The end of the year is rapidly approaching, and with it, 2026 is also coming. 2025 was a crazy year for pop culture and the world. Beyoncé’s Grammy, Labubus, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Wicked, and a new Pope took the world by storm this year. These shaped how people will look back on 2025, and how I form my pop culture predictions for 2026.
Firstly, I predict that Sabrina Carpenter will win Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys for her album, Man’s Best Friend. Carpenter’s fame exploded in 2025 following the release of her album. Carpenter’s album has over two billion streams (as of December 15, 2025). Despite its late release on August 29, the album’s rapid growth and its record-breaking release make it a strong contender for the award, and in my opinion, the front-runner.
My next prediction is that, like the Apple Vision and Meta Glasses, there will be a new mainstream augmented reality device that will bring technology to the real world. The issue with those two products is their price. The products cost $3500 and $800, respectively, for their newest products. Brilliant Labs, a tech company based in Singapore, is making augmented reality glasses called “Halo”, set to release in early 2026. These glasses will have a starting price of $300. This is much cheaper than the Apple and Meta equivalents. For this reason, I believe that augmented reality glasses will boom in popularity in 2026, becoming a staple in culture.
Next, I think Tom Holland and Zendaya will get married in 2026. The couple has been engaged since late 2024, but has held off on their marriage due to each other’s busy schedules. There hasn’t been a date set for the wedding yet, but I have reason to believe it will be this year. The average time between engagement and marriage is 12-18 months. Given the couple’s late 2024 engagement, the 12-18-month time frame would put their marriage in the early to middle part of 2026. Along with other rumors swirling around regarding their marriage, I am inclined to believe, and to predict, that Holland and Zendaya will get married in 2026.
My final prediction is that TikTok will not be banned (in the U.S.) in 2026. There has been a lot of speculation about TikTok’s future in the U.S., especially following the legal battle between ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company in China, and the U.S. government. It has been concluded that if a sale of TikTok to a U.S. company doesn’t occur, the app will be banned. The deadline for this sale has been pushed back multiple times, most recently on June 18 by President Donald Trump, who has pushed the deadline to January 23, 2026. Despite the date looming, I don’t believe the ban will occur. Oracle, a tech company based in Austin, Texas, has a framework for a purchase laid out, but no significant progress has been made. However, I believe that the framework will have enough of an influence over President Trump to have him place an extension on the deadline to ensure time for a potential deal to occur. I predict TikTok will be sold to Oracle, and thus, TikTok will not be banned in the U.S. in 2026.
Overall, 2026 promises to be an exciting year for pop culture, tech, and entertainment. From Sabrina Carpenter potentially taking home a Grammy, to the rise of affordable augmented reality glasses with Brilliant Labs’ Halo, the year is set up for innovation and cultural breakthroughs. On the celebrity front, fans may finally celebrate the marriage of Holland and Zendaya, while the fate of TikTok will continue to capture the attention of millions, with its future likely secured by a U.S. sale. These predictions offer a glimpse of moments that could define 2026.