BOSTON –  Every Thanksgiving week, we go through the biggest turkeys of the year locally, nationally and across pop culture and sports. 

If you haven’t had your fill of turkey yet, let’s enjoy some delicious leftover turkey hash, courtesy of some pop culture figures who made a hash of their reputations during 2023.

James Harden

“I’m very elite, and as an individual I can fit in with anybody,” said James Harden at his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Clippers.

And he’s modest, too!

But while there’s no doubt the former NBA MVP is a very good basketball player, that part about fitting in is a bit dubious. Harden may have set a record by demanding trades from three different teams in less than three years, while cementing his reputation as an egomaniac who disappears when his team needs him most.

“My ball dominance is really effective,” says Harden. So are your turkey chops!

Tucker Carlson

As the year began, Tucker Carlson had it all – the nation’s top rated cable TV show on Fox News, and clout in conservative circles that got him mentioned as a future presidential candidate.

But he blew it all, reportedly victimized by his own arrogance, racism and sexism.

Now he’s just another talking head in the social-media cesspool. Make that a talking turkey head.

Elon Musk

From Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, to a turkey of the year in just two years, this has been quite the comedown for entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has managed to squander most of Twitter/X’s value since buying it last fall, damaging the value of Tesla and his own reputation in the process.

But he did hire Tucker Carlson after Fox dumped him because turkeys love to flock together!

The Flash

“Time has a pattern that it can’t help reliving,” says a character in the big-budget 2023 movie The Flash, the latest entry in the DC Comics-based franchise.

Profound stuff, huh? But The Flash was not a superhero at the box office.

Even the presence of Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton as Batman, and all the usual bells and whistles couldn’t save The Flash from losing over $200 million, one of the biggest box-office flops of all time.

Now that’s a turkey for ya. 

Jon Keller

Jon Keller is Political Analyst for WBZ-TV News, and his “Keller @ Large” reports on a wide range of topics are regularly featured during WBZ-TV News at 5 and 6 p.m. Keller’s commentaries are also seen weekday mornings at 5:30 a.m. on WBZ This Morning.