The Gist

• Rumors circulated online in November 2023 that Bård Ylvisåker from the duo Ylvis — of “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” viral fame — passed away.
• Folks who saw a VGTV televised “funeral” for the singer, which shows him laying down in a casket, led many to believe he was dead.
• Singer Maria Mena led a choir in a slowed-down and sad performance of the viral hit track.
• Bård is not dead, however, and the video was just indeed a staged performance.

The phenomenon of viral one-hit wonders from artists who seemingly come out of nowhere and gain massive popularity on the internet are an interesting phenomenon: for a few weeks (or months, even), these tracks are seemingly everywhere. About a year or two later, playing the track at a party seems like an insult, until the appropriate “throwback” threshold has been reached.

Ylvis (a comedy duo composed of brothers Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker) is one such artist, but fans became worried in November 2023 that Bård may’ve passed away. But what really happened? And what has Ylvis been up to in the years since their hit 2013 track?

And while neither Mena or any of the other singers ever once cracks a smile throughout the performance, the same can’t be said for the folks who were in attendance for the artist’s funeral.

Which probably means one of the following:

• (A) A few people at the funeral who were happy to see the singer dead
• (B) A testament to how much of a bop “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) is
• (C) Norwegians either have strange funeral customs or a sick sense of humor
• (D) The funeral was staged, Bård is still alive, and the video was a bit of dark humor in action

Of course one could add to the final aforementioned multiple choice selection that Ylvis could be making a wider statement on the life cycle of viral one-hit wonder tracks in general.

Bård is indeed still among the living; after the performance, he even stood up, exited the coffin, and conducted an interview afterward.

While it’s difficult to imagine that anyone would see the video and so many of the laughing folks watching and recording the performance, and think that Bård legitimately died, there are some images that could’ve been lifted from the video that would lead folks to think he actually passed away.

And it wouldn’t be just pictures of him in his coffin that could convince folks he died; Marina Mena shared some photos in a multi-picture Instagram upload that shows just how far the video production went to replicate the look and feel of a legitimate funeral.

In her post, she features a snapshot of a memoriam pamphlet showing Bård’s face along with his birth and fake death year and in another photo she’s holding up the same exact image on a funeral portrait style painting.

Again, however, the jovial nature of the other pictures in the post don’t exactly scream “rest in peace.”

After their 2013 mega-hit, the brothers continued to put out music, releasing their first album in 2014. They also continued to appear on Norwegian TV (where they first grew to fame) and even released a documentary series in 2018 that took stories from Norwegian news and turned them into musicals. And in 2022, they began making content for VGTV.

The guys also post a slew of funny social media posts, interspersed with clips of musical performances, and even some extended love for the track that was a global phenomenon. A great example would be the somber instrumental version of “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” set to this brilliant clip of a lost McDonald’s cheeseburger’s globe-trotting journey back home to their McFamily.

The Gist:

• Joshua Jackson’s marriage to Jodie Turner-Smith ended in October 2023.
• Lupita Nyong’o also split up with her boyfriend around the same time.
• The two actors have been seen together in recent months.

Pacey is all grown up and making adult decisions about his dating life. Joshua Jackson has separated from his wife of three years and appears to be dating someone new: Lupita Nyong’o.

So when did the new couple get together? Tongues have been wagging in Hollywood and beyond about the possible timeline. Here are the all details about their relationship.

In October 2023, the former teen heartthrob and the Black Panther star were first spotted at a Janelle Monáe concert in Los Angeles, but fans weren’t sure what to make of the outing, since they were with a group of friends, per People.

We’ll get to the interesting timing of the event in a moment, but first, the two would seemingly soon confirm that they are dating when Joshua and Lupita were seen running errands together in early December, also in Los Angeles.

Finally, on Dec. 5, Joshua and Lupita were photographed hand-in-hand in Joshua Tree, Calif., putting speculation to rest that they are indeed together after ending their respective previous relationships.

The Gist:

• The term “Amish oil change” has been circulating on TikTok recently, and it has two definitions that are nasty in different ways.
• The first involves a procedure that ensures that a horse has regular bowel movements, and the second involves performing a sexual act on the animal.
• Frankly, we would encourage you to avoid trying either definition on your own if you can avoid it.

While there are plenty of people who know how to change the oil in their cars, even those who are particularly good with cars may be confused by the idea of an Amish oil change. The phrase, which has trended on TikTok, seems to be a paradoxical take on the phase. After all, the Amish quite famously don’t drive cars.

Although the idea of an Amish oil change predates the internet, the phrase has become much more well known in large part thanks to its appearance on TikTok. Now, many people want to know what it means.

In a car, oil changes are a necessary part of maintenance. If you don’t change the oil in your car regularly, it won’t work anymore.

The same is true for horses, who are living beings in their own right. They’re also key to many people’s livelihoods, including the Amish. Just like cars, horses need to be taken care of if you want them to carry you from place to place like the Amish do. The Amish also use horses to plow fields instead of using big machinery.

An Amish oil change refers to a particularly nasty procedure that anyone, Amish or not, who has a horse may have had to do at some point. If a horse is sick and hasn’t been pooping regularly, its caretakers may have to put on a glove that goes all the way up to their shoulder. They reach into the horse’s rear end and unblock it so that it can once again have regular bowel movements.

Suddenly, the dirt required to change the oil on your car doesn’t seem too bad. For many non-Amish horse owners, they would call a veterinarian to come out and treat the horse — Amish oil change included. Although the Amish likely take care of a blockage themselves, most horse owners will pay a professional.

The term “Amish oil change” came about because it’s a little bit like changing the oil on your car.

It’s a fairly clever turn of phrase that describes a pretty nasty part of animal care. Still, if you’re someone who works with horses regularly, you’re likely familiar with how gross the work can be at times.