Studying Time: 5 minutes
People, it’s exhausting to imagine (and it makes us really feel roughly as historic as our final couple of presidents), however we’ve been bringing you the newest scorching takes, wild rumors, and embarrassing DUI mugshots for the previous twenty years.
Sure, it was 20 years in the past as we speak that THG went dwell with an article in regards to the newest drama within the lifetime of Lindsay Lohan.
And similar to LiLo, we’re additionally doing surprisingly nicely within the massive ’26, thanks very a lot!
Our milestone anniversary has impressed us to have a look again on the 12 months all of it started — a time when Dubya was within the White Home, Tony Soprano nonetheless dominated New Jersey with an iron fist, and your common American may watch the nightly information with out struggling a minor coronary occasion.
These had been easier days, when celebrities nonetheless referred to as the paparazzi on themselves, Kanye West was hip hop’s most beloved artist, and your largest concern was whether or not your MySpace Prime 8 would spark a friendship-ending feud.
Practically twenty years later, 2006 looks like a weird cultural fever dream. However we nonetheless miss it!
So be a part of us as we glance again on the celebrities, scandals, and obsessions that outlined the 12 months:
(Oh, and if you wish to rejoice our birthday by giving your self the reward of gossip, be at liberty to obtain the brand new THG app!)
A Younger Socialite Named Kim Kardashian Was Starting to Make a Identify For Herself
As of late, Kim Kardashian is a billionaire multi-hyphenate.
However in 2006, she was finest often called Paris Hilton’s ever-present underling.
By March of 2007, after all, Kim would change into a family title on the energy of her intercourse tape with Ray J.
Her mother could have hassled her about it, however now that Kris and the remainder of the Kardashian-Jenner clan are well-known in their very own proper, they’ve most likely stopped giving Kim a tough time (insert your individual Ray J joke right here).
Taylor Swift Dropped Her First Album
As Taylor Swift makes wedding ceremony plans and prepares to change into Mrs. Will By no means Be as Good as Gronk (combat about it within the feedback!), let’s take a second to mirror on how far she’s come.
Again in ’06, Taylor dropped the album Taylor Swift, foreshadowing the way by which the singer Taylor Swift would later be dropped by Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Harry Kinds, Calvin Harris, Matty Healy … Look, we’d give ya the complete listing of her exes, however we wanna get this factor out earlier than the inevitable warmth demise of the universe.
Anyway, the album contained hits like “Teardrops on My Guitar” and “Our Tune,” cementing Taylor’s place because the expertise to look at on the planet of nation music.
After years within the pop universe, Taylor has considerably returned to the world of nation not too long ago, each by contributing a twangy single to the Toy Story 5 soundtrack and by getting engaged to a dude who has most likely bought a minimum of one set of Truck Nutz.
Britney Spears Was Nonetheless the Tabloids’ Favourite Blonde
However regardless of Taylor looming within the distance like a White Walker, no superstar dominated the ’06 headlines like Britney Spears … for higher or worse.
Whether or not she was partying with Paris, battling paparazzi, or attempting to recollect why she married Kevin Federline, Britney was the topic of relentless media consideration.
Trying again, it’s not possible to not acknowledge how unfairly she was handled by a lot of the press.
And whereas we could have roasted Tay a bit again there (all in good enjoyable!), we at THG have all the time prided ourselves on not punching down when a well-known determine is in disaster.
In different phrases, to cite a clever sage of that period, we did our greatest to go away Britney alone!!! (for probably the most half).
Earlier than Instagram, TikTok, and even Fb’s mainstream takeover, there was MySpace.
Millennial trailblazers spent hours customizing profile pages with fugly graphics, autoplay music, and sufficient HTML code to crash the household pc.
Your social standing may actually be measured by the place you ranked in somebody’s Prime Eight.
Friendships had been made. Friendships had been destroyed. Our idea of socialization was endlessly ruined.
However hey, whereas Zuck and Elon proceed to battle for world domination, Tom from MySpace is watching society burn from a non-public island someplace. We stan a Gen X slacker king.
Snakes on a Aircraft Modified the Means Films Are Marketed
Lengthy earlier than films went viral on TikTok, Snakes on a Aircraft grew to become an web sensation.
The premise was precisely what the title promised: snakes. And so they had been on a airplane.
The film turned out to be fairly forgettable. However the advertising and marketing marketing campaign proved the ability of memes.
Filmmakers even altered the ultimate reduce of the movie in response to on-line demand, including a scene by which Samuel L. Jackson’s character quips, “I’m uninterested in these motherf–king snakes on this motherf–king airplane!”
You needed to be there to grasp what a win that was for the web.
Superstar Gossip Was a Nationwide Sport
People, these had been the times of peak tabloid tradition.
Lindsay. Paris. Britney. Brangelina (RIP).
Whole magazines had been dedicated to monitoring celebrities as they walked into eating places, stumbled out of golf equipment, and easily existed in public.
The paparazzi business had by no means been larger — which, we’re ready to confess, was not factor.
Sure, so-called “tabloid tradition” has modified fairly a bit within the many years since, which is why we’re so proud to nonetheless be right here — and so grateful to our loyal readers.
People, twenty years is about three or 4 millennia in web years, and we couldn’t have carried out it with out your help.
So thanks for spending time with us over the previous twenty years. Right here’s to many extra years of spilling the tea.