When you're one of the world's most famous and talented celebrities, everything you do makes front-page news. From her surprise album drops to her adorable family, Beyonce always sets tongues wagging, but Wonderwall.com is taking a look at the moments that sparked the most tweets, comments, likes and water cooler convos. Keep reading for Queen Bey's top 10 viral moments, in chronological order…
10. "Bootylicious"
Beyonce's first big viral moment came in 2001 when she released the hit single "Bootylicious" with Destiny's Child. The track climbed up the charts — peaking at No. 1 — and soon the term "bootylicious" was everywhere! In fact, the word became so popular that it was added to the to the Oxford English Dictionary (defined as a sexually attractive woman) in 2004.
9. "Crazy in Love"
Beyonce caused "all this conversation" when she went solo in 2003. Her first solo music video, "Crazy in Love," became a pop culture phenomenon and her debut album, "Dangerously in Love," sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and earned Queen Bey five Grammy Awards. Who doesn't remember attempting the "uh-oh" dance in front of the TV?!
8. "Single Ladies"
Beyonce's most viral music video to date was released in 2008. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" became an overnight Internet sensation. The iconic choreography was copied everywhere and by everyone, from Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg in a hilarious "Saturday Night Live" skit to President Barack Obama, who tried out the signature hand move backstage at his 2009 inauguration. Fans also recreated the video on YouTube, racking up thousands of views. "Single Ladies" won three Grammy Awards in 2010 including song of the year and was certified quadruple-platinum. It currently has more than 718 million views on YouTube alone.
7. MTV VMA pregnancy announcement
Beyonce literally broke the internet when she announced at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards that she and husband JAY-Z were expecting their first child, daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The superstar singer debuted her baby bump on the red carpet and famously opened up her sequined jacket to rub her stomach during her performance of "Love on Top" later that evening. To top it all off, Bey told the audience, "I want you to feel the love that's growing inside of me," before she started singing. The baby news was the most tweeted-about event in the platform's history, with 8,868 tweets per second!
6. Surprise "Beyonce" album drop
Beyonce not only made headlines with the release of her self-titled visual album — she changed the music industry as a whole. "Beyonce" was released in December 2013 — with no prior promotion, announcements or singles. The album was an instant success that critics and fans loved. It was certified two-times platinum and sold more than 800K copies worldwide within the first three days of release. Many popular artists including J. Cole, Drake and Ariana Grande went on to drop surprise albums following the success of "Beyonce," and the trend continues to this day.
5. The Met Gala elevator fight
Talk about a family feud. The entire world was clued in to the Carters' personal drama when a video surfaced of Beyonce's sister, Solange, physically attacking Bey's hubby, JAY-Z, in an elevator following the 2011 Met Gala. The video did not include audio and the family refused to comment on what the altercation was about, causing a ton of speculation and rumors. The couple eventually released a statement simply saying that "our family has worked through it." Beyonce later commented on the incident in a remix of her song "Flawless," singing "of course sometimes s— go down when it's a billion dollars on an elevator." Her 2016 album might also have given a clue about what motivated the infamous elevator fight…
4. "Lemonade"
Beyonce had all the girls singing "I ain't sorry!" when she dropped her second visual album, "Lemonade," in April 2016. The Grammy-winning album tells the story of a woman discovering her husband's infidelity and the emotional journey she goes through before reaching forgiveness — and it led to a host of commentary about the status of Bey and JAY-Z's marriage. She let the music do the talking for her and never directly commented on the rumors, although Jay later confirmed that he'd been unfaithful. "Lemonade" sold more than 3 million units in the United States alone.
3. The twins pregnancy announcement
What's better than one baby? Two! Beyonce caused a frenzy on the Internet when she announced on Instagram in February 2017 that she was pregnant with twins, Sir and Rumi Carter. The now-legendary photo quickly racked up 11.2 million likes and was the most liked photo of 2017. By early 2018, the picture had become the most liked photo of all time. Kylie Jenner broke Beyonce's record with her own baby reveal in February that year, but we know the queen will rule again some day.
2. Beychella
Beyonce's 2018 Coachella performance was so influential, people called the event Beychella instead to reflect her awesomeness. Bey became the first black woman to headline the musical festival when she hit the stage in the California desert that April. Her superstar set was the most viewed Coachella performance and the most viewed live music festival performance on YouTube ever. As if that wasn't enough, Beyonce documented the entire thing and released her own Emmy-nominated Coachella special, "Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce," on Netflix in April 2019. An estimated 1.1 million viewers tuned in to watch the documentary during its opening weekend.
1. Golden State Warriors courtside drama
Beyonce's latest viral moment came during the 2019 NBA Finals. The "Lemonade" singer was watching the Golden State Warriors take on the Toronto Raptors with husband JAY-Z when Nicole Curran, the wife of Warriors owner Joe Lacob, leaned over Beyonce to ask Jay for his drink order. Seems innocent enough, right? Wrong! Clips and photos of the moment were soon splashed all over social media and the Beyhive was not having it! Fans bombarded Nicole's Instagram with bee emojis, jokes and mean comments. She soon spoke out to explain that she had no ill intent, but that didn't stop the death threats. Eventually, Bey's longtime publicist had to release a statement to call off the Hive. "I know your love runs deep but that love has to be given to every human," Yvette Noel-Schure wrote on Instagram. "It will bring no joy to the person you love so much if you spew hate in her name. We love you." Talk about drama!