2019 Was the Year of Public Licking

Was 2019 the year you decided to let your freak flag fly and lick bae's face in public? No, me neither, but celebrities felt a little differently this year. Whether you were Jennifer Lopez, Maisie Williams, Stephen Colbert, or Channing Tatum, celebrities were on a mission to make public licking mainstream in 2019.

That's not to say that we didn't have pro-licking activists before 2019—we've always had Gene Simmons from KISS, and of course Miley Cyrus circa 2013. But something fundamentally changed this year. If you were anything like me, your Instagram feed started to feature less mirror selfies and more licking selfies as we made our way through 2019, and this trend shows no sign of letting up.

I've taken the time to compile the evidence for you—and sure, you may wince at some of these examples of public licking, but hey, that was 2019 for you.

The "Señorita" duet-singers practically broke the internet when they dropped a video of them making out with each other in a hotel room amid rumors their relationship was a PR-stunt. There were tons of kissing, but mainly a lot of licking. 

If you thought that video was a one-time thing, think again. A TMZ video of the artists sharing a quiet dinner in Toronto together has surfaced, and it features—you guessed it—public licking. It seems a night for the couple isn't complete without some licking, but, you know, whatever floats their boat.

We couldn't mention tongues without including some of Cardi B and Offset's red carpet moments this year. The parents of one-year-old Kulture know how to make an entrance, whether it's from the 2019 Grammys to the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. The tongues and lyrics of these two rappers are forever engraved in our hearts.

Before the couple split in August this year (still not over it), Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus were seen together at the premiere of Avengers: Endgame. If our boyfriend looked like Hemsworth in a suit, we'd try to lick him too.

Also, we can't forget to mention Cyrus' attempt at giving Ariana Grande some friendly affection (hello, 3:19!) in the music video for "Don't Call Me Angel."

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The SNL star isn't shy about showing some PDA, and when you're in love—well, anything goes. Earlier this year, he was photographed getting real comfortable with actress Kate Beckinsale at a Rangers game alongside Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski, and a meme was born. The couple reportedly called in quits in April.

In October, it was reported that Davidson and supermodel Kaia Gerber were dating. That rumor was confirmed when they were photographed poolside at a hotel in Miami in November. Tongues touched, a photo was taken, and we were never the same.

Jessie J posted a photo with her then-beau Channing Tatum on her Instagram story in July. (It's what we all dreamed about after seeing Tatum bust out his best moves in Magic Mike.) Unfortunately, the couple has split after a year of dating, and Tatum is reportedly already on dating apps.

The Game of Thrones star was seen out in London in July. She not only got a quick taste of sunshine, but also of boyfriend Reuben Selby's hand. The verdict is still out on if the other Starks are into this kind of PDA.

On the set of Hustlers in March, J.Lo was seen getting real close to her furry co-star while filming. This one we'll allow.

While promoting Child's Play back in June, the actress was asked by The Late Show host: If she were to play a superhero who would she be? Catwoman, she responded.

In response, Colbert gave Plaza a pair of cat ears, a bowl of water, and a dangly cat toy. She then proceeded to get in character as she climbed on Colbert's desk, meowed, and licked his face as any loyal pet would.

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No list about public licking would be complete without mentioning the infamous Blue Bell ice-cream licker of 2019. Grocery stores across the country went into panic mode when people started licking the top of cartons of ice cream...and then put them back in the freezer.

Texans don't play when it comes to their ice cream, so the culprit was found pretty swiftly. She could've faced up to 20 years in prison, since tampering with a consumer product is a second-degree felony in the Lone Star State. Either way, we've double-checked the packaging of our ice cream ever since.

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