28 Wildly Controversial Opinions About Beloved Pop Culture Things That People Strongly Stand Behind

Recently, I wrote a post where BuzzFeed readers shared their controversial opinions about something in pop culture that everyone else seems to love, but they just don't understand why.

Well, that post got hundreds of comments from readers who chimed in to share their own hot takes. So, I rounded up a few of those comments — along with some comments from the original prompt — to put together a new list of beloved pop culture things people have controversial opinions on.

1. " Friends is a horrible show, full stop. It had entertaining moments, but as a whole, there was no storyline or character development. I just can't get behind it."

2. "Chandler and Monica [on Friends ] become villains by emotionally manipulating a pregnant teen into giving them her baby even though she had already chosen someone else over them."

3. "The A Court of Thorns and Roses series and everything Sarah J. Maas. I appreciate that her books got people back into reading, but they’re some of the most mid books I’ve ever read. Not to mention, they have a lot of problematic moments. I don’t judge that people are entertained by these books, but we need to stop calling them good quality. It’s reducing this generation's literacy/literary analysis skills."

4. "I do not understand the obsession with asking Gen Z/Gen Alpha questions like, 'How do you pick up a phone?' or 'How do you roll down a window?' It’s so annoying. They grew up in different times! Accept it and move the f*** along, jeez. Fellow millennials, let it GOOOOO!"

5. "This feels like a betrayal to my fellow millennials, but I never understood the obsession with The Goonies . I thought it was mediocre to alright. People make pilgrimages to The Goonies house in Oregon, and I just don't get it."

6. " Wednesday was one of the most boring and bland TV shows I have ever seen. It was so predictable and just outright annoyed me. It felt like I was watching an emo Hallmark movie. I don’t understand why people loved it so much, there are so many better shows."

7. "Mine is '80s rock music!!! Journey, Rush, Foreigner, etc. That's just bad music, and I graduated in '81."

8. "Stanley Cups. Yes, they're reusable, and that's 'good' for the environment. But, if they keep mass producing, and every teen/crazed entitled adult keeps buying every new release and then just reselling it. What is the actual point? It's just a super expensive cup that will soon see itself be just a passing fad. Like, remember the hype around Hydro Flasks? Exactly."

9. "Can't get behind Euphoria . As someone who suffers from mental health issues and eating disorders, I hate it being glorified on screen, even if it is HBO. Seems like everybody just likes to see messy, distraught people being played on TV."

10. "Beyoncé. I used to love her, but now all her music sounds the same. Her country album sounds like they just added a banjo to the same beats of her former music."

11. "I don’t get all the celebrity worship that goes on in this country. For instance, Taylor Swift is a great singer/songwriter— definitely the most successful — but people seem to be literally obsessed with her. This is just wild to me."

12. " Scooby-Doo is the absolute worst!"

13. "The movie Barbie was completely overrated. I think people got caught up in hype and marketing, making them not see that the movie was not all that great."

14. "I HATE 'Toxic' by Britney Spears."

15. "TikTok shopping hauls. People posting videos every week or sometimes several times a week of themselves showing off the clothes they bought at places like Shein. It is impossible for them ever to be able to wear all those clothes, and, at some point, all of it will end up in a landfill."

16. " The Bear. Loved Jeremy Allen White in Shameless , and he’s an amazing actor, but The Bear is mostly yelling, and in my opinion, it’s not as good as everyone says it is."

17. " E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . It's a genuinely bad movie that people seem to love for some reason."

18. "I didn't find the beginning of Up sad. Cute, sure, but I didn't cry or get teary-eyed."

19. "One that should be added is Elvis. So overrated."

20. "Those TikTok interior designer influencers who all have the same Studio McGee-ish sad beige home decor. Unoriginal, uninspired, boring, and lacks any type of personality other than, 'I want my house to look like everyone else's because I care more about how others perceive me.'"

21. "OK, here's a new one: The third season of Bridgerton did not live up to the first two seasons. GASP! Took me weeks to get through it, whereas I binged 1–2. Colin is a pompous ass, and Penelope just moped through every episode or looked alarmed. I wasn't convinced of their so-called chemistry, either. So sue me."

22. " Schitt's Creek wasn't funny. And I really tried to like it. I WANTED to like it."

23. "The draw to social media. Random strangers on the internet do not care. Social media is not social. It's about bragging and trying to get extra attention because you feel entitled. Social media has a negative influence on self-worth."

24. "As a Swiftie, even I have to say that Taylor Swift is not beyond reproach, and it's okay to critique her music. Not every criticism she receives is rooted in misogyny, sexism, or someone trying to tear her down because she is successful. At the end of the day, she makes music for herself and us, her fans, and we are the ones listening to it and supporting her. What a reviewer or someone online thinks isn't going to stop us from listening or make a project of hers unsuccessful."

25. " Napoleon Dynamite was and remains the most boring movie I’ve ever seen. I waited the entire movie for anything to happen, but nothing did. No action, no changes, no character growth. I spent a good several years just pretending to laugh with the quotes people loved to drop."

26. "Tony Stark is insufferable. This is the singular hill I will willingly die on. It’s the arrogance for me. I can’t do it."

27. "The movie Elf sucks. It's incredibly overrated in general, not just as a Christmas movie. I typically like Will Ferrell movies, but this one just doesn't do it for me at all. It's not funny; stop pretending it's a top-tier holiday movie."

28. And lastly, " Titanic is the most boring and ridiculously stupid movie ever filmed. One-dimensional characters and an overdone 'love story' that did not live up to the hype."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Alright, how do you feel about these takes? Are some of them making you say, "THANK YOU, FOR SAYING THAT!"? Or are these takes all wrong ? Let us know in the comments below!