The Celebrity Moments That Defined Pop Culture In The ’00s

From moments like Kim and Kanye splitting up to unlikely celebrity couples we can’t stop thinking about, we are constantly inundated with a strong array of celebrity ‘news’ where everything private is exposed – even the fake news.

Taking a trip down memory lane back to the ’00s, it would appear this moment of time revealed some of the juiciest, shocking, and utterly bizarre scandals and rumours following the rich and famous.

We’ve created a highlight reel of the tea that was spilled in the noughties in order from most basic to most outlandish. 

1. The love triangle between LiLo, Hilary, and Aaron Carter

The sweet and innocent Lizzie McGuire star was dating pretty-boy pop-singer Aaron Carter, well, first!. In the early ’00s when the pair were probably going through first periods and teste pops, the young teen stars were rocking up to the red carpet as the cutest white couple of the year. However, there has to be some drama to make it interesting.

It was declared Aaron said: “I was dating [Hilary] for like a year and a half, and then I just got a little bored so I went and I started getting to know Lindsay.”

Everyone remembers the infamous teen feud between Lindsay and Hilary. They were of similar age, starred in similar movies, both began singing careers (which sort of plummeted). Add a splash of boy drama and you have yourself a cocktail of teen emotions and some juicy Dolly mag stories.

 2. Winona Ryder shoplifting at Saks

20 years ago (yep, you should feel old), Winona Ryder shoplifted thousands of dollars worth of clothes from a Saks store in Beverly Hills. And it was a big deal for everyone. Winona’s reputation went from ‘talented, quirky actress’ to ‘completely unhinged’ overnight. 

According to Independent, “Winona Ryder has argued her shoplifting episode was ‘not the crime of the century’ and it gave her the opportunity to take a break from the film industry”. Yeah, OK, silver linings.

3. Kim Kardashian’s Sex Tape & The Following Success Of Keeping Up With The Kardashians

Sex tapes were all the rage in the ’00s, and Kimmy K’s tape was probably the most popular of them all. The leak of the tape came just months before the 2007 premiere of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and featured Kim and her ex Ray J. Rumours have persisted over the years that Kardashian herself, or even her mum Kris Jenner, leaked the tape but at this stage, who cares? It’s Kardashian’s world and we’re just living in it. 

4. Brad Pitt Leaving Jen For Angelina

Noooo. 2005 has unofficially been dubbed the most tragic year in Hollywood because that was the year Brad and Jen announced their split. Hollywood royalty died that year. 

For a good 15 or so years, we’ve had Team Ange and Team Jen. Miss Aniston, who screams relatable girl-next-door vibes, has been the winning team with fans praying for well over a decade the ex-couple would reunite. Since their split, gossip sites and magazines have also attempted to push for a romantic story of hope for the ex-duo by using ‘proof’ from pictures of them exchanging quick glances at each other on the red carpet every so often.

A lot of tea was spilled last year surrounding the Hollywood friends getting close again after the Screen Actors Guild red carpet photo that broke the internet, as well as their virtual reunion. Will our prayers ever be answered? Continue to watch this space, I guess. 

5. Britney Spears in 2007

Poor Brit… and we still worry about her (#FreeBritney). 

In 2007, Britney Spears was dealing with a divorce/custody battle. That year, she shaved off her blonde locks, and then she smashed up a photographer’s car with an umbrella. 

At the time, many of us were shocked by the string of rumours and scandals regarding her meltdowns, but with the New York Times doco Framing Britney Spears – which shines a light on the #FreeBritney movement – we see there’s no denying she was treated horribly in the ’00s.

6. Eminem died and was replaced by a clone

The weirdest of the 00’s conspiracy theory trend of celebrities ‘dying then being cloned’ surrounded rapper Eminem. 

Many of the gossip sites declared he died in 2006 in a car crash and then was replaced by an android/clone. The ‘evidence’ to support this was Tom Macdonald’s ‘Cloned Rappers’ music video where he literally raps “They cloned Gucci, cloned Kodiak; Cloned Eminem, he ain’t rapped since Encore, know that”. Well, get a court case going then, I guess!

Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?