye of a gullible reporter. The two men used the gag names "Rahul Ligma and Daniel Johnson," essentially telling the world to "ligma johnson."

• How It Unraveled: As stated, many local news reporters interviewed the men, not realizing their mistake until more internet-savvy Twitter users uncovered the secret code. A lot of people laughed it off for a couple of weeks, including Elon Musk himself. Eventually, Musk invited the two back to Twitter's HQ and took a picture with them in the lobby.

Kia Challenge

An odd rumor about Kia cars led to mass paranoia and the humorously named crime group "The Kia Boys."

• Type: Rumor

• Duration: May 2022 – July 2022

• How It Started: A rumor on TikTok started spreading in the spring about a group of Milwaukee teenagers that found a hack to steal Kia brand cars. Once in the car, the thieves supposedly removed the steering column and then used a USB cord to start the car. The rumor was basically jump-started by one YouTube channel where the self-proclaimed "Kia Boyz" posted videos of their reckless driving in newly stolen cars.

• How It Unraveled: The YouTube videos and seemingly easy method to stealing cars and having fun led to the Kia Challenge, which was an objectively terrible internet challenge, perhaps even more dangerous than the Milk Crate Challenge. A lot of dumb kids reportedly tried doing it and got arrested of course. Plus, a lot of mainstream news outlets latched onto the story, scaring Americans around the country as it spread like wildfire.

Chris-Chan Prison Escape

No one thought that she could do it, but when they heard it, it sounded plausible given everything else that's happened.

• Type: Hoax

• Duration: August 2022

• How It Started: The Queen of all Lolcows, Chris-Chan has, of course, been the subject of viral discussions since her imprisonment for incest allegations. All of the twists and turns of Chris-Chan's life and online persona made the idea of her prison escape oddly plausible on Twitter and elsewhere. When the hoax first surfaced on 4chan, it quickly spread, sparking mass interest in its authenticity.

• How It Unraveled: In the end, Chris-Chan's daring courtroom escape was all imagined. The funny visual of the scene is what propelled the meme. The idea of Chris-Chan breaching the facility was infectious and would make for a great arc in the eventual Netflix docu-series.

Prince William Pegging

It's unknown if anyone would actually want to "peg" Prince William but the rumor of him wanting it is somehow even more disturbing.

• Type: Rumor

• Duration: July 2022

• How It Started: The British royal family are a strange bunch but Prince William is arguably one of the least strange. He just looks so plain and he's far removed from the crown. People really wanted to spice him up by starting a rumor that he likes to get pegged, as in, taking it in the nether region by a woman's fake prosthetic. It all started from an Instagram story and played on his previous cheating rumors that made the concept plausible.

• How It Unraveled: Google search interest for "#PrinceOfPegging" drastically spiked in the days that followed, leading to subsequent memes from the people of all formerly occupied British colonies. Clowning on the British is a common online habit, and this story didn't differ. Additionally, the rumors were never officially quelled by the Prince of Pegging himself, so maybe it's not totally unfounded though completely unconfirmed.

Goblin Mode

The virality of Kanye West-related gossip dragged Julia Fox into the mix regarding her rumored habit of going "Goblin Mode" too often.

• Type: Troll

• Duration: February 2022 – December 2022

• How It Started: This year, Ye and his many controversies were constantly exploited by TMZ style headlines. That's why when a fake news article screenshot surfaced about his break-up with Julia Fox, the idea of her constant state of "Goblin Mode" being difficult for Ye fooled a lot of people.

• How It Unraveled: Lots of memes surfaced using the phrase, ultimately leading to "Goblin Mode" being the Oxford English Dictionary's "Word of the Year." Before its award though, many great memes and gullible verified accounts reiterated the idea of Julia "going goblin" behind closed doors.

Bill Clinton Kid

Before the end of the year, one man with unspoken "Sneak" levels infiltrated the ranks of Bill Clinton's orthodoxy.

• Type: Troll

• Duration: December 2022

• How It Started: The annual Game Awards attract a lot of viewers, predominantly comprised of video game nerds and Discord mods. This year though, many people discovered what the Game Awards were when one kid walked up on stage with the "Game of the Year" winning developers and praised his reformed Orthodox Rabbi Bill Clinton as the closing remark of the entire ceremony.

• How It Unraveled: The moment and quote made many viewers laugh out loud and rewind the tape to see when he infiltrated the award winners. Blud thought he was on the team and the internet was loving it. The "Bill Clinton Kid" was soon arrested and his real name was revealed, Matan Even. Turns out, Even's actually a YouTuber and has since been released from police custody and appeared on many podcasts. In 2023, we'll have to see how he spins his newfound, mass appeal.

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Looking for more of this year's best viral phenomena and memes? Be sure to check out our other 2022 meme roundups below:

• The Top 10 Memes Of 2022
• KYM Staff Picks Of 2022
• The Slang of 2022
• Breakthrough Meme Formats Of 2022
• The Year Of AI Generators
• Top Gaming Memes Of 2022
• Wildest Stories Of 2022
• Top Streamer Moments Of 2022
• Top TikToks Of 2022
• Top Lewd Memes Of 2022
• Trolls, Rumors and Hoaxes Of 2022
• Top Exploitables Of 2022
• Top Meme Creators Of 2022
• Top Meme Revivals Of 2022