Thereβs an old Chinese proverb that says, βThe gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.β
However, since that would make 2016 a polished turd, that saying doesnβt really mean much here. But perhaps we should look at this year as a test of our spirit.
Weβve lost a lot, but letβs not forget, weβve also gained a lot of terrible things! Here are some of the celebrities that we sadly procured in 2016.
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The days when we didnβt know who these people were ... they will be missed.
Ken "IZOD" Bone
Randy Holmes via Getty Images
Ken Bone became a household name back in October when he appeared during a presidential debate to ask a question about energy policy. His unique look captivated a nation, and the internet took it from there.
Gary "What Is Aleppo?" Johnson
Ida Mae Astute via Getty Images
Governor Gary Johnson was a viable third party candidate for the Libertarians, but was particularly gaffe-prone, famously asking what Aleppo, a war-torn city in Syria, was.
White Nationalist Leader Richard "I'm Too Handsome To Be Racist" Spencer
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Richard Spencer is the chairman of the innocuous sounding National Policy Institute, a white nationalist (read: white supremacist) think tank. He made headlines in November when speaking at an alt-right conference in Washington D.C. he exclaimed, "Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory!"
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The Trump Kids
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump. (Not pictured: Barron Trump and hunted African wildlife.)
Steve "Just Rolled Out Of Bed" Bannon
DOMINICK REUTER via Getty Images
Steve Bannon, Breitbart executive and champion of the alt-right movement, gained notoriety this year when Donald Trump made him his chief strategist. But Bannon is most recognized as that armed, disheveled stranger you always seem to meet in apocalyptic wastelands.
Reince "I'll Defend Anything" Priebus
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus first rose to prominence when he had to corral the 3,000ish Republicans who ran for president. But then, he later gave himself over to the dark side fully by defending everything that Donald Trump said and did.
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FBI Director James "Is This A Bad Time?" Comey
Gary Cameron / Reuters
FBI Director James Comey became famous on the internet in late October when he inexplicably wrote a letter to Congress every time he found an email with Hillary Clinton's name attached. Clinton was cleared of wrongdoing, but to America, Comey forever became that dude who barges in while you're on a really great date and won't leave.
Marco "Taco Trucks On Every Corner" Gutierrez
MSNBC
Marco Gutierrez is the co-founder of Latinos For Trump. Back in September, Gutierrez infamously stated that if we didn't do something about the "dominant" Latino culture, we would have "taco trucks on every corner," not realizing that people in fact have absolutely no problem with that idea.
Kayleigh "Lost Trump Child" McEnany
CNN
CNN pundit and Trump surrogate Kayleigh McEnany's job is like that of a public defender: try to convince people that her client isn't as bad as their actions suggest. It was exhausting to watch.
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The Alt-Right's Pepe The Frog
Carlo Allegri / Reuters
Pepe the Frog, once a perfectly innocent character in the comics of Matt Furie, was hijacked by hate groups and Trump supporters.
Evil Kermit
The Muppets
"Evil Kermit is a captioned image series featuring a screenshot of the Muppet character Kermit the Frog talking with his nemesis Constantine dressed as a Sith Lord from Star Wars, who instructs him to perform various indulgent, lazy, selfish and unethical acts." -- Know Your Meme
Harambe
Handout . / Reuters
Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, was shot and killed earlier this year when a child fell into the animal's habitat. No one knew who Harambe was before he was killed, but the event turned the gorilla into a pop culture celebrity.
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