Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson was actually discovered while she was at a BC Lion’s Canadian Football League game. She made an appearance on the big-screen during the game, and attracted a lot of attention. Afterwards, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue modeling and acting.
Dennis Rodman & Madonna
Not a lot of people remember the fact that the basketball legend and the pop icon were actually in a relationship in 1994. It makes sense, both were known for pushing the boundaries of the public’s comfort zone. Apparently, Madonna wanted to have a child with Rodman, but that did not end up coming to fruition.
Cast Of Friends Before Show Aired
In 1994, a then-unknown groups of actors just starting out their careers landed roles in a show that would go on to change the world of entertainment. Before the show’s premiere, show director Jimmy Burrows took them on a trip to Las Vegas and told them: “This is your last shot at anonymity. Once the show comes on the air, you guys will never be able to go anywhere without being hounded.”
26 Year Old Anna Nicole Smith Marrying 89 Year Old J. Howard Marshall
In 1994, a story that rocked the tabloids was Anna Nicole Smith marrying J. Howard Marshall. Marshall, 63 years her senior, met Smith while she was working as a stripper in Houston. He died a year later, but did not mention her in his will, so she did not receive any part of his inheritance.
Meghan Markle, Age 11 With Mother Doria
In 1992, years before we knew her as the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was living in View Park, a wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood known colloquially as the “Black Beverly Hills.” She attended a private school as well.
Meghan Markle, Age 16 At A School Dance
Five years later, Markle attended a Christmas dance with her high school sweetheart Luis Segura. Neither of them had any idea that years later, she would become English royalty. Markle attended an all-girls catholic school called Immaculate Heart, while Segura attended all-boys school St. Francis.
18 Year Old Elon Musk At Queen’s University
After he moved from South Africa to Canada, Musk enrolled at Queen’s University. His roommate Navaid Farooq helped him acclimate to life in Canada. To earn extra cash, Must fixed and sold computer parts, saying: “I could build something to suit their needs like a tricked-out gaming machine or a simple word processor that cost less than what they could get in a store. Or if their computer didn’t boot properly or had a virus, I’d fix it. I could pretty much solve any problem.”
Window Ryder Arrested For Theft
Actress Winona Ryder stunned fans when she was arrested for stealing $5500 worth of designer clothing and accessories from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. She was given three years probation, 480 hours of community service, $3700 in fines, $6255 in restitution to Saks, and was assigned to psychological and drug counseling sessions.
Princess Diana In The “Revenge Dress”
In June 1994, many pearls were clutched when Princess Diana wore this dress. After Prince Charles admitted that he had been unfaithful to Diana, she stunned in this off-the-shoulder, form-fitting dress that many dubbed the “revenge dress.” Many criticized her for wearing a dress that they deemed inappropriate for a royal.
Julia Roberts With Unshaven Armpits
In April 1999, Julia Roberts attended the premiere of her film Notting Hill. As she was waving to a crowd, she revealed that her armpits were unshaven. This was largely seen as a feminist statement, though she has admitted that she did not realize her sleeves would not cover her armpits.
Young Ryan Gosling, Raised A Mormon
Ryan Gosling has opened up about the fact that his parents raised him in a religiously strict Mormon environment, saying: “We were brought up pretty religious. My mother admits it: She says, you were raised by a religious zealot. She’s different now, but at the time, it was a part of everything – what they ate, how they thought…”
Newly Emancipated Drew Barrymore, Age 14
Drew Barrymore had quite the unconventional childhood. She barely went to school, attended parties at Studio 54 with her mother, and was addicted to drugs and alcohol before she could legally drive. At age 14 she decided to legally emancipate herself, saying: “I was never unprofessional, but I was on a hiatus from being employable. And when I turned 14 and wanted to start my life over, I wanted to do things on my own terms. On the day of my hearing, my mother was there in full support of my emancipation, which would mean me living on my own. I felt so sad, but too much had happened.”
Macaulay Culkin With A Home Alone Poster
Macauly Culkin became the Shirley Temple of the 90’s after he starred in Home Alone, which became one of the highest grossing movies ever. He was paid $1 million for the role. However, his father, who was also his manager became overbearing and over-controlling, eventually losing his influence in the field.
Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton Scandal
When then-President Bill Clinton’s affair with 22 year old White House intern Monica Lewinsky came out, the political world was sent into a frenzy. Though Clinton initially denied the whole thing, Lewinsky admitted that the two had nine encounters over the course of two years. Clinton was impeached in 1998 on two of the four articles of impeachment.
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder
When it came to “it” couples, no other was more famous than Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, who dated from 1989 until 1993 after they worked on Edward Scissorhands together. They allegedly broke up became Ryder’s father refused to give his blessing for their marriage, as Winona was just 19 and Depp was 27.
Jason Momoa On The Set Of Baywatch
Looking quite a bit different from his Khal Drogo character, young Jason Momoa appeared in Baywatch Hawaii as Jason Ioane. He said that his experience at the time was “crazy”, as he was just a college kid running around shirtless and hanging out with beautiful girls.
Jim Carrey’s A-List Impressions, 1992
In the early 90’s, Jim Carrey was struggling to make a name for himself until he finally landed the lead role in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which ended up raking in $107.2 million. He later starred in hits like The Mask and Dumb and Dumber, cementing his status as one of the comedy greats of all time.
Kim, Rob, and Kourtney Kardashian with Their Father Robert In 1999
Years before they ruled reality TV, the Kardashians were living a typical life of the wealthy elite in Los Angeles. Robert Kardashian is best known for being O.J. Simpson’s defense attorney. He passed away in 2003 from esophageal cancer.
Susan Sarandon At the 1987 Cannes Film Festival
In 1987, Susan Sarandon was promoting her film Pretty Baby at the Cannes Film Festival. She remained prominent in the film industry for decades, saying: “It never had occurred to me that we were kind of inadvertently backing into an area that was so sensitive to so many white males of a certain age. Especially something about giving women the power of in some way determining their own destiny and not settling was really bothersome to a lot of people. I guess I gave men more credit than that. It never occurred to me… that it would upset people to have women in those parts.”
Robert Downey Jr. Being Sentenced In 1999
Though we now know him as Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. struggled with a drug addition, which led to several charges of breaking the law in 1996. He repeatedly violated his probation, which then led him to be given 3 years in prison. He was released early after serving one year, with a judge saying that his collective time in incarceration facilities allowed this.
Leonardo DiCaprio at Bash Nightclub in 1998
Following the massive success of films like Titanic, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Romeo + Juliet, 23 year old Leonardo DiCaprio was truly on top of the world. He headed on a night out to Bash Nightclub in Miami to celebrate with his friends and enjoy the perks of his successful career.
Angelina Jolie, A Rising Star In The 90’s
Angelina Jolie became the iconic superstar she’s known as today due to the success of her 1990’s films Hackers and Girl, Interrupted. She won an Oscar for her role in the latter. On the character, she said: “I really, genuinely thought I was the only character who was sane in the entire film. And if you watch it closely, that’s exactly how I was playing it: I am just the only sane person here. I was actually almost upset when people said I was so good at playing insane because I never thought she was insane. She was just incredibly honest, which, I guess, made her seem crazy.”
Matt Damon and Minnie Driver
After meeting on the set of Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon and co-star Minnie Driver were in a year-long relationship. How did it end? Well, Damon said in a live interview while on Oprah that he was single, though the two were still together. This was news to Driver, who said: “It’s unfortunate that Matt went on Oprah. It seemed like a good forum for him to announce to the world that we were no longer together, which I found fantastically inappropriate. Of course, he was busy declaring his love for me on David Letterman a month previously.”
Hollywood Starlet Pamela Anderson
By the mid-1990’s, Pamela Anderson had elevated herself from a beer model to a worldwide-known star. She appeared in Playboy 14 times, starred on TV shows like Baywatch, and appeared in films like Barb Wire. She truly cemented herself in 1990’s pop culture history.
Kurt Cobain Drinking Strawberry Quick Milk
It may be funny to see a man who we typically associate with grunge angst in a seemingly vulnerable pose, drinking a strawberry milk while sitting on the floor with almost child-like wonder in his eyes. Cobain suffered from chronic stomach pains and said the Quik milk helped soothe his pain. He never knew the cause of his stomach issues.
