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

Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter/YouTube

Fans Defend Sabrina Carpenter Once Again After New Video Sparks Backlash For Being Too 'Sexual'

When it comes to controversy, the heir apparent to "Queen of Pop" Madonna couldn't be clearer: Sabrina Carpenter.

Carpenter has repeatedly been at the center of the exact same angry debates we had four decades ago about Madonna: When a woman is overtly sexual in her work, is she liberating women or shackling them?

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pope Leo
Radio Genoa

MAGA Melts Down After 'Woke' Pope Leo Urges The World To 'Search Always For Peace'

MAGA followers were not happy with Pope Leo XIV and accused him of being "woke" after he, in remarks to reporters, implored "people of good will" to "search always for peace."

The Pope spoke out after President Donald Trump insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
CNN Airs Montage Of Trump Praising Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens And Alex Jones After He Calls Them 'Losers' In Viral Rant
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

CNN Airs Montage Of Trump Praising Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens And Alex Jones After He Calls Them 'Losers' In Viral Rant

CNN aired a fitting montage after President Donald Trump launched a broad attack on several conservative media figures—Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones—accusing them of being “stupid,” attention-seeking, and out of step with his political movement.

Carlson urged U.S. military aides to refuse any orders involving the killing of Iranian civilians. Owens, formerly of Turning Point USA, condemned the administration as “satanic” and called on Congress to remove what she described as the “Mad King Trump.”

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

Woman Calls Out Company Over $300 Fee To Keep Photos And Videos Of Kitchen Renovation Off Internet

Social media has not only made information more accessible, but it's made it so much harder to preserve privacy.

For social media influencers, it's important for them to be as discreet as they can be about their living location and frequent places that they visit, because otherwise their followers and viewers could begin to piece together where they go and where they live.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @crystelmontenegrohome's Tiktok video
@crystelmontenegrohome/TikTok

Mom's Genie Wish For Disney Vacation Hilariously Backfires Once Kids Realize The Surprise Is A Cruise

It is a rite of passage in every parent's life to plan out every detail of a special surprise for their children, only for that surprise to totally fall flat at the time of the reveal. Sometimes, that surprise could even involve Disney!

Mom and TikToker @crystelmontenegrohome purchased a toy replica of the genie lamp from Aladdin and proceeded to tell her children that she received three wishes, which she wanted to spend on a special trip for her family.

Keep ReadingShow less