History was made to be broken.
These past twelve months were full of firsts in Hollywood, with several stars helping to make the 2022 Oscars one of the most historic nights in recent pop culture history. Not only did Ariana DeBose became the first Afro Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award for acting, but CODA's Troy Kotsur was the first deaf male actor to earn an Oscar. Plus, Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson made history at the Emmys, while Jennifer Hudson joined the elite EGOT club.
But the term "trailblazer" isn't just limited to winning gold hardware, as Selena Gomez and Mila Kunis both raised millions of dollars for causes close to home for them and Selma Blair inspired viewers with her emotional run on Dancing With the Stars. On TikTok, Dylan Mulvaney continued to share her transition journey and advocate for transgender rights, while the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team netted their most impressive win yet in their fight for equal pay.
So let's raise a glass to celebrate the celebrity trailblazers of 2022:
When the West Side Story star received the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2022 Oscars, she became the first Afro Latina and first openly queer woman of color to win an Academy Award for acting.
"Imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus. When you look into her eyes you see an openly queer woman of color, an Afro Latina, who found her strength in life through art. And that's what I believe we're here to celebrate," DeBose said during her acceptance speech. "So to anybody who's ever questioned your identity ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the grey spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us."
Hudson became the youngest performer to achieve EGOT status in June when she won a Tony Award for producing the Broadway musical, A Strange Loop.
The noteworthy term "EGOT" refers to the impressive achievement of nabbing all four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. And Hudson, 41, is the 17th person in history to join an already notable list, which includes the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend and Rita Moreno.
In September, Hudson added another impressive feat to her resume, kicking off The Jennifer Hudson Show, her daytime talk-variety series.
The creator and star of ABC's critically acclaimed sitcom Abbott Elementary was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the year. Among her achievements: Making history at the 2022 Emmys when she won Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, becoming just the third Black writer and the second Black female writer to win the award.
At the event, Brunson told E! News why the show's representation of educators was so important.
"My mom was a teacher," the 32-year-old explained. "I was so close to it all my life. I was in my mom's class. Schools like Abbott, with Black children and Black teachers who care about them, they're very special places. Places of community and safety and morals and intense humor."
More than that, though, Brunson said that showing all facets of the school—the good, the bad and the very, very funny—was crucial.
"That was what was important to me, the funny of that kind of environment—every day these people show up and do this job, and there's something endearing in that," she noted. "I'm so happy we've done such a good job that teachers feel represented by what we do. It wasn't necessarily our goal but I think we've done a good job of sticking to the accuracy that teachers represent."
The 41-year-old actor became one of the first Latin-American actors to star in a leading role in a Marvel movie when he played the villain Namor in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. To bring the iconic comics character to the surface world for the first time, Huerta, who is Mexican, had to learn how to swim and work in two languages, English and Yucatec Mayan, neither of which are his first.
An outspoken activist, Huerta released a book, Orgullo Prieto (Brown Pride), earlier this year that shines a list on discriminatory behavior and helps explain antiracism.
"I'm the child of Mesoamerican civilizations, even if my veins have blood from many parts of the world," Huerta told The New York Times in November. "In terms of my identity, culturally and emotionally, I am tied to, shaped by and in sync with my history, with my heritage"
In 2020, Gomez, 30, created the Rare Impact Fund to raise $100 million to provide free mental health resources for young people. And in May 2022, the Rare Beauty founder met with President Joe Biden to discuss the creation of a mental health syllabus in the nation's education system after hosting the first ever Youth Action Forum on Mental Health in coordination with the White House.
"When you're struggling with your mental health, the essential part is knowing what to do and recognizing that," the Only Murders in the Building star and producer explained in her November AppleTV+ documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me. "It's something that I'm not ashamed of."
The TikTok star and trans activist has gained a massive following—10 million and counting—since she began sharing daily videos in her "Days of Girlhood" series, documenting her transition. The videos have amassed one billion views, with her most recent installment on Dec. 17, giving fans updates from her facial feminization surgery
In an interview with E! News over the summer, the 25-year-old reflected on her journey thus far and the support she has received from her followers.
"I think the coolest part has been seeing people feel inspired to be themselves and getting these messages of hope, acceptance and support," Mulvaney said. "As overwhelming as this whole experience has been, and as exhausting as it's been, I do feel very much energized by my followers and by all the love."
