When Reality Stars Met The Plastics: Remembering The Biggest Celebs Of 2004
Jon Stewart
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Alicia Keys
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Chad Michael Murray
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Ashlee Simpson lip syncs on Saturday Night Live
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Jake Gyllenhaal
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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California
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Sarah Jessica Parker
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Jude Law
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Jennifer Aniston
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Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
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Gwen Stefani
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Jennifer Lopez
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Paris Hilton
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Usher
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Janet Jackson
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Justin Timberlake
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Lindsay Lohan
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Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson
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Mel Gibson
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Britney Spears
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Mean Girls was released nearly 10 years ago, catapulting its star Lindsay Lohan to teen icon status. Barely 18 at the time, Lohan became a fixture on the Hollywood scene after the film's release, hanging out with It Girls like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, with mom Dina by her side. The attention bestowed upon her and her own group of Plastics soon shed light on a new batch of modern celebrities: the reality star. Reality television became a legitimate form of entertainment in the 2000s, spawning many successful personalities like Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, and legitimizing the inexplicable draw of heiresses with sex tapes.
As we continue our examination of fame in the pre-social media era, it's time to take a trip down memory lane — back to when Wilmer Valderrama was romancing a rotating cast of teen starlets and Britney Spears was considered unpredictable simply because of her tendency to get married. Usher was confessing his sins through song and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were finally tapping into the millions of dollars they made before puberty. Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and Arnold Schwarzenegger's election win angered many, but all people really wanted to complain about was Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's infamous wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl.
In honor of Throwback Thursday, we're reliving the moments that ruled the year 2004. Remember the awkwardness of Ashlee Simpson's Saturday Night Live faux pas and recall Chad Michael Murray's heartthrob status on all of your favorite WB/CW soaps, in the gallery above.
And if that's not enough for your nostalgia-loving soul, relive the year 2004 with this vintage look at Alicia Keys discussing the name of her sophomore album. (Yes, this was long before "Empire State of Mind.")
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