Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Greta Thunberg Epically Trolls Climate Concert Crowd With Rick Astley Hit—And People Went Wild

Greta Thunberg Epically Trolls Climate Concert Crowd With Rick Astley Hit—And People Went Wild
Elena Di Vincenzo/Archivio Elena Di Vincenzo/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

The internet prank known as "Rickrolling" may be about a million years old in Internet years, but even Greta Thunberg knows a classic when she sees one.

The Swedish teen climate activist had people going absolutely wild when she trolled the crowd at a recent climate change-themed concert, treating attendees to a surprise performance of pop singer Rick Astley's 1987 hit—and beloved internet joke—"Never Gonna Give You Up."


Thunberg took to the stage at the Climate Live concert in Stockholm to sing and dance to the iconic song.

See a clip below.

@climatelive2021

dudu dududu dudududu #CANYOUHEARUSYET

At first when Thunberg took the stage, she appeared to be preparing to deliver another of the rousing speeches about climate change that she has become famous for--like the one a few weeks ago when she called out Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson for their inaction on the crisis.

But instead of launching into missives about fighting climate apocalypse, Thunberg delivered words that will seem instantly familiar to anyone who's spent time on the internet over the years:

"We're not strangers to love..."

A fellow activist onstage chipped in the next line of Astley's hit:

"You know the rules, and so do I..."

And suddenly the song came bursting out of the sound system as the crowd erupted into an ecstatic song and dance.

The "Rickroll," a long-running internet joke that first began on April Fool's Day 2007, involves a bait-and-switch prank where internet users follow a hyperlink purporting to be relevant to the topic at hand, but instead leads to Astley's deliciously cheesy 80s pop video.

But if you think Astley's feelings might be hurt by all this, think again.

Even he took to Twitter to praise Thunberg's stunt as "fantastic."


Speaking to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the usually serious Thunberg explained why she incorporated a Rickroll into her Cliamte Live appearance:

"At the end of the day, we are just teenagers fooling around with each other, not just the angry kids the media often portrays us as."

On Twitter, people absolutely loved it.












This isn't the first time Thunberg has Rickrolled us.

She previously used the trick in an April Fool's Day tweet this year offering climate change activism guidance, but led to Astley's video.

Good on her for having an appreciation for the internet classics!

More from Trending/funny-news

Screenshots from @theunobsolete's TikTok video
@theunobsolete/TikTok

Woman Speaks Out In Viral TikTok After Company Expects Her To Train 25-Year-Old They Promoted Over Her

No workplace is perfect, but there are certain, inexcusable things that a workplace simply cannot do, like withholding opportunities from an employee because of their age or sex.

TikToker @theunobsolete felt that she was passed over for a promotion due to her age and salary requirements, despite being qualified, while a fresh-out-of-grad-school candidate with no experience was given the role instead.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @laysuperstar's TikTok video
@laysuperstar/TikTok

Guy Waiting For Luggage At Baggage Claim Mortified After His Undergarments Start Coming Out One At A Time

We've all heard the advice to "travel light," but packing only one sock for a flight might be taking it a bit far.

But in all actuality, TikToker @laysuperstar's brother, Hugh, did not only pack a singular sock for his trip, even if that's what the airport baggage claim would like you to believe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gani Catan (in red) performs CPR on a seagull during an Istanbul First Amateur League playoff match after the bird was struck by a ball mid-game.
@straitstimes/TikTok

Turkish Soccer Player Performs CPR On Seagull Mid-Match After It's Struck By A Ball—And It Survived

In a playoff match full of high stakes, one player ended up fighting for a very different kind of win—one that came with feathers.

Let’s start at the beginning. As reported by The Guardian, in the 22nd minute of the Istanbul First Amateur League playoff final between Istanbul Yurdum Spor and Mevlanakapi Guzelhisar in Zeytinburnu, goalkeeper Muhammed Uyanik scooped up the ball with the league title hanging in the balance.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @maddy.aubry's TikTok video
@maddy.aubry/TikTok

Woman Furious After Discovering Her OB-GYN Accidentally Disclosed Her Pregnancy To Her Husband's Ex-Wife

Anyone in need of personal assistance with sensitive information, whether that's medical care, higher education, taxes, or something else of high importance, needs to understand the importance of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act).

Employees at these offices are required, under all circumstances, to verify a person's identity and to verify that the verified person has access to the file in question before sharing any information inside that file.

Keep ReadingShow less
Employees from Camelback Moving Company; Kehlani Rogers
@nbcnews/TikTok

Arizona Moving Crew Helps Rescue Kidnapped Girl From Amber Alert—And It's All Caught On Dashcam Video

Last Saturday, an Amber Alert was issued for 3-year-old Kehlani Rogers. Fortunately, she has been found, unharmed, by some unexpected heroes.

According to the Amber Alert issued by the Avondale Police Department in Arizona, Kehlani had last been seen at her home in Avondale on Friday night. Kehlani's parents had welcomed a woman named "Merena," who they assumed was about 30 years old, into their home after she appeared, asking for help.

Keep ReadingShow less