Four decades into her impressive career, Yeoh was named Time's Icon of the Year after starring in the hit action film Everything Everywhere All at Once. Given that her performance is generating Oscars buzz, Yeoh could become the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
"I've thought about it," Yeoh, 60, told Time. "And not just me—I feel like my full Asian community has thought about it. They come up to me and they say, 'You're doing it for us.'"
After first filing their equal pay lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation in 2019, the USWNT reached a historic $24 million settlement in February. According to its terms, U.S. Soccer will pay men and women at an equal rate in the future in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup.
"For us, this is just a huge win in ensuring that we not only right the wrongs of the past, but set the next generation up for something we only dreamed of," the team's unofficial spokesperson Megan Rapinoe said on the Today show in February. "We are really in the midst of an incredible turning point in women's sport."
In July, two-time World Cup champion Rapinoe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Biden, making her the first soccer player to earn the award.
The heartwarming Apple TV+ drama musical, which starred Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant and Marlee Matlin, made history at the 2022 Oscars with its Best Picture win, making it the first film with a predominantly deaf cast to take home the top award. (The film's acronym stands for children of deaf adults, following the travails of 17-year-old Ruby [Jones], the only hearing member of her deaf family with dreams of attending Berklee College of Music.)
And Kostur became the first deaf male performer to take home an Oscar, winning Best Supporting Actor. "I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the deaf community, the C.O.D.A. community and the disabled community," the 53-year-old said. "This is our moment."
CODA director Sian Heder also won Best Adapted Screenplay, and Kostur credited the writer for being the "best communicator" during his time on stage.
"You brought the deaf world and the hearing world together," Kotsur said. "You are our bridge, and your name will forever be on that bridge."
The actress and her husband Ashton Kutcher reached their goal of raising $30 million to help Ukraine amid Russia's invasion in March.
"Over 65,000 of you donated," Kunis said in a March 17 video shared on Instagram. "We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support. While this is far from a solve of the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty."
By November, the couple had raised an additional $7 million and pledged to continue their efforts. The conflict hits close to home for Kunis, who moved to the United States from her native Ukraine in 1991 at the age of 7.
"I've always considered myself American—a proud American," the Luckiest Girl Alive star said in a separate video. "I love everything this country has done for myself and my family. But today I have never been more proud to be Ukrainian."
After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, the Legally Blonde actress shared her health journey with the world when she joined the cast of Dancing With the Stars' 31st season.
"This is a new chapter of growing my stamina and really healing," Blair told E! News of joining the Disney+ competition series in September. "Not just healing, but finding strength and support."
She added, "It is for the viewer, because that is what's given me support. In dark times in my life, there have been people that came forward—strangers on the street or Instagram... I'm doing it for them."
Though she was forced to exit the competition early per her doctors' recommendations, noting she could risk extensive damage to her body if she continued, Blair delivered one last "beautiful dance" with her partner, Sasha Farber, fittingly set to "What the World Needs Now."
And in December, Blair won Competition Contestant of 2022 at the People's Choice Awards, where she delivered an emotional speech.
"This is kind of a huge deal for me," the 50-year-old said. "I have been in this town a long time. I have so many amazing friends that win things like this. This feels so amazing and I can't believe the people gave me something after giving me so much the last few years of learning how to connect and to feel supported by people. It means so much."
Thirteen years after he began appearing in projects for the Hallmark Channel, the Mean Girls alum made history when he starred in the network's first LGBTQ+-led Christmas rom-com, The Holiday Sitter. Bennett also produced and co-wrote the TV movie.
"I'm just so proud to be on Hallmark channel that's making these movies for everyone," Bennett—who married TV host Jaymes Vaughan earlier this year—told E! News in November. "Because Christmas is for everyone and Hallmark channels are for everyone."
One Tree Hill's Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Lenz and Sophia Bush do so much more than discuss old episodes of their CW series on their hit podcast, which launched in 2021. The three co-stars have continued to discuss the drama and misconduct that allegedly plagued the set and its toxic work environment on Drama Queens, with Bush telling CBS Mornings in January that their podcast is "really about reclaiming our show."
"You have these great memories, but you also have some things you went through that were less than ideal," she continued. "But I think so many people, not just in our industry, but many industries—you've heard so many people talk about the toxic work culture, and it's a strange thing when you have kind of the good and the bad wrapped up in the thing that launched your career."
The speedskater from the Netherlands became the first athlete in history to win an individual gold medal at five different Olympic Games when she competed in the 1,500 meters at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. More than 16 years into her Olympic career, the 35-year-old is now the most decorated openly LGBTQ athlete of all time.