34 Fourth of July Jokes: The 2021 “Vaxed & Waxed” Edition

In 2021, Independence Day was the “Reunion Tour.” We were finally “Vaxed, Waxed, and ready to relax,” trying to remember how to have a conversation in person without a “Mute” button. It was the year of Squid Game, the rise of the “Metaverse,” and the realization that a billionaire flying to space in a cowboy hat (Jeff Bezos) was exactly the kind of 2021 energy we expected.

The 2021 Independence Top 10: “Mittens & Multiverses”

1. The Bernie Sanders Mittens: Why was the 2021 BBQ so “cozy”? Because every guest tried to sit in a folding chair with their arms crossed, wearing oversized wool mittens, looking like they were waiting for a bus instead of a burger.
2. The Squid Game Anxiety: Why were the backyard games so intense? Because after watching the show, playing “Red Light, Green Light” for the last hot dog felt like a life-or-death situation.
3. The GameStop “Stonks”: Why was the Dad so happy? Because he “held the line” with his 3 shares of AMC and spent the whole 4th of July explaining “To the Moon!” while the fireworks were actually going to the moon.
4. The “Driver’s License” Heartbreak: Why was the 2021 BBQ so emotional? Because Olivia Rodrigo made every 40-year-old at the party cry about a breakup they had in 1998 while driving to get more charcoal.
5. The NFT Confusion: Why was the host trying to sell a photo of the grill? Because 2021 was the year of “Non-Fungible Tokens,” and he was convinced that a JPEG of a burnt bratwurst was worth 4 Ethereum.
6. The Spider-Man: No Way Home Hype: Why were there three Dads at the grill? Because the “Multiverse” was opening, and we all expected a version of ourselves from 2002 to show up and help with the flipping.
7. The “Stay” (The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber): Why was the 2021 party on a loop? Because this song was the official 2021 anthem for anyone who promised to “stay” for one more drink before the fireworks.
8. The Ted Lasso Optimism: Why was the 2021 BBQ so polite? Because we all started “Believing” and realized that “BBQ is life,” even if we didn’t understand the rules of soccer (or grilling).
9. The Jeff Bezos Space Flight: Why was the firework show so “Billionaire-chic”? Because Jeff Bezos went to space in a cowboy hat, making our small backyard rockets look like a serious NASA mission.
10. The “Levitating” Dual Lipa: Why was the 4th so “Interstellar”? Because Dua Lipa kept us floating all summer long, even when we were weighed down by three helpings of potato salad.

The Full 2021 Fourth of July Archive

11. The “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”: Why was the 4th so “Lil Nas X”? Because the video involved a pole dance to hell, making our slide into the inflatable pool look very tame.
12. The Black Widow Release: Why was the 4th so “Overdue”? Because we finally got the Natasha Romanoff movie, proving that “Family” (and Russian accents) are forever.
13. The “Butter” BTS Summer: Why was the corn on the cob so “Smooth”? Because BTS made sure our 2021 Fourth of July was “smooth like butter, like a criminal undercover.”
14. The Dune Sandwiches: Why was there sand in the burgers? Because Timothée Chalamet made “Desert Power” a thing, and we were all just waiting for a giant worm to emerge from the sandbox.
15. The “Good 4 U” Energy: Why was the teen table so “Angsty-Pop”? Because Olivia Rodrigo brought back the 2000s pop-punk vibe, making “being happy and healthy” sound like a personal insult.
16. The Loki Variants: Why were there so many “Glorious Purposes”? Because the Disney+ show made us realize that every guest at the BBQ was just a “Variant” of the same person.
17. The “Peaches” Justin Bieber: Why was the 4th so “Georgian”? Because Justin got his peaches in Georgia and his weed in California, but we just got our hot dogs at the local grocery store.
18. The Free Guy Logic: Why was the Dad acting like a background character? Because Ryan Reynolds proved that even an “NPC” can be the hero of the Fourth of July.
19. The “Kiss Me More” Doja Cat: Why was the 4th so “Pink”? Because Doja Cat and SZA created a vibe so sweet it made the watermelon taste like candy.
20. The The Suicide Squad (Redux): Why was the 4th so “Starfish-heavy”? Because James Gunn made a giant alien starfish the villain of the year, making our pool toys look suspicious.
21. The “Industry Baby” Horns: Why was the parade so triumphant? Because Jack Harlow and Lil Nas X provided the loudest brass section of the 2021 summer.
22. The Cruella Fashion: Why was the dog wearing a black and white coat? Because Emma Stone made “Villain Fashion” the official look for every chic guest at the BBQ.
23. The “Bad Habits” Ed Sheeran: Why was the 4th so “Vampiric”? Because Ed Sheeran turned into a creature of the night, which is exactly how we felt when the sun finally went down for the fireworks.
24. The Shang-Chi Rings: Why was the Dad wearing ten glowing bracelets? Because he was “The Master of the Ten Rings” (mostly just ten different types of dipping sauce).
25. The “Save Your Tears” Remix: Why was Arianna Grande everywhere? Because she joined The Weeknd to make sure that “saving our tears” was the only thing we did during the sad parts of the firework show.
26. The Luca “Silenzio Bruno!”: Why was everyone shouting at their inner voice? Because Pixar taught us that the only way to eat a giant bowl of pasta (or a burger) is to tell our doubts to shut up.
27. The “Leave The Door Open” Silk Sonic: Why was the 2021 4th so “70s”? Because Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak made “being smooth” a full-time job for every guy in a floral shirt.
28. The WandaVision Hex: Why was the neighborhood in black and white? Because we were all trapped in Wanda’s grief-induced sitcom, waiting for the “Agatha All Along” reveal.
29. The “Fancy Like” Applebee’s Song: Why was the 4th so “Suburban”? Because Walker Hayes made “Bourbon Street steak and an Oreo shake” the ultimate 2021 date night.
30. The Space Jam: A New Legacy: Why was LeBron James hanging out with Bugs Bunny? Because 2021 decided that 1996 needed a “Server-verse” update.
31. The “Happier Than Ever” Scream: Why was the 4th so “Billie”? Because we all needed to scream at the rain during the emotional climax of the summer.
32. The Friends Reunion: Why was everyone crying over 50-year-olds on a couch? Because 2021 was the year we realized that “I’ll be there for you” was the most important promise ever made.
33. The “Cold Heart” Elton & Dua: Why was the 4th so “Mash-up”? Because Elton John proved he’s the only person who can remix himself and still be the coolest person at the party.
34. The 2021 Final Vibe: Why was it a “Rebirth” 4th? Because we were “Back in Business,” holding our “Driver’s Licenses,” and realizing that even if the Metaverse was coming, a real burger still tasted better than a digital one.