Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Mark Seliger, Ashley Markle, Guerin Blask/August, John P. Johnson/HBO, Ruven Afanador, Cinematic/Alamy
The article from our 20 Most-Read list that published earliest in the year was a damning investigation by Lila Shapiro, published in mid-January, into sexual-assault claims against acclaimed author and TV creator Neil Gaiman. The one that published latest in the year was an oral history of Ron Howard’s campy, manic live-action reimagining of How the Grinch Stole Christmas on that film’s 25th anniversary. Everything else on this list falls somewhere between those profoundly opposing poles.
It was, in other words, a typical year for Vulture, and we couldn’t be prouder of the 20 stories you’ll find below, plus the rest of the articles, videos, social posts, podcasts, and newsletters that we published during that time.
Photo: Elizabeth Weinberg
The White Lotus made him go viral, but the actor has been stirring up trouble onscreen for decades. Read the story.
Photo: Mark Seliger
While we were watching these culture-makers, they were watching one another. Read the story.
Photo: Ashley Markle for New York Magazine
How the Bop House, an OnlyFans influencer group, conjures a fantasy of young girls having a horny sleepover. Read the story.
Photo: Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.’ unusual agreement with Ryan Coogler has rival executives sweating, with some saying it sets a “dangerous” precedent. Read the story.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty Images (Rich Polk/Penske Media, Kevin Winter)
How Demi Moore lost the Best Actress award after staging a near-perfect career comeback. Read the story.
Photo: Andreas Laszlo Konrath for New York Magazine
Ron Howard has worked with everyone from Bette Davis to J.D. Vance. He has stories about all of them. Read the story.
Video: Universal Pictures
Behind the scenes of the lavish, painful, wigged-out movie that should have won Jim Carrey an Oscar. Read the story.
Photo: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
The F1 press tour has been a carefully tuned charm offensive meant to obscure Pitt’s alleged violent behavior toward ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Read the story.
Photo-Illustration: Alvaro Dominguez
For years, studios found it cheaper to shoot elsewhere. Post-industry-collapse, elsewhere is the only place they’ll shoot. Read the story,
Photo: Ruven Afanador for New York Magazine
The pop star’s success once felt radical. Can she capture the Zeitgeist again? Read the story.
Photo: Saturday Night Live/YouTube
The ringmaster of Saturday Night Live is 80 years old. What happens to the show, not to mention American comedy, when he retires? Read the story.
Photo: Cinematic/Alamy
“The kids at school misunderstood Trachtenberg. In our group of child stars, we all wanted to be like her,” writes Matilda star Mara Wilson in a remembrance of her old friend. Read the story.
Photo: John P. Johnson/HBO
How Nathan Fielder channeled a longtime personal obsession into his most ambitious project yet. Read the story.
Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Dick Van Dyke, and more legends of Broadway reprise their most memorable characters. Read the story.
Photo: Courtesy of Matt Wolf
The film I made about my childhood hero was four years in the making, and it almost broke me, writes director Matt Wolf. Read the story.
Photo: Warner Bros./Everett Collection
Sinners is a film that will haunt critic Angelica Jade Bastién just as much as it will keep her wondering who Ryan Coogler wants to be on the other side of Creed and Black Panther. Read the story.
Photo: Miya Mizuno/Columbia Pictures/Everett Collection
There is, believe it or not, plenty to unpack about the role full-frontal male nudity has played in this series. Read the story.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: TLC, HBO, Justin Coit/Netflix
Kathryn VanArendonk is a keen observer of cultural bleakness. That skill animated a triple-whammy of widely read TV criticism in form of reviews of The Baldwins, The White Lotus season finale, and With Love, Meghan.
Read the stories:
➼ The Baldwins Is Grimmer Than You Imagined
➼ The White Lotus Didn’t Earn It
➼ Meghan Markle Pioneers New Frontiers in Unrelatability
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Courtesy of the Andersons, Adrián Monroy/Medios y Media/Getty Images
The Andersons were kicked out of Disneyland’s most exclusive club. They would not go willingly. Read the story.
Photo: Guerin Blask/August
How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades. Read the story.
overnights
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