Internet users raise concern after details of 'obscene' New Year celebration surface online: 'Out of touch'

A viral Reddit post on r/popculturechat highlighted a celebrity New Year's celebration aboard the Kismet, a $360 million superyacht owned by billionaire Shahid Khan. The post revealed that actors Glen Powell, Miles, and Keleigh Teller, Nina Dobrev, TikToker Alix Earle, and others rang in 2026 on Kismet in St. Barts, enjoying every extravagance on board.

The post notes that they "spent New Year's in St. Barts on the $360M Kismet yacht, which has a helipad, a cryotherapy spa, pool, multiple jacuzzis, fire pits, a gym, cinema, nightclub, and an outdoor cinema."

While this sounds like a luxurious getaway, these yachts come at a heavy climate cost. Superyachts like the Kismet release more carbon pollution than some small countries and can easily produce 1,500 times a car's annual pollution. 

Indiana professor Richard Wilk said these yachts are "by far the worst asset to own from an environmental standpoint," as the typical superyacht produces over 7,020 tons of carbon pollution per year. Beyond fuel burn, their construction, electronics, lighting, waste, and noise all hurt ecosystems.

However, alternatives to these energy-sucking yachts exist. Innovators are racing to green the seas, with solar-powered superyachts and high-end electric boats being developed. 

For example, an Austrian firm builds massive solar-powered yachts, and another startup is rolling out a fleet of luxury electric boats designed to be the "Tesla" of yachting. 

Every action helps, no matter how small it may seem. Choosing low-impact travel options, like trains, bikes, or EV shuttles, helps offset the harm done by superyachts. 

Redditors in the comments shared their disdain for the wasteful celebrity outing, with one saying, "Obscene."

Another added: "Why do the ultra-rich have such an aversion to doing good with their fortunes? They can't all be that out of touch."

A third appeared to reference an Oxfam study finding that the yachts of 50 of the world's richest billionaires produced as much carbon annually as a single person would in 860 years. "It's disgusting," they wrote.

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