Time Magazine Creates Controversy After Announcing Zelensky As Person Of The Year

Once again, Time magazine did its annual Person of the Year announcement, noting who it believed was the most influential person of the year, ultimately choosing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people for their role in the Russian invasion.

This was unsurprising to many, as lots of people had predicted that the nod would go to Zelensky or possibly the Ukrainian people, with Time electing to award both in its 2022 issue.

Time Magazine's 2022 'Person of the Year' should be Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

That, or give it to the Ukrainian people. 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3KHYR6kTmA

— Molly Ploofkins ™ (Digital Town Square Crier) (@Mollyploofkins) November 28, 2022

Zelensky is Time's latest Person of the Year: pic.twitter.com/dIf0rTe1Y7

— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) December 7, 2022

NEW: Time magazine chose Volodymr Zelensky to be the Person of the Year.

Drop a 💙 if you think Zelensky deserves it!

— Nathalie Jacoby (@nathaliejacoby1) December 7, 2022

The celebration, however, did not last as many people began to immediately attack Time and Zelensky alike, declaring that the award should have gone to other influential people or continued to push the theory that Zelensky is a Western puppet using the Ukraine-Russia war as a large money laundering scheme that involved FTX, decrying the man and his struggles against Russia.

The person of the year is a welfare queen. Wow. pic.twitter.com/d7UxbR4Q1L

— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) December 7, 2022

Zelensky is Time's person of the year… for I guess getting more free, unchecked money from the US government than any single person has in history.

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) December 7, 2022

Zelensky has been named TIME's Person of the Year. What a joke. This is a man who refuses to attend peace talks and is working overtime to start a nuclear WWIII. He should be named the most dangerous person of the year. pic.twitter.com/HGy0LjHGQf

— Hassan Mafi ‏ (@thatdayin1992) December 7, 2022

I haven’t picked up a TIME magazine in I can’t tell you how long. I can say for sure I won’t ever be picking one up again. Zelensky as person of the year is a slap in the face to all of us.

— 🇺🇸April🇺🇸 (@AprilNicoleinVA) December 7, 2022

As is usual around this time of year when the competition comes up, people began to post their own versions of Time's "Person of The Year," with several memes being made about potential winners, runner-ups and saying who they believe should have won the award instead of Zelensky.

mitski has been named TIME person of the year pic.twitter.com/tho46Ov5Ll

— not real (@mitskiIeaks) December 7, 2022

Congratulations MariahCarey</a> for being this year’s Person of the Year! <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">TIME 🎉🎄❤️ pic.twitter.com/XHfXFRtKKD

— ୨୧ (@babydollbIiss) December 7, 2022

TIME’s finalists for Person of the Year pic.twitter.com/fMWaLRdhN4

— Real Bravoholic (@RealBravoholic) December 6, 2022

The real person of the year. pic.twitter.com/PklAW9eUaL

— n0body (@_biIIions) December 7, 2022

Almost every year this competition makes the rounds, many react with repulsion at the person or group that makes the cover, presumably assuming it inherently means "greatest person" or "best person." However, according to Time itself, "TIME names the person (or people) who wielded the most influence in the previous 12 months."