Dr. Dre
2021 got off to a scary start for the music mogul after he suffered a brain aneurysm on Jan. 4, a month before his 56th birthday. After more than a week, he was released from the hospital.
Kim Kardashian & Kanye "Ye" West
2021 was a rollercoaster for Kimye. While Kim filed for divorce in February after nearly seven years of marriage, the rapper has more recently made it clear that he wants his family back together...while his estranged wife has seemingly moved on.
Kim Kardashian & Pete Davidson
Moved on with Pete Davidson, that is! While fans were keeping their eyes peeled for whichever guy the reality star was going to date next, her budding romance with the Saturday Night Live comic was not exactly on everyone's 2021 bingo card.
Mare of Easttown
The HBO saga of a Pennsylvania detective investigating a murder while trying to keep her own life together gripped viewers, became one of the year's breakout TV hits and landed Kate Winslet an Emmy Award.
Zendaya & Tom Holland
After years of trying to dodge romance rumors, the Spider-Man co-stars' relationship was officially out of the bag when the two were photographed kissing in July.
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"Montero (Call Me by Your Name)"
Lil Nas X made an undeniable splash when he dropped his first single of the year and its accompanying music video, which has amassed more than 400 million views. The track debuted at number one and was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Song and Record of the Year.
Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez
2021 saw the end of J.Lo and A-Rod, who officially announced the end of their engagement in April after four years together.
Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck
A month after announcing her split from Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez shocked fans once again when she vacationed with former flame Ben Affleck. Nearly two decades after they called off their engagement and broke up, Bennifer was back—and has been going strong ever since.
"All Too Well"
When it came time for Taylor Swift to re-record her 2012 album, Red, she undeniably delivered, especially with fan favorite, "All Too Well." The singer dropped multiple versions of the track, including a new 10-minute rendition. She also released a short film she directed for the song starring herself, Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien. After millions of views and listens, it's clear fans will remember Swift's new versions all too well.
Jake Gyllenhaal & Taylor Swift
With fans listening to "All Too Well," it was only a matter of minutes before they were also thinking about Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal's past relationship. After all, the track—and its red scarf mentions—are rumored to be all about the rise and fall of their short-lived romance.
"Easy on Me"
Six years after she last released music, Adele had fans grabbing for their tissue boxes when she returned with the ballad of 2021, "Easy on Me." The new single was an immediate success and the music video has since been watched more than 190 million times.
Adele
After staying largely out of the spotlight in the years since her last album, Adele's was the name on everyone's lips—and apparently in their Google search bars—after she emerged with a new single, a new album, Vogue covers, concert specials and a sit-down with Oprah Winfrey to answer all the questions on fans' minds.
Jennifer Aniston & David Schwimmer
HBO's Friends reunion in May had fans of the beloved sitcom thinking of Ross and Rachel in a brand new light when Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer revealed they had a crush on each other while filming the show. However, those feelings were left to their TV characters. "Honestly, I remember saying one time to David, 'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television,'" Jennifer said. "And sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop...We just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel."
Bridgerton
While Bridgerton hit our Netflix queues in December 2020, it seems fans continued to burn for the show into the new year. Leading star Regé-Jean Page's Saturday Night Live hosting debut probably didn't do much to quell those Google searches.
"drivers license"
Olivia Rodrigo's debut single had everyone revisiting their teenage heartbreak this year and belting out the song's infectious hook—in their car, of course.
Olivia Rodrigo
Beyond her driver's license, the teenager had plenty more to be excited about this year. Her debut album, Sour, was a smash hit in 2021, debuting at number one. She's since scored seven first-time Grammy nominations, including ones for Best New Artist and Album of the Year. Not so sour after all.
Squid Game
The hit series has become Netflix's most-watched show to date—and has viewers thinking of childhood games like "Red Light, Green Light" in a much different way.
Travis Scott
Two months after Kylie Jenner revealed she and Travis are expecting their second child together, the rapper's annual Astroworld Festival in November became the site of immense tragedy when hundreds of concertgoers were injured in a crowd surge. Ten people ultimately died.
Shailene Woodley
In February, Aaron Rodgers took fans by complete surprise when he revealed he got engaged to Big Little Lies' Shailene Woodley, mere days after E! News confirmed they were even a couple.
Space Jam
More than two decades after the original, Space Jam: A New Legacy had fans thinking about the Space Jam universe all over again.
Eternals
The star-packed Marvel movie was finally released in November, a year after it was originally scheduled to come out before the coronavirus pandemic.
Dog the Bounty Hunter
Amid the search for Brian Laundrie, the man who returned home from a cross-country trip without fiancée Gabby Petito and later went missing, Dog the Bounty Hunter emerged to help track him down.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starring Simu Liu, was one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. If that wasn't enough good news for fans, a sequel was also confirmed to be in the works.
Olivia Wilde
Photos of the Don't Worry Darling director and the movie's leading man, Harry Styles, holding hands at a friend's wedding in early January swiftly set the Internet ablaze. The two stars have been dating ever since.