As the Star’s pop culture columnist, Vinay Menon has provided entertainment value in everything from U.S. politics to his own car being stolen while it was parked outside his home. To honour his humourous but critical contributions, here are the top 10 most read Menon columns of 2024.
1. Opinion | Melania Trump sentences herself to solitary confinement as Donald Trump awaits his criminal verdict
Menon’s most read column from 2024 was a piece about Melania Trump being MIA from court for her husband and now president-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case.
At the time, reporters were asking “Where’s Melania?” Menon’s answer: “Where’s Melania? Ah, let’s see. She’d rather dig for cobalt in the Congo with her bare hands than sit in a dank courtroom and listen to how her husband allegedly cheated on her with a Playboy model — and then cheated on the Playboy model with a porn star — all while she was pregnant? She’d rather shave her head, wear off-the-rack from Target and volunteer in a soup kitchen before being forced to listen to Stormy Daniels detail a sexual tryst that lasted about as long as a Geico ad?”
Read the full column here
2. Opinion | Ryan Gosling’s stunned face after his ‘I’m Just Ken’ win is a harbinger of 2024
When Ryan Gosling sealed the deal to play Ken in the Barbie movie, little did he know he would become one of the most memorable memes of 2024 or the subject of the second most read Menon column of the year. Menon dedicates this column to the side-eye Gosling gave when it was announced he won a Critics Choice Award for his song “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie.”
“Everyone was happy for Ryan Gosling — except Ryan Gosling,” Menon writes. “Instead, his eyes darted side to side as if he was refereeing a ping-pong tournament.”
Read the full column here
3. Opinion | The ‘pee-stain denim’ trend is a sign that the world is coming apart at the wet seams
“The world is coming apart at the wet seams,” Menon wrote in a column about a wacky fashion trend that was reportedly selling like hotcakes. This column ranks third on the list with a dissection of the “pee stain denim” trend that had people willing to be put on wait-lists and pay over a grand just to keep pace with fashion.
“Incontinence is now a fashion statement.”
Read the full column here
4. Opinion | I watched my car get stolen. Why grand theft auto has become a maddening game in Toronto
Menon tapped into the growing car theft crisis in Toronto when his own vehicle was stolen on an early January morning in 2024. He creatively makes fun of his misfortune in this fourth most read column, in which he also calls for the government and carmakers to find solutions.
“Watching some brazen jackass blithely abscond with my vehicle this week made my blood boil,” Menon said. “My kitty litter and paper towels from Costco were still in the trunk!”
Read the full column here
5. Opinion | Tucker Carlson is in Canada to liberate us from the tyranny of Justin Trudeau
Earlier in 2024, American conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson called for the “liberation of Canada” before he set foot in the country for events in Calgary and Edmonton.
Menon clapped back at Carlson in his fifth most read column, asking what Carlson wanted to liberate the country from.
“Universal health care? Safe schools? Social and economic metrics that routinely rank Canada in the Top 5 of Best Countries in the World?”
Read the full column here
6. How bad is Lara Trump’s song ‘Anything Is Possible’? So bad it might save America
“It’s like Bigfoot trying to pass himself off as a Lilliputian,” wrote Menon of Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who released a song called “Anything Is Possible” that didn’t make the cut for the Star’s pop culture columnist — a sentiment many on social media shared.
Read the full column here
7. Opinion | ‘Drink this water or move to Canada’: MAGA’s new ‘anti-woke’ water is the latest taste of political desperation
We all know water is fundamental for our survival, but “in these polarized times, even what kind of water you drink is now political,” wrote Menon of controversial bottled water brand Freedom2o, which was advertised at an American conservative conference in June.
“Drink this water or move to Canada,” is one of the statements on the rolling banner atop the Freedom2o website.
Read the full column here
8. Opinion | Kamala Harris didn’t just pick a great VP in Tim Walz — she boosted her odds of winning
Yet another column on U.S. politics made the top 10, in which Menon wrote of his confidence in Kamala Harris choosing Tim Walz as her running mate in the summer before the November election.
“Walz is a problem solver who knows how to bridge both sides with decency and common sense,” Menon said.
Read the full column here
9. Opinion | Donald Trump’s dumbest move yet was agreeing to debate Joe Biden
“Agreeing to debate Biden may be Trump’s dumbest move yet,” Menon wrote, adding that President Joe Biden made the “genius move” of issuing a video challenge to the republican leader to step forward for the first debate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“Here’s why Trump has already lost: there will be no studio audience.”
Read the full column here
10. Opinion | Jon Stewart’s raw grief over the death of his dog, Dipper, reveals a universal truth: when it comes to animals, we humans are the same
Although most of his columns are lighthearted with zingers, Menon threw humour out the door for this soul-striking piece on American comedian Jon Stewart’s raw display of grief on “The Daily Show” in February when he shared that his dog, Dipper, had died.
“The world has never felt more divided. But there are still experiences that unite. The crushing pain that comes after losing a pet transcends our differences. We may bicker over politics. We may get drawn into ridiculous culture wars. But we humans mourn our animals in the exact same way.”
Read the full column here
