BANGKOK — It’s that time of the year again, when many Thais reflect upon the year’s most pressing issues, such as social injustice and environmental degradation. Yeah, no.
It was circus of celebrity – who slept with whom, who left whom and who just lost it – that filled Facebook feeds and a forest’s worth of newspaper pages.
And there’s no better way to recap it all than the entertainment reporter association’s annual tradition of bestowing nicknames upon them all.
10Seksan ‘Sek Loso’ Sukpimai : “Facebook Live It All the Way to Therapy”
Everyone’s loved/hated erratic rock star returned to the list for a second consecutive year, this time for livestreaming his craziness in a whack series of videos that left the social media debating the age-old question: drugs or mental illness? Sek ended up in a mental hospital for a month. The latest we heard is that he’s made a good recovery – for now.
Fun fact: the nickname is a reference to a 2005 song by Sek, “Give It Your All, Go All the Way.”
9Thanawat ‘Pope’ Wattanaputi : ‘Lord of the DM’
The protagonist of period smash hit soap “Love Destiny,” Thanawat played a muen – a nobleman equivalent to the British rank of esquire. Offscreen, he got a reputation as a player, accompanied or fed by the usual “leaked” images showing him chatting up multiple babes in direct messages on Instagram.
8Peeranee ‘Matt’ Kongthai : “Love Mischief in Norway”
When a popular Norwegian-Thai actress was spotted with newly divorced superstar Songkran Tejanarong in Norway, she initially denied even knowing him. The claim didn’t stick long; Songkran soon admitted the two had been dating five months.
7Sornram Theappitak: “Suddenly Dad”
The soap star triple-shocked his fans by not only abruptly announcing he broke up with singer Nicole Theriault, and not only announcing his engagement to his new stuntwoman girlfriend, Sornram went one further – she was already pregnant with his child.
6Ranee ‘Bella’ Campen : ‘Thermometer-Breaking Dame’
As the lead actress in romance lakorn “Love Destiny,” Bella quickly became the hottest celeb out there, snagging various presenter deals with big names like 7-Eleven.
5Davika ‘Mai’ Hoorne and Chantavit ‘Ter” Dhanasevi: ‘Funny Chimpanzee and Uncle’
The couple, known for their humor, call each other “Chimpanzee” and “Uncle,” references to a popular Japanese TV show known in Thailand as “The Funny Chimpanzee and Bulldog.”
4BNK48 : ‘Fortune Cookie Conquers Ota Hearts’
Best known for their pop anthem “Fortune Cookie,” the girl group went from niche to mainstream this year, amassing a zealous horde of ota, short for die-hard otaku fans in their spiritual homeland of Japan.
3Nadech Kugimiya and Urassaya ‘Yaya’ Sperbund : “Sweet NY”
This celebrity couple (N & Y) is known for diabetes-inducing, cloying social media posts, inspiring awws and ewws alike.
2Chutima ‘Arm’ Sodapak : “The Broken Jar”
Formerly on Haithongkam (“Golden Jar”), Chutima ended up sued by her own label for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was eventually withdrawn, but not before a nasty war of words damaged their relationship beyond repair.
1Pramote ‘Oat’ Pathan : “True Love Loses to Passion”
When news broke that his relationship with a longtime girlfriend was over, Pramote would only say it’s because he lost his “passion,” drawing mirth and ridicule from netizens.
Related stories:
Time-Travel Love, Wild Boars, Wonton: What We Searched for in 2018
Of Snakes, Potent Sperm and Billionaire Babes: 2017’s Celeb Nicknames Revealed
