What does it mean to be the ‘Internet’s Boyfriend’? Here’s who won it in 2023

To put it simply, an Internet boyfriend is a celebrity or, more often than not, a made-up character from a movie, TV show, or book on whom many girls and boys develop a massive crush all at once. This crush is fueled by a religious devotion consisting of posts, stories, and memes that elevate the crushee to the level of an empyrean. 

“When real men disappoint us, our Internet boyfriends will always be here for us to prove what men could and should be like: beautiful, kind, authentic. In a way, most Internet boyfriends have a little soft boy to them. Soft boys project vulnerability in a way that makes them seem admirable and approachable. They are floppy in countenance and sometimes a little squirrely in body language. They seem unthreatening and ultimately, kind. And if they have a king, it is Timothée Chalamet”. A pop culture expert, Esther Zuckerman, wrote the book A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends: Meme-Worthy Celebrity Crushes From A to Z, a sort of bible of the phenomenon.

Here are the ten most popular internet boyfriends of 2023, according to US Weekly:

10: Timothee Chalamet

Without Chalamet, would it be an internet boyfriend list? In the film Wonka, the Oscar contender played the legendary chocolatier Willy Wonka, landing him one of his biggest roles.

9: Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer

Bailey and Bomer, both gorgeous in their own right, performed outstandingly in the miniseries Fellow Travelers as Tim and Hawkins, respectively. During the press tour for the play, they also flaunted their fantastic chemistry as true friends, particularly during their charming BuzzFeed Puppy Interview.

8: Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal

The news that Mescal and Scott will play romantic leads in a movie made both normal people and Fleabag fans very happy. The All of Us Strangers co-stars have connections off and on film, much like Bailey and Bomer do. While promoting the movie, the two even engaged in a game of “know your internet boyfriends.”

7: Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi of Saltburn

Maintaining the tradition of endearing co-stars, Elordi and Keoghan shocked audiences with their startling portrayals in Emerald Fennell’s contentious movie. (It goes without saying that we will never hear Murder on the Dancefloor in the same manner.)

Aside from Saltburn, Elordi had a successful year starring in films including Priscilla, He Went That Way, and The Sweet East, while Keoghan had multiple appearances in Top Boy episodes and was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin.

6: Ryan Gosling

Gosling’s 2023 can be summed up in one word: Kenergy. For his portrayal as Ken in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the actor received acclaim from fans and critics. Additionally, he achieved a career first when the hit song I’m Just Ken, which he wrote about in the movie, made it to the Billboard Hot 100.

5: Travis Kelce

Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory to start the season, Kelce gained notoriety for his romance with Taylor Swift. Whether holding hands with Swift on a date night in New York City or hugging her for a kiss backstage at the Eras Tour, he won the hearts of Swifites with his endearing PDA.

4: Tom Blyth In The Hunger Games

In the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Blyth played a youthful Coriolanus Snow, making being awful look so lovely. Enthusiasts for the series deluged the internet with fan edits of his persona, a few of which amusingly juxtaposed his buzz cut with Eminem’s.

3: Jeremy Allen White

White dominated mainstream culture in 2023, from his role in The Bear season 2 to his remarkable physical metamorphosis in The Iron Claw and his newfound connection with Rosalía.

2: The Summer I Turned Pretty’s Gavin Casalegno and Christopher Briney

After the show’s second season premiered in July, fans of the Summer I Turned Pretty cast members kept arguing over who belonged on Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah. Let’s hope that season 3 of Cousins Beach doesn’t require us to wait too long!

1: Pedro Pascal

Pascal became more than just the boyfriend of the internet; he’s now the online community’s “daddy.” He received numerous nominations for his performance as Joel Miller in The Last of Us. In The Mandalorian, season 3, he returned for further adventures with Baby Yoda.

Regarding his viral “daddy” reputation, Pascal remarked, “I’m having fun with it,” during The Hollywood Reporter Actors Roundtable in May. It is somewhat role-related. There was a time when Joel was Ellie’s father and the Mandalorian was Grogu’s baby daddy. These are the parts of the father. That’s the truth of it. I’m not a father. I also intend not to become a father.