If you pick up any ol' celebrity gossip mag these days, you're likely to see a Kardashian, a Bieber or a Bachelor star on the cover—but believe it or not, there was once a time (not too long ago) when a whole different slew of stars ruled the pages of these dishy reads.
While some of those names have continued making their rounds in the news, others, albeit still famous, have quieted down a bit. Curious to relive some of the biggest scandals, relationships and more, in the lives of some incredibly famous folks who have currently managed to keep (at least some) of their private life under wraps?
Keep reading for 30 celebs who used to be on the cover of every tabloid.
1. Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay "Lilo" Lohan was the Queen Bee of the gossip rags. From her endless rehab stints and multiple times in jail, to her provocative dating life and wild, party girl antics, it makes perfect sense why she was a fixture for the glossies. To top it off, she had a problematic family of fame-seeking enablers, and you couldn't tell her friends from her enemies. In recent years, however, interest in the former Mean Girls star has waned. She attempted a reality show on MTV, but she apparently no longer has the hold on viewers as she once did—the series was a major flop.
2. Katie Holmes
As far as tabloid fixtures are concerned, Katie Holmes is one of the tamer names to make the list. The Dawson's Creek star-turned-mega-movie-star has never been in trouble with the law or exhibited any public faux pas that would have her murdered by her publicist. She has, however, had quite the roster of exes, including the one and only Tom Cruise. Dubbed "TomKat," Katie and her ex piqued everyone's fascination—and while there will always be public interest in who she's dating and what she and Tom's daughter Suri are up to, Katie's private life has remained highly under wraps since their years-ago split.
3. & 4. Heidi & Spencer Pratt
We can't think of another reality couple who's made more headlines over time than the infamous Speidi (Heidi and Spencer Pratt). Whether the two stars of The Hills were staging the most ridiculous paparazzi shoots, gossiping about their former costar (aka lifelong arch nemesis Lauren Conrad), or lying to media that they broke up, this pair knew everything about staying famous. That said, they hit a lull (and a break from the spotlight) when they spent all their TV and endorsement earnings—and while their reality show revamped with The Hills: New Beginnings, they never quite revived their tabloid fixture status.
5. Britney Spears
Britney Spears is without question the most legendary pop star of all time. While the younger generation may not have Blackout on repeat, there's no denying the performer has made her mark on the music industry and pop culture. But aside from her professional life, the singer—who is now an Instagram-loving, stay-at-home mama of two—was also very familiar with the tabloids. Just about every relationship of hers has been well-documented since her rise to fame in the late '90s—and it also didn't hurt that she palled around with other fellow party girl-paparazzi favorites, including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan.
6. Jessica Simpson
Ah, Jessica Simpson. The sweet mama with the loving family, who stays out of harm's way. Well, there was once a time when all eyes were on the former pop star-turned-clothing designer, for better or worse. In her heyday, the singer was the epitome of a hot girl poster a boy had on their wall. Girls wanted to be her, guys wanted to date her. Her fame piqued when she married former boyband-er Nick Lachey, who starred with her on MTV's massive hit, Newlyweds. Whether she was being spotlighted for her relationships, her clothing choices or pretty much anything else, Jessica was everywhere.
7. Kevin Federline
Kevin "K-Fed" Federline only made tabloids for one particular reason, but that was plenty! The former backup dancer publicly dated Britney Spears, and they went on to have two kids, along with a sometimes-messy custody battle that followed. The singer's ex has since moved on to dad life, raising more kids than we could ever handle with several different women. While he did take a turn in rapping, he ultimately decided to settle down as a family man, and from what we know publicly, he's doing a great job.
8. Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad was the reality TV it-girl of the early aughts. Not sure about you, but there was no one we knew who didn't want to be the famous star. Lauren essentially came out of nowhere, plucked by MTV to become the massive star of The Hills, prior to starring on Laguna Beach, which focused on high school life in her hometown. While Lauren herself, wasn't paparazzi gold (far too classy for that!), everything that accompanied her surely fit the bill. Her style, her fascinating dating life, her friend drama (see No. 3 & 4)—LC is an icon for the ages. She personally chose to leave the limelight and went on to focus on raising a family with her husband and building several successful clothing and retail businesses.
9. & 10. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
When it comes to the term "tabloid fixture," no couple will likely ever come to mind quite like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, aka the iconic Brangelina. No pair has endured more photo opps, rumors and lies or reverence than this now-parted duo. As two of the biggest movie stars in the world, they epitomized "power couple." To top it off, they adopted a bunch of kids, which made their public interest soar. But once they filed for what appeared to be quite the messy divorce, their once-love for the spotlight quickly dimmed. While still both giant stars on their own, they've gone on to focus less on fame and more on their careers and strengthening their family.