Adele With Her Spice Girls Posters
Like many young girls at the time, Adele was clearly a huge fan of the Spice Girls, as we can see from the many posters she had up in her room. The Spice Girls were at their prime in the 90’s, and soon after Adele would follow suit with her own pop star career.
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt At A Sting Concert, 1999
It doesn’t get more 90’s than Brad and Jen at a Sting concert in New York City. They even got up on stage with him! The pair got married in 2000 and were considered a rare success for a Hollywood marriage until their 2005 divorce took place.
Eminem Kissing A Fan, 1999
Rapper Eminem, who is a Detroit native, took the music scene by storm after his hit song “My Name Is” premiered on Total Request Live. He became one of the most successful rappers of his time.
Jennifer Lopez Enjoying An Iced Coffee, 1997
From early on in her career, Jennifer Lopez was ready to fight for what she believed her work was worth. She always challenged studios to pay her fairly, and was not afraid to draw comparisons to male co-stars’ pay. She said: “I think George Clooney’s getting $10 million for this movie. [Universal] thought they were going to get me cheap from the beginning, but I kept telling my agent, ‘No, no, no! Keep asking!’ When my agent called me saying, ‘What should we say to them?’ I said, ‘Say, who’s going to break their ass to promote this movie while George is on ER? Say, Anaconda is now over $100 million worldwide and why do you think girls between 18 and 25 went to see it more than any other action movies–because of Ice Cube?”
Young Matthew McConaughey
In 1999, Matthew McConaughey was arrested after being caught in possession of marijuana but resisting arrest while playing the bongos in the nude. In an interview, he was asked if he regretted his actions, to which he replied: “What’s wrong with beating on your drums in your birthday suit? I have no regrets about the way I got there. But what’s the lesson? Shut the window that has the beautiful scent of jasmine blowing in because it’s two in the morning and you might wake a neighbor.”
Salma Hayek’s Casting Polaroid, 1995
Although Salma Hayek only became known to American audiences in the 90’s, she was already a huge star in her home country of Mexico. Despite her initial struggles in Hollywood, she appeared in From Dusk ‘Til Dawn and Desperado, making her a star. She starred in five more Robert Rodriguez films after that. She helped bring some diversity to Hollywood as well.
Kim Kardashian, 1994
Back in 1994, Kim Kardashian was not famous yet, but she was still living the life of a wealthy Los Angeles resident, with a famous lawyer father and an Olympian step-father. In a video of her 1994 graduation, she was filmed saying to the camera: “Does everyone get a tape of this? I hope you do so you can see me when I’m famous and remember me as this beautiful little girl!”
Mariah Carey and Will Smith
It’s strange to think about a time when Will Smith and Mariah Carey weren’t household names, but in 1988, when this photo was taken, the two were still unknown young artists. Two years later, Carey released her debut album and Smith appeared on the hit series Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
Clueless Cast Behind The Scenes, 1995
In 1995, before Clueless was released, many executives actually passed on the chance of releasing it, believing that it would be a flop. It ended up at Paramount Pictures. Paul Rudd, one of the young stars of the film, said: “After the table read we all went and got a bite to eat. We went to a place not far, around the corner…I do remember all of us sitting around saying, ‘How cool is it that we’re all going to do a movie about kids our own age?’ And having that conversation about the John Hughes movies to our generation.”
Ryan Reynolds Holding A Puppy, 1996
Before Ryan Reynolds became one of the most successful actors in Hollywood, he was a struggling actor like many at the start of their careers. His first break came when he appeared on Nickelodeon show Fifteen. Though he didn’t earn a lot of money for the job, he said: “I remember we were paid 150 bucks per episode. And I still had a paper route so I would do my TV show and then I’d go home and do my paper route each day. For me, I thought I was, like, a gajillionaire. For $150 a day, it was like a dream come true.”
Teletubbies Behind The Scenes
BBC children’s series Teletubbies was filmed in Warwickshire, England but locals were not pleased about this fact. They actually protested against the show being filmed there. Show creator Anne Wood said: “I had to make my case to the planning authorities, wondering how, if they refused me, I’d explain to the BBC that I’d spend £150,000 digging a hole and might have to spend another £150,000 filling it in. I assured them it was a low-key children’s program and no one would be aware of the filming. But as soon as it was broadcast, we had photographers crawling across fields and hovering from helicopters.”
