The 17 Wildest Stories We Published in 2023

Phew, 2023. It was the year of Ozempic and the animal uprising; of George Santos appearing on Ziwe and Angela Bassett doing the thing, and Colleen Balinger's 10-minute ukelele apology. (If you want a rundown of everything that happened this year, check out the 203 Pop Culture Moments of 2023 here.)

This year we published exhaustive reports on the murky world of antivaxxer influencers and showbiz nepo babies, and behind-the-scenes despatches from the billionaire private concert industry and a maid cafe that was called a “Hooters for incels”. We went to a Shrek rave. We hung out with Bryan Johnson. We found cartel-linked pharmacies slinging fake pills laced with fentanyl to unsuspecting tourists. Oh, and somewhere in between all of that, one of our reporters accidentally became a foot fetish model. (She wrote about that, too.)

If you want a slice of the world at its weirdest and wildest, read on for our totally subjective list of the best stories of the year.

Earlier this year, the Goyim Defence League and the Blood Tribe—two neo-Nazi groups—held a rally in Orlando, Florida, which saw about 50 of their members march in unison on the streets and scream racial slurs at locals. But all of the attention soon came to centre on a heavily tattooed man called “BoneFace” with a very suspicious backstory, as reported by senior reporter Mack Lamoureux.

Among the presents at 22-year-old newly-wed Hemendra Merawi’s wedding was a brand new music system. But when he and his brother plugged it in and switched it on, it exploded, killing them both. As senior reporter Pallavi Pundir reports, it’s part of a growing trend in India known as “jilted lover syndrome”.

Tech CEO Bryan Johnson is hellbent on discovering the fountain of youth, no matter how much money it costs, pain he endures, or skepticism you have. “I am,” he says, “what I always longed to become.” Senior features editor Maxwell Strachan went to meet this living experiment. Oh, and if you want to know just how arduous his longevity diet is – writer Rhys Thomas gamely took on the challenge for us. You can read that here.

Tonnes of celebs are cashing in on corporate gigs, many prioritising money over morals – Post Malone, Tom Jones, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa all have performed in the United Arab Emirates, for one. Writer Kyle MacNeill speaks to bookers about their wildest stories from this shadowy circuit.

Danny Lemoi took a daily dose of veterinary-grade Ivermectin and told his thousands of followers to give the drug to children. He died of a common side effect of the medication. Senior reporter David Gilbert tells the story of Lemoi and his fans.

Tim “Doc” Anderson, once a respected boxer, is in prison for killing the promoter he believes poisoned him in the ring. Writer Nick Thompson unravels a fascinating story from the underworld of ‘90s boxing.

A tactic where gangs use scuba divers to attach cocaine stashes to the hulls of unsuspecting ships is on the rise, according to VICE News analysis. But for those who carry out these brazen operations, it can be fatal. Our global drugs editor Max Daly reports on this strange new trend in drug trafficking.

In 2018, writer Elizabeth McCafferty was made aware of a picture of her feet on the website Wikifeet. Three years later, she was offered £6,000 for more pics. This is the story of her own personal odyssey into the world of foot fetishes.

Jon May, 25, has livestreamed most of his pints directly from the pub and kept a record of his progress in a spreadsheet – and he’s now a viral star. Writer and social editor Ella Glossop met him to chat about beer, beer money and becoming TikTok-famous.

In a London club, a fandom of nerds, normies and gays united to breathe strange new life into a 20-year-old Pixar franchise at the UK’s first ever “Shrek rave”. Writer Snake Denton donned some green face-paint and headed on down.

As revealed by VICE News’s Mitchell Prothero, this is the previously unreported inside story of how the former prime minister of Qatar became the victim of one of the world’s biggest – and weirdest – jewellery heists.

Amazon don’t care about their workers’ bladders, but do you know what they do care about? Selling stuff. Writer and filmmaker Oobah Butler put their platform to the test by marketing a new energy drink made of, well, piss.

Costa Rica has been the world’s leading exporter of pineapples since 2001, but such accelerated expansion has come at a cost. Managing editor Becky Burgum reports on the country’s growing pesticide addiction, and what it’s doing to the fruit, the earth and our bodies.

From Benedict Cumberbatch to Bridgerton, the posh and parentally blessed are everywhere in UK entertainment. Elle Hunt writes about subtler, nastier, and arguably more effective role of nepotism in British society. Want to find out who’s related to who? Check out our map of the nepo baby network here.

On a sheet by the door at Animaid Cafe is a list of “cafe etiquette” rules, number one being: “No touching or asking to touch the maids”. Writer and senior social editor Helen Meriel Thomas went for a strange and dreamy day out at the anime-themed bubble tea spot that caused a moral panic.

Tourists can buy opioids and benzos in Mexico without prescriptions. But, according to our investigation with the Bunk Police, many of the pills are fake and laced with fentanyl and meth. Deborah Bonello, the LATAM editorial director of VICE News, reported on this troubling discovery.

By day Kenny Bollwerk works at a pizza shop, but by night he turns watchdog and gives rat tours exposing the city’s worst infestations. Senior reporter Manisha Krishnan spent a grotty weeknight with Bollwerk searching for the real kings of New York.