From Oscars Debut To White House Dinner: Priyanka Chopra Revisits Big Firsts In Viral 2016 Throwback

Actor Priyanka Chopra has joined the internet’s nostalgia wave, revisiting one of the most pivotal years of her life, 2016. On Wednesday, the global star took to Instagram to participate in the viral “2026 is the new 2016” trend, sharing a carousel of throwback moments that captured a series of personal and professional milestones.

Captioning the post, Priyanka wrote, “The one where everything happened all at once. 2016.” The images reflected just how transformative the year was for her, marking several “firsts” that shaped her international journey.

The carousel opened with Priyanka receiving the Padma Shri and went on to document major career highlights, from being appointed UNICEF’s Global Goodwill Ambassador to winning her first People’s Choice Award. Fans also caught glimpses of her debut appearance at the Oscars, backstage moments with Vin Diesel, and her first White House Correspondents’ Dinner with former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Other throwbacks included pictures from the Billboard Music Awards, behind-the-scenes moments from Quantico, fun on-set clicks with Dwayne Johnson during Baywatch, and frames with the cast of Dil Dhadakne Do. Priyanka also revealed that 2016 marked one of her first appearances on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

On the personal front, the actor shared a family photograph and revealed that she lost her nani that year, adding emotional depth to the otherwise celebratory throwback.

Priyanka also revisited the much-talked-about armpit controversy from 2016, when Maxim India faced backlash for allegedly photoshopping her armpits on their “Hottest Woman in the World” cover. With humour intact, she shared a cheeky picture proudly showing her armpit, laughing off the incident years later.

Social media users were quick to shower her with praise, calling her the “winner of the trend” and celebrating her journey with comments like “Mic drop,” “Owned the trend,” and “What a journey.”

Looking ahead, Priyanka will next be seen in the pirate adventure The Bluff, where she plays Bloody Mary alongside Karl Urban. The film releases on Prime Video on February 25. She is also set to return to Indian cinema with SS Rajamouli’s Telugu film Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj Sukumaran, scheduled for a Sankranthi 2027 theatrical release. Additionally, the second season of her web series Citadel is in the pipeline.