Drew Barrymore In Her Room After Being Emancipated
After being emancipated, Drew Barrymore began living in an apartment on her own. She tried her best to keep it together, but she shared in an interview with The Guardian: “I had no idea how to run an apartment at 14. There was fungus growing everywhere, it was a disaster. It was in a dangerous neighborhood and I was so scared to sleep. I had bars on the window and alley cats…30 feet away. I was so terrified.”
Blake Lively Dressed As Baby Spice, 1997
Twitter user @briarmadrid was reminiscing about the time she went to a Spice Girls concert in 1997 when she found this photo. It was then, in 2018, that she realized the girl dressed as Baby Spice who she took a photo with was none other than Blake Lively! Lively tweeted in response to the picture: “Pretending to be someone else… since 1997… Sorry -not sorry- I tricked you into thinking I was [Baby Spice].”
Jared Leto, 1992
In 1992, Jared Leto was portraying the dreamy Jordan Catalano on teen drama series My So-Called Life. He appeared alongside then-14 year old Claire Danes, and ended up being the actress’s very first kiss. She actually was not sure what to do, and described the encounter: “There were these stage directions in that scene where it says ‘Angela kisses Jordan’s face,’ and I was like, ‘What? What is that about? Why would she kiss his face?’ I had that question on set, and he had to try to teach me. It’s ridiculous!”
Glenn Close and Woody Harrelson
A lot of people don’t know this but back in 1991, actors Glenn Close and Woody Harrelson were once in a relationship. Close, who portrayed Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, is 14 years older than Harrelson, who first rose to prominence for appearing on TV show Cheers and went on to star in many films. Their relationship did not last but the two remain good friends to this day.
Johnny Depp In 1991
While filming Edward Scissorhands, director Tim Burton was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine. On Depp, he said: “Like Edward, Johnny really is perceived as something he is not. Before we met, I’d certainly read about him as the Difficult Heartthrob. But you look at him and you get a feeling. There is a lot of pain and humor and darkness and light. I think for him [the role] is probably very personal. It’s just a very strong internal feeling of loneliness.”
Cher Performing In 1992
Cher rose to fame in the 1960’s, along with her husband Sonny Bono. Once the two split, most assumed her career was over. However, she proved them all wrong and went on to have a massively successful solo career that extends to today. In the 90’s, she embarked on her “Love Hurts” tour where she had plenty of noteworthy outfits.
Pre-Fame Tom Hardy
In his early 20’s, actor Tom Hardy struggled with substance abuse. After a 28-day stint at rehab, he realized that he had a problem and decided to turn his life around. He has been sober since he was 23 years old.
David and Victoria Beckham, 1997
The soccer star and Spicer Girl are certainly one of the most beloved celebrity couples of all time. They met at a charity football game in Manchester and were engaged a year later. Their son Brooklyn was born in March 1999 and they were married in July of the same year. They later had three more children together.
Michael Jackson, Kevin Connolly and Leonardo DiCaprio In 1998
Actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Kevin Connolly are pictured here with Michael Jackson, who invited the two to spend time with him at Neverland Ranch. Connolly opened up about the experience, saying “The craziest thing I saw when I visited Neverland Ranch was Bubbles. I played with Bubbles… There was lots of weirdness but that’s another show in itself.” Bubbles was Jackson’s famous chimpanzee.
Salma Hayek at 1998 Lethal Weapon 4 Premiere
Although she was not in Lethal Weapon 4, Salma Hayke still made a splash at the premiere. She was one of the most in demand actresses at the time, so she could be selective. On being offered the role of Selena, she said: “[The producers] offered it to me like a week after she [Selena Quintanilla-Perez] died. It was a little bit distasteful. They were already planning on making this movie.”
