With 2022 coming to an end it’s time to name and shame the year’s worst people and things, and time to vote on who was the 2022 Jerk of the Year.
We guess when Louis Armstrong sang What a Wonderful World with a soulful joy we can imagine that he wouldn’t have been singing about a year like 2022.
War, Weather, Politics Internationally, Politics within your own workplace, rich people and celebrities moaning about how bad their pathetically boring life is while a lot of others struggle with cost of living, more Covid and the NRL Bunker. All were awful things to come out of 2022, and in most cases, all the years previously too.
Give Nick Kyrgios some credit, when he’s being a jerk it’s usually funny.
But these things and people all have one thing in common, they have been a jerk sometime or all the time in 2022, and we need to name and shame the worst.
Determining 2022’s biggest jerk is ultimately up to you, the reader of this website. So read the form guide, and vote now. Feel free to vote early and vote often. For as many of the candidates whose cut of jib you dislike.
The 2022 Jerk of the Year “winner” awaits your vote below.
#VoteEarlyVoteOften
VOTE NOW – 2022 Jerk of the Year
There’s only one way to determine the biggest jerk this month – your vote. Unless you think that’s it’s rigged and unconstitutional then vote at your own risk.
Vote for one, vote for two, feel free to vote for as many of these jerks as you like or all of them. They’ve asked for it.
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FORM GUIDE – 2022 Jerk of the Year Nominations
The below nominations are listed in order of the top ten Jerks for total Jerk of the Month votes each got for 2022, then monthly winners after the top ten.
SCOMO AKA SCOTT MORRISON
The multiple job-hogging, ukulele playing, that’s-not-my-job-spouting, no-free-RATs-hoarding former Prime Minister became more of a joke, we mean jerk in 2022 than ever before. Which takes some doing.
His buffoonery and arrogance led to one of the worst election performances by the Liberal party in history.
He didn’t resign from politics, and is now smugging it up on the back bench, but in case he does resign, we have one more election for him to face.
VLADIMIR PUTIN
For continued and unrelenting misery in Ukraine.
DONALD TRUMP
We could say it is for announcing he is running for President of the USA again and everything that follows, and everything else he did in 2022. No, the final straw was in December when he released a range of Superhero cartoons of himself. They’re only USD99 each.
NRL BUNKER / MATCH OFFICIALS / NRL
With Covid seemingly out of the way for sport in 2022, we could all go back and enjoy the simple pleasure of watching our sports in a proper season. However, nothing ruined a game of rugby league in 2022 like NRL Match Officials and especially The Bunker. And it appears to have annoyed our readers as it rated higher than Anti Vaxxers and Covid itself and was only just short of Donald Trump for total jerk votes this year.
ANTI VAXXERS
They have declined in presence since the start of the year when they featured in many monthly nominations and wins, and we’re not quite sure what they were saying these days, but it’s probably something like the above.
COVID
For being a constant pain in the arse around the world for a third year, and now that China decided to let it rip, we’ll probably get another wave of misery.
NICK KYRGIOS
Nick Kyrgios’ run at Wimbledon was a magnificent display of all the good and bad he has to offer. Winning games with style and attitude while pissing off the media and abusing fans.
He sure is entertaining and box office, but he’s also a bit of a jerk.
MARRIED AT FIRST SIGHT
Quite simply the lowest of the lowest common denominator TV, and of course it’s on Channel Nein.
MANKAD
The lowest act on a cricket field, and it reared its ugly head in a women’s cricket match between India and England this year.
Read More: The Mankad Controversy Continues
HARRY / MEGHAN / ROYAL REPORTING
The latest Netflix was pure self indulgent tripe and for those who don’t like the ex Royals or the reporting around it all, here is a chance to vote for everyone involved to get a Jerk of the Year award.
PAULINE HANSON
For being herself. And embarrassing Queensland.
CLIVE PALMER
For being him, but his run for parliament and blanket election ads were a real lowlight and jerk-worthy.
RAIN / LA NINA / WEATHER / THE BUREAU
Brisbane suffered a second One in 100 year floods in 11 years in 2022, along with disasters in northern NSW and then eventually most of the country, but especially NSW. It was a year of terrible weather and we blame La Nina mostly. Also included is The Bureau who used to be BOM but are now Jerk of the Year nominations because of their BS in worrying more a about a fair name for their department than focusing on the weather.
POLITICIANS IN GENERAL
With so many different politicians impressing of Jerk of the Month voting throughout the year, we thought we’d just roll them all up into one. We’re not saying all politicians, as some of them are good, but ones like Barnaby Joyce, Richard Colbeck, George Christensen, Kristina Keneally and more.
WILL SMITH
For the Oscar’s most dramatic performance in history.
THERE’S A HOLE IN YOUR BUDGET TV COMMERCIAL
As if an election isn’t bad enough with the constant soundbites and bickering (and way too much Scomo – refer above) but this ad was the worst of the worst.
NELSON PIQUET
Nelson Piquet: ‘There is nothing, nothing I said wrong. I am not racist’
Nelson Piquet was always a bit of a jerk in F1, but he re-appeared this season and among his thoughts on current F1 was some offensive gear for Lewis Hamilton.
OFFICE POLITICS
Working for a living and not winning the Lotto is bad enough, but when you’re dealing with non stop office politics then that drains whatever energy you have left for life. Then the company wonders why people are exhausted.
FIFA / GIANNI INFANTINO
One is evil, one is a complete loon. Sure the 2022 was one of the best on field World Cups ever, the off the field stuff was worse than ever, with Infantino’s now famous press conference a real lowlight.
READ: 2022 World Cup Headlines
KANYE (YE) WEST
Decided that being a music genius and a jerk isn’t quite enough, he’s heading down the racism path with a controversial tweet about Jews.
JAROME LUAI
A divisive figure is a nice way of putting it. Arguably rugby league’s biggest jerk, and hated by the grumpy old men at Fox League. He’s full of lip when he’s winning, and can’t seem to handle it when someone talks or fights back, in classic playground behaviour. Some of his social media work doubles down on the polarising, from dressing rooms to weddings.
2022 JERK OF THE YEAR MONTHLY “WINNERS”
October/November/December – FIFA
September 2022 – Mankad
July/August 2022 – Donald Trump, Pauline Hanson, Scomo, Office Politics
June 2022 – Nick Kyrgios, NRL, Nelson Piquet
May 2022 – Various
Apr 2022 – Various
Mar 2022 – Vladimir Putin / Scomo
Feb 2022 – Vladimir Putin
Jan 2022 – Anti Vaxxers
JERK OF THE YEAR “HONOUR BOARD”
2021 – Scott Morrison
2020 – Donald Trump
2019 – Israel Folau
2018 – David Warner and Donald Trump
2017 – Jarryd Hayne, Donald Trump, Bernard Tomic
2016 – Channel 9 Cricket Commentary
