The biggest API stories of 2025

Another year has gone by, and that means another year of AA+PI stories. From award show history and harmful political policies, to iconic athletes and zeitgeisty pop culture moments, we survived it all.

So as 2025 comes to a close, here are some of the highlights from the past 365 days—the good, the bad, and the Labubu.

January

‘Trump’s policies could shake the lives of Asian international workers’

With President Donaled Trump beginning his second term, concerns grew as international workers braced to see what that would mean for them, their visa statuses, and for those seeking permanent residency, their ability to receive a green card.

‘How to help during the LA fires: Resources and ways to support’

Devastating wildfires destroyed more than 18,000 homes throughout the greater Los Angeles area, and forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate. Between 31 and 440 people lost their lives to the fires, which burned more than 57,000 acres of land. It was a moment that left many feeling helpless, but community groups and organizations rallied to help those impacted by the disaster.

‘Ichiro is the first Asian athlete inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame’

Ichiro Suzuki was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first Asian athlete to receive the honor. Suzuki, who spent most of his career as a Seattle Mariner, received 393 out of 394 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

February

‘How the Chinese diaspora feels about American “TikTok refugees” on Rednote’

With the fear of TikTok being banned in the United States, many American users flocked to the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu—also known as Rednote. This opened a cultural exchange as Americans caught a glimpse of the everyday lives of Chinese people, and Chinese users learned about the day-to-day lives of Americans.

‘How Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order could impact AA+PI communities’

Trump issued an executive order that sought to redefine birthright citizenship, specifically denying citizenship to babies born in the United States if their parents are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, undermining the precedent set by Wong Kim Ark and his U.S. Supreme Court case. The case established that the 14th Amendment granted birthright citizenship to anyone born in this country, regardless of the race or status of their parents.

‘DEI is disappearing—but does that mean the fight is over?’

Trump signed an executive order dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal government. The order—which mandated the termination of all DEI-related offices, employees, and programs across federal agencies—followed a growing trend among large corporations such as Meta, Microsoft, and McDonald’s rolling back on their DEI initiatives.

March

‘“Anora” wins big at 97th Oscars’

The 97th Academy Awards was filled with history-making wins, especially for Asian filmmakers and artists. Anora, whose team included producer Samantha Quan, won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker, Best Actress for Mikey Madison, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay. In addition, Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, and the Israeli-Palestinian documentary No Other Land were among projects from Asian diasporic filmmakers to take home Oscars as well.

‘“Ne Zha 2” does more than break records (and our hearts)’

Chinese animated film, Ne Zha 2 broke box office records by becoming the highest-grossing animated film worldwide, bringing in more than $2 billion.

‘Alysa Liu wins women’s world figure skating championship’

After stepping away from competitive figure skating for three years, Alysa Liu returned to the sport in October 2024, and capped off her comeback by winning the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. With her win, the 19-year-old Chinese American was the first American woman in nearly two decades to claim the world title.

April

‘How are Asian American business owners weathering tariff turbulence?’

The Trump administration imposed sweeping tariffs for countries all over the world. These taxes on imported goods hit Asian American-owned small businesses hard as they often rely on imported goods rooted in cultural heritage. And the burdens often went beyond financial as concerns around xenophobia were also raised.

‘Kaitlyn Chen makes history with NCAA women’s basketball title’

The University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the NCAA women’s basketball championship. And with this win, starting guard Kaitlyn Chen became the first Taiwanese American to win the title.

‘In defense of Amanda Nguyen, who actually did something on the Blue Origin flight’

Blue Origin’s all-female space crew spurred a lot of content on the Internet. And while the flight became meme fodder, Amanda Nguyen used her time in space to do something meaningful, conducting two microgravity experiments. Nguyen was also the first woman of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian descent to go to space.

May

‘Chinese international students could be banned from obtaining visas’

The federal government continued its campaign against immigrants with Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act, or the Stop CCP VISAs Act. The bill—introduced by U.S. Rep. Riley Moore (R-West Virginia), who alleges that the Chinese Communist Party has been using American education institutions as a cover for espionage—would bar Chinese nationals from seeking student visas.