11. Jennifer Aniston
Part of what made Brangelina so darn fascinating was their tie to Jennifer Aniston. The actress, who is still very much relevant (yet much more private), was married to Brad, who quickly went on to date, then marry Angelina, post-Jen split. Brad is said to have cheated on Jen with Angie, making this alleged love triangle every gossip reporter's dream. While a huge star in her own right (thanks to her breakout role in Friends), Jen became even bigger due to this little scenario. In fact, years and years later, the gossip mags were still fixated on this trio's supposed drama, until Jen and Brad finally hugged it out during the previous awards season and put any rumors of ill will to rest, once and for all.
12 & 13. John and Kate Gosselin
Cue the cringe. While the majority of names on this list are accredited actors or reality stars who kept us amused, Jon and Kate Gosselin (of Jon and Kate + 8 fame) had one of the most sickeningly tumultuous relationships reality TV viewers have ever seen. And not in a funny or intriguing way. The once-married pair was toxic at best, thanks to a cheating scandal on Jon's behalf. While their relationship was horrible enough, the fact that they had eight children made this relatively unknown couple from Pennsylvania turn into household names, and the ultimate tabloid fixtures. While the two still love to badmouth one another to the public, their tabloid-hungry behavior has since mellowed as their kids have gotten older and Jon appears to be in a happy relationship.
14. Taylor Swift
It's no secret that Taylor Swift has had a handful of very public relationships (and songs that tell their stories!). But it's hard to believe the now-fiercely private superstar used to be on the cover of every gossip magazine. From Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayer, to Harry Styles, Calvin Harris and many more, Taylor's love life was of peak interest to the tabs (and she totally fed into it). But after the way things played out with her last few relationships, the singer chose to take things down so many notches she basically became silent in any public reference to her relationship with current beau, Joe Alwyn. And hey, we've got to hand it to her—this decision seems to be going smoothly.
15. Rihanna
Rihanna will forever be on peoples' minds. Whether it's her bold style, her fearlessness to say whatever's on her mind, her successful Fenty Beauty brand or the new music she still has yet to release, Rihanna will never fizzle out. That said, we wouldn't exactly call her a tabloid fixture in present times. During and following her insanely tumultuous relationship with ex Chris Brown, her love life was spotlighted for years. And while people will always care, she's made a bigger effort to maintain her privacy in recent years.
16. Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl has taken a major step back from the spotlight since raising a family, but at her prime, this leading lady seemingly couldn't be stopped—but not always at the approval of her publicist. While the starlet shot to fame with Grey's Anatomy and a handful of rom-coms, including 27 Dresses, arrogance seemed to accompany her, as she had a reputation for unfavorable sound-bytes. The actress quickly became known as the girl you don't want to work with, making her professional drama just what the tabloids craved.
17. Tom Cruise
While Tom Cruise seems to live much more under the radar now than he did in years past, he is hands down one of the biggest movie stars to ever live. Sure, his relationship with Katie Holmes was a tabloid magnet for their entire marriage, but regardless, his romances and religious views have been followed for decades. Given the spectacle that's been made of his alleged moral beliefs and seemingly absentee relationship with his and Katie's daughter Suri, he's made a good move for himself and kept the recent focus totally on his career.
18. Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was a buttoned-up, happily married, well-respected star golfer who was probably the last person anyone would expect to see on the cover of a tabloid—that is, until the cheating scandal that rocked the nation. In one of the most shocking twists in sports, Tiger, who was married with children to Elin Nordegren, unfolded with a slew of mistresses. The seemingly never-ending mishap not only destroyed his marriage, but put a huge dent in his legendary career.
19. John Mayer
As his songs suggest, John Mayer sure knows the way to ladies' hearts. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson were all among the wildly famous hearts this crooner broke. Everyone had a story about the singer-songwriter, and those tales all played out in the magazines. Following much flack for his playboy ways, John and his drama have stepped away from the spotlight in recent years—on a professional level, too.
20. Selena Gomez
Sweet Selena Gomez is a do-gooder starlet we're always rooting for, but her life has played out in the public eye like a soap opera. From her up and down friendships with Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, to her battle with lupus, and to her relationships with The Weeknd and most notably Justin Bieber, the multi-hyphenate has been a never-ending source of content for the tabs. Her relationship with Justin alone provided years and years of content, and we're not going to lie—we're guilty as everyone else for keeping a close eye. But in recent years, since her kidney transplant and splitting from Bieber for the final time, Selena has taken a major step back from the spotlight, making her health and career her prime concern.
