Pop Culture Icebreakers for Your Thanksgiving Dinner
The only thing you have to do on Thanksgiving is eat, watch football, and — the toughest thing of all — talk to a whole lot of people whom you rarely see and, in many cases, don’t know well. When it comes to dinner conversation, it’s usually a good idea to stay away from politics and religion. So after chatting about how much you’ve enjoyed mom’s pecan pie or the best Black Friday sales, what else is there to possibly discuss?
Not much! Unless, of course, you use our handy list of questions meant to draw out your cousin’s husband (what’s his name?), get good ole great-aunt Gert gabbing, and keep everyone awake long after you’ve stuffed yourselves with turkey.
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
1. Miley Cyrus: Creative genius or woman with too much free time?
Chances are that even the grandparents in the room were once subjected to an episode of Hannah Montana. If nothing else, they have an idea of who the singer is because they really got down to her “Achy Breaky” dad back in the day. Her transformation from cutesy teen idol to a “Can’t Be Tamed” twerker is a conversation that could last until New Year’s Eve … at least!
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
2. Where will Justin Bieber be in 10 years?
Might be wise to wait until the youngins are out of the room for this one!
OK, Bieber has apologized for some of his bad behavior as of late, but no one’s forgotten his DUI arrest, assault charge, or acts of vandalism. Not to mention his abandoned monkey, his appalling disrespect of President Clinton and others, including fans at a concert in Oslo last month, when he abruptly left the stage because he didn’t like how the audience was acting.
Related: A Nervous Justin Bieber Continues Apology Tour at Roast
Still, Bieber Fever continues to sweep the nation. In September, his new song “What Do You Mean?” became his first to debut in the top spot on the Billboards charts. So it’s TBD if the 21-year-old is destined to become Justin Timberlake or some guy whose name you can almost remember. Or he could go in an entirely different direction and run for political office in his home country of Canada. Although last we heard, they weren’t his biggest fans.
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
3. Choose a BFF: Amy Schumer or Jennifer Lawrence.
Most of the older crowd will go for J.Law, because they loved her in that Robert De Niro picture Silver Linings Playbook. Katniss Everdeen fans will also pick Lawrence, but there’s definitely a case to be made for Schumer!
The Trainwreck star is one of the few people in Hollywood who’s as real as Lawrence. Plus, she’s hilarious and probably has awesome stories to tell about the exclusive fetes she’s been invited to in 2015, otherwise known as The Year of Amy Schumer.
Technically, since the comedian and Lawrence are now besties, you’d probably end up being the third in their group, no matter whom you choose, but no need to complicate things.
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
4. Do you think it bothers Taylor Swift that she and Katy Perry have “Bad Blood”?
This is an especially good topic, because whether you are Team Katy or Team Taylor, everyone seems to have an opinion. And while Swift has denied that her hit song is about Perry, it’s easy to see how it could be construed that way.
Maybe Swift, like many of us, has insecurities triggered by her alleged beef with the “Roar” singer that makes her think about it constantly. After all, celebrities are people too! Or, you know, maybe she’s too busy counting her money and handing out Moonmen to care…
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
5. Who’s your favorite Kardashian/Jenner and why?
A mention of the divisive family from Keeping Up With the Kardashians is guaranteed to get people talking, for better or worse.
If this debate about Kim, Caitlyn, and the rest of the crew takes a bad turn for you, you can get the conversation back on track with an even sillier question that still requires careful consideration. Something like, would you rather wear socks from Rob’s sock line (with shorts!) or read Kendall and Kylie’s sci-fi book?
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
6. Which late-night Jimmy do you prefer: Fallon or Kimmel?
Chances are good that everybody has a favorite Jimmy, even if they don’t regularly stay up to watch them. Both are funny and likable and seem to be buddies with everyone in Tinseltown.
Plus, maybe a conversation about them will cross over into a convo about Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, or Arsenio Hall. Remember that time the Chevy Chase show bombed? Everyone has seen the original Vacation. Lots of possibilities.
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
7. Scientology vs. Leah Remini. Discuss.
Tom Cruise, the TomKat wedding, and John Travolta all play a role in this much written about subject. It’s been talked about everywhere from The View to bookstores that carry Remini’s memoir, Troublemaker, and Lawrence Wright’s celebrity-filled Going Clear on the shelves. *Please note: If you happen to have a Scientologist sitting at your dinner table, you might want to steer clear of this topic.
(Thinkstock/Illustration: Imma Almourzaeva)
8. Kanye West and Lindsay Lohan said they are running for president in 2020. Who would get your vote?
OK, at first this seems like a ridiculous question. Yeezy and LiLo for president? They are completely unqualified to run for public office! (Then again, we said the same thing about Donald Trump.)
But just go with it, and really think about whether you’d rather have the Kardashians or Michael Lohan as part of the country’s First Family, or whether you’d rather have a holiday dedicated to Mean Girls or to one of Kanye’s favorite movies of all time, There Will Be Blood, on the calendar. Not such a simple choice now, is it?
The good news, of course, is that if none of these conversation starters do the trick, you’ll still be getting a good meal out of the day! That’s certainly something to be thankful for.