‘The real lesson from Lisa’s Met Gala “Rosa Parks crotch” moment’

BLACKPINK member Lisa’s Met Gala outfit made waves—and not in a good way. The Louis Vuitton lace bodysuit in question featured faces embroidered into the lace, and it was thought that Civil Rights Movement icon Rosa Parks was one of the faces on the crotch of the bodysuit. It wasn’t, but it still renewed criticism against BLACKPINK and the anti-Black racism and cultural appropriation in K-pop.

‘Lauren Chan is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s first out lesbian cover star’

Model, entrepreneur, and former fashion editor Lauren Chan made history as the first out lesbian to have a solo cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. The 34-year-old Chinese Canadian was one of four individual cover stars for the magazine’s 2025 issue.

June

‘Vietnamese American Jaylin Williams is making NBA Finals history’

When the Oklahoma City Thunder made it to the NBA Finals, Jaylin Williams made history as the first player of Vietnamese descent to do so. Williams, who is Vietnamese on his mother’s side, is also the first Vietnamese player in the NBA.

‘AA+PIs make history at 78th Tony Awards’

The 78th Tony Awards marked a milestone year for Asian artists on Broadway. Maybe Happy Ending was the most-awarded production of the night, winning six out of 10 award nominations, including Best Musical, Best Director, and Darren Criss for Leading Actor in a Musical (becoming the first actor of Asian descent to win in the category). Other wins included Francis Jue and Daniel Dae Kim for Featured Actor in a Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, respectively, for their roles in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face; and Nicole Scherzinger—who is of Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and Ukrainian descent—for Leading Actress in a Musical for Sunset Blvd., becoming the first Native Hawaiian to win in the category.

‘Animated musical “KPop Demon Hunters” delivers on its title’s promise’

KPop Demon Hunters premiered on Netflix and kicked off not just a KDH summer, but a KDH end of the year. The film blew up, launching not just the film, but the voice actors and singers behind the demon-fighting trio, into the stratosphere.

July

‘Anti-immigrant rhetoric is driving a new wave of anti-AA+PI hate’

Nonprofit organization Stop AAPI Hate released a report showing that more than half (53 percent) of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults in the United States reported experiencing some form of hate in 2024. For young adults (ages 18-29), that number was 74 percent. 

‘“F1” and Done: When BIPOC actors get dropped before the finish line’

F1 made headlines when Bridgerton star Simone Ashley’s role was almost entirely cut from the film. This was the second time director Joseph Kosinski cut out BIPOC roles from his film—the first being Manny Jacinto’s, Raymond Lee’s and Kara Wang’s roles in Top Gun: Maverick.

‘Lea Salonga will be the first Filipina to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame’

It was announced that Tony and Olivier Award-winning performer Lea Salonga would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This would make her the first Filipina, and only the fourth person of Filipino ancestry to receive the honor. The previous recipients were Bruno Mars, comedian Rob Schneider and Apl.de.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas.

August

‘How Labubu is leading the “little treat” economy’

Labubus took over the zeitgeist as everybody and their mother went crazy for the furry gremlin dolls (figurines?). The toys, which were already popular in China and Southeast Asia, made it across the world to the United States and soon became the poster children for the “little treat” economy.

‘How Rep. Gene Wu is leading Texas lawmakers in the fight against gerrymandering’

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session to draw up new congressional maps in a clear power grab and attempt to curry favor with Trump, by securing five new Republican seats in Texas. In response, Texas’ Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Gene Wu, left the state, breaking quorum and preventing the Texas House from voting—thus blocking the map redrawing.

‘Denim Duel: How KATSEYE danced circles around Sydney Sweeney’

Clothing brands American Eagle and Gap went toe to toe in denim ad campaigns. With the release of Sydney Sweeny’s eugenics-themed ad for American Eagle and Gap’s dance-heavy ad featuring KATSEYE not long after, comparisons couldn’t help but be made between the two approaches.