21. Miley Cyrus
We don't think child star-turned-icon Miley Cyrus will ever really get sick of the spotlight—after all, it's literally in her blood. That said, if you take a look at where she is now versus where she was, let's say, five years ago, it's a world of difference. The hard-partying, no-nonsense superstar, who wanted to break out of her Disney mold, did whatever she wanted and didn't care who saw. The tabloids loved her and she seemingly loved them in return. But since splitting from longtime significant other-turned husband Liam Hemsworth and cozying up to Cody Simpson, her laid-back life no longer makes for tabloid cover fodder.
22. & 23. Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen
If you think Kendall and Kylie Jenner were young when they were forced into the spotlight, they don't hold a candle to the iconic Olsen twins. Mary Kate and Ashley not only starred on Full House as infants, but they went on to remain famous for the rest of their lives. Aside from endless movies and extremely successful businesses, the girls were drop dead gorgeous and loved to party with and date the best of them. Hot, rich twins who ran in famous circles? Sounds like the perfect recipe for a tabloid cover. While they weren't known for giving interviews, people still knew what they were up to (for better or worse), thanks to the gossip mags.
24. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leo will always be of interest to the public, but there was a time when he just went from model to model to model, and the world couldn't stop watching. The Academy Award-winning actor never met a pretty girl he didn't like, and he's never failed to pique the interest of the public. In recent years, he's kept a much more low profile, but people's curiosity will never fully wane on this star.
25. Sandra Bullock
When Bird Box hit Netflix a couple years ago, much of the younger generation was seeing Sandra Bullock on screen for the first time. Little did they know this Academy Award-winning actress used to be a tabloid sensation—and very sadly, not by choice. She was involved in an incredibly public, heart-wrenching cheating scandal (we're talking Tiger Woods vibes—see No. 18) at the hands of her seemingly supportive then-husband Jesse James, right around when she won her Oscar. Everyone felt for the superstar, but was yet intrigued by the drama nevertheless. From then on, the public has always had an interest in her love life. Not too long after the scandal, however, Sandra adopted two kids—and since 2015 has been happily partnered-up with Bryan Randall, making her much less of a target to the tabs.
26. Blake Lively
At the peak of Gossip Girl's success, name one TV star who got more tabloid attention than Blake Lively—we'll wait. While the actress is still incredibly in the spotlight today, her life is much more revered by the public and much less featured on the front page of the gossip magazines. But at the height of her small-screen fame, everything from what she wore to her relationship with costar Penn Badgley was front-page news.
27. Mischa Barton
Mischa Barton had a pretty anticlimactic presence during her recent stint on The Hills: New Beginnings—so much so that won't be joining the cast for the second season. But the former star of The OC used to be the name on everyone's minds. Not only was Mischa gorgeous on a level at which no one compared, but her show was also insanely popular and she was living life to the fullest with a handful of other party girls on this list. From her legal snafus to her dating life to her hard-partying escapades, the clearly reformed party girl was everything you'd want from a tabloid cover.
28. Paris Hilton
It's almost like the tabloids were invented for Paris Hilton. The heiress-turned reality star-turned mogul couldn't fit the bill of a gossip cover girl more if she tried. She paved the way for most of the women on this list. She was totally hot, she loved to party, she loved to shop, she always had a famous man on her arm, she knew how to work the camera—and, lest we forget, she was quite mischievous. With the exception of Lindsay Lohan, we're not sure if any name on this list has seen more tabloid covers than the icon of all icons, Paris Hilton.
29. Nicole Richie
Sofia Richie has spent some time on the pages of the gossip mags thanks to her relationship with Scott Disick, but it's incredibly shallow in comparison to the mark big sis Nicole made in her prime. As Paris Hilton's BFF and The Simple Life costar, the two were always up to no good. From hard-partying ways, to run-ins with the law and relationships with Brody Jenner and the late DJ AM, Nicole, daughter of music legend Lionel Richie, could not be stopped. But once she got together with Joel Madden years ago, the beast was quickly tamed. The two got married in 2010, have two kids, and are seemingly living a peaceful happily ever after.
30. Amy Winehouse
If you're unfamiliar with the name Amy Winehouse, there's a reason why. The highly talented, yet terribly troubled musician's life was cut short due to alcohol poisoning in 2011. Leading up to her death, she was a critically acclaimed musician, with a personal life as fascinating to the public as her career. The star's ups and downs were documented regularly in the tabloids, which likely added fuel to the fire of her already troubled existence.