Cameron Diaz In 1994
We all fell in love with Cameron Diaz in her first major role as Tina, Jim Carey’s love interest, in The Mask. However, the role almost went to Anna Nicole Smith. Director Chuck Russell said: “I saw Cameron’s 8×10 on the casting desk and asked, ‘What about her?, I was told she was submitted but had not acted in anything else yet. I said to bring her in and let’s see… [She] was the only person for the part as far as I was concerned after her first reading. And then I saw the chemistry with her and Jim. Eight callbacks later, including improvs with Jim, I finally convinced producers.”
Penélope Cruz, 18 Years Old, Filming Jamón Jamón, 1992
Penelope Cruz moved to New York City from Madrid, Spain, and at just 18 she landed her first role in the film Jamon Jamon, alongside future husband Javier Bardem. The pair got married two decades later in 2010 and have two children together.
Liv Tyler
Actress Liv Tyler didn’t know that her father is Steven Tyler of Aerosmith until she was 8 years old. She said: “My mother was very young when she had me and there was a little bit of confusion about where I came from but I was very loved and very well taken care of by all my family, which was wonderful… I kind of figured it out because he looked exactly like me and I have a sister named Mia who is a year younger than me and I saw her standing at the side of the stage at a concert and I was literally like looking at my twin.”
Keanu Reeves on the set of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, 1991
After the success of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Keanu Reeves became a superstar. A second film in the franchise was later made, called Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. A third film in the series is set to be released sometime in 2020.
Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, Fight Club Filming
One of the many defining moments of Fight Club is the scene where Brad Pitt shows off his incredibly impressive physique. While preparing for the role, Pitt was on a strict diet that consisted of fish, chicken, vegetables, and plenty of other sources of protein. He went through two sessions of extreme cardio and four weightlifting days per week in order to maintain his 6% body fat.
Chandler and Monica in The One with the Jellyfish
The episode of beloved sitcom Friends called “The One with the Jellyfish” is the first glimpse of a spark between the characters of Chandler and Monica. Although the two don’t get together until many seasons later, rewatching the episode might give an indication that the two had some feelings starting to grow for one another.
Tara Reid, Original Party Girl
Tara Reid shot to fame after appearing in the American Pie film series. She became a paparazzi fixation, on which she would later comment: “I was before Paris Hilton, before Lindsay Lohan. I’m the oldest one, and I started selling magazines. They still want to make me that.”
Pamela Anderson & David Charvet, 1993
Before Baywatch premiered, its star and producer, David Hasselhoff was not sure about Pamela Anderson for the role of CJ Parker. He was worried the fact that she had been in Playboy would draw too much attention. Of course, she was chosen in the end and ended up being a big part of why people tuned into the show.
Jennifer Lopez’ Birthday Party In 1999
1999 was an incredible year for Jennifer Lopez. She starred in In Living Color, Selena, and Anaconda. She also released an album that went multi-platinum. It’s no wonder she looks so happy and glowing at her 30th birthday party.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba was a classic teen star during the 90’s. She appeared on Nickelodeon and also had a modeling gig in the mail catalogue for the Limited Too. She went on to become a very successful TV and film actress and is now a businesswoman, having founded The Honest Company; a baby, households, and personal products company.
Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz On The Set of Blow
Penelope Cruz knew early on in her career that she wanted to work with Johnny Depp. The one thing she found challenging was his sense of humor. She said: “The only problem is he has a very peculiar sense of humor – and even though I know all his tricks, he can still crack me up. I can’t stop laughing when we are working so we had a few problems on the set. One time we were stuck for two hours and couldn’t finish the scene because we couldn’t stop laughing.”
Forrest Gump With Nike Cortez Shoes
Forrest Gump is a celebrated movie that is definitely a career-defining one for Tom Hanks. In addition to that, it also introduced the world to Nike Cortez sneakers, from the pre-Jordan years of the company.
Nintendo Released SNES, 1991
In 1991, Nintendo released Super Nintendo Entertainment System, aka Super Nintendo. The game system changed video games forever and went on to become the most commercially successful 16-bit era game console. It was only discontinued in 2003.
Johnny Carson Retires In 1992
The original king of late night talk show hosts Johnny Carson began his late night career in 1962 and officially retired from The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in 1992. He was six Emmy Awards, the 1980 Television Academy’s Governor’s Award, and a 1985 Peabody Award.