September

‘A brief lesson in Thai-Cambodian political history’

The border between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for more than 100 years, and those disputes came to a head this year when gunfire was exchanged between the two countries over the summer. This led to Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra being removed from office.

‘What the Hyundai ICE raid can mean for U.S.-South Korea relations’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a Hyundai Motor Group electric vehicle battery plant near Savannah, Georgia, arresting and detaining about 475 workers—more than 300 of which were South Korean nationals. The economic fallout was immediate as the Georgia plant is expected to be delayed by two to three months with the loss of highly trained labor, and could cost Hyundai millions and limit supply across the world. The political fallout has been just as bad, with South Korean government officials likening ICE’s treatment of the workers to how prisoners of war are handled.

‘How Jimmy Kimmel is giving us a crash course in the first amendment’

When Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air, it sparked conversations about free speech, the First Amendment and the role the government should (or more accurately, shouldn’t) play in journalism and media. This wasn’t the first time the Trump Administration has tried to control the press since the beginning of the year, but it was one of the most prominent instances in their attempts to silence one of the president’s naysayers.

October

‘Trump’s new H-1B visa rules will have a big impact on Asian diasporic communities’

Trump signed an executive order placing new restrictions on H-1B visas, including a $100,000 fee for new petitions. Chaos immediately erupted for international workers who didn’t know what it meant for them and their status. The new rules and higher fees will make it much more difficult for foreign nationals to find work in the United States and greatly impact who is able to immigrate here.

‘Suni Lee claps back at bullies following Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show’

After making history as the first gymnast and Hmong woman to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Suni Lee faced online criticism for her height. In response, Lee posted a TikTok video, captioning it with “can u guys stop bullying me.”

‘Keep an eye out for these API diasporic ballers this World Series’

The 2025 World Series, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, included a plethora of players of Asian and Pacific Islander descent on both sides. From Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, and Tommy Edman on the Dodgers, as well as manager Dave Roberts, to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Bo Bichett for the Blue Jays, there was no shortage of API talent in the series.

November

‘What Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win means for the future of U.S. politics’

Zohran Mamdani was elected as mayor of New York, making him the first Muslim and South Asian to hold the position. His win also indicates a shift away from the status quo, with Virginia electing its first female governor, Detroit electing its first female mayor, and Boston re-electing its first woman and BIPOC mayor. Together, these results point to a broader realignment and frustration over how the country is currently being led.

‘Our sexiest API men alive for 2025’

Every year, People Magazine drops its Sexiest Man Alive. And (almost) every year, the results leave something to be desired. And while they did get it right this year with Jonathan Bailey, that didn’t stop JoySauce from putting out our list of the Sexiest API Men Alive.

‘Finding joy in a Filipino supermarket’s late night parties’

This fall, Filipino house parties relocated to an unlikely location: Seafood City grocery stores. The parties have been taking place at stores all over the country and in Canada, and show no sign of stopping any time soon.

December

‘Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is being turned into a movie’

Ocean Vuong’s novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is being adapted into a film. The 2019 book, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, was Vuong’s debut novel. Casting is currently underway for two roles, Little Dog, the Vietnamese main character, as well as for Trevor, the white American teen who plays a pivotal role in Little Dog’s coming-of-age story.

‘XG’s Cocona comes out as transmasculine non-binary’

Japan-based pop group XG member Cocona came out publicly as AFAB transmasculine non-binary. The announcement was made on their 20th birthday, on the group’s Instagram page. The performer reflected on their journey of self-discovery and the post featured photos of them in an open blazer, showing off their scars from top surgery.

‘How ‘Kokuho’ has led to a resurgence in kabuki theater in Japan’

Kokuho, came out this year and has already become one of Japan’s highest-grossing films. The film, which is set in the world of kabuki, has led to a resurgence in the art form’s popularity, with people wanting to see kabuki live for the first time.