What’s one way to chart the roller coaster ride that was 2021 in the United States? The Washington Examiner took a look at Google’s most-searched people in the past year.
The following is a list of the Top 10:
1. Kyle Rittenhouse
The public had no idea who Kyle Rittenhouse was until Aug. 25, 2020, when he traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid the unrest after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. During that riot, Rittenhouse shot three men, killing two of them.
More than a year later, he had become a hero to many on the Right, who said he defended himself with a rifle from demonstrators who meant to do harm. Meanwhile, he became reviled by others who saw him as being the epitome of someone taking up arms in an alarming display of vigilante justice.
His trial began in November, and the jury found the teenager not guilty on all charges, ranging from intentional homicide to reckless endangerment of safety.
Rittenhouse, now 18, said on Dec. 1 he would destroy the gun he used in the Kenosha riot. He was later announced as a speaker at Turning Point USA’s AMERICAFEST in Phoenix, Arizona, held over the weekend.
2. Tiger Woods
After pro golfer Tiger Woods, 45, got into a car crash in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, he was hospitalized with a shattered ankle and two leg fractures. He stayed at the hospital for nearly a month and later told authorities he had no memory of driving his vehicle after being pulled from the wreckage.
Woods was speeding, driving at “estimated speeds” of “84 to 87 miles per hour” above the 45 mph limit, when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. In May, Woods described his rehabilitation as “more painful than anything I have ever experienced.”
Though he was uncertain if he would ever play golf full time again, Woods said he would compete with his 12-year-old son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship on Dec. 18.
“Although it’s been a long and challenging year, I am very excited to close it out by competing in the PNC Championship with my son Charlie,” he said in a tweet. “I’m playing as a Dad and couldn’t be more excited and proud.”
3. Alec Baldwin
Actor Alec Baldwin’s year was marred on Oct. 21, when he accidentally shot a gun on the set of Rust, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin claimed in a Dec. 1 interview that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, which contained a live bullet when it was fired, according to Indiewire. He has met with Hutchins’s husband, who said he was “in shock” over her death, and her 9-year-old son since the shooting occurred.
“She was my friend,” Baldwin said on Oct. 30. “We were a very, very well-oiled crew shooting a film together, and then this horrible event happened.”
The film’s set has been under scrutiny since insiders claimed there were other misfires in the days leading up to the shooting, as well as crew members walking off the set that morning to protest the conditions. A letter from the film’s crew members acknowledged the set had imperfect and challenging elements but maintained it was a professional work environment.
On Thursday, Baldwin was issued a search warrant, with officials seeking his cellphone records as part of their investigation.
4. Travis Scott
Rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival on Nov. 6 in Houston, Texas, left 10 people dead, with hundreds of others injured. The deaths and injuries resulted after the crowd began “to compress toward the front of the stage.”
The aftermath saw multiple lawsuits against Scott and festival organizers, with one seeking $750 million in compensation. Scott said he would cover the cost of the funerals for the individuals who died and wrote on social media he was “absolutely devastated” by what happened.
“I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need,” Scott wrote on Nov. 6. “Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support.”
5. Simone Biles
Time magazine’s pick for athlete of the year, Simone Biles, grabbed national headlines for her medal-winning Olympic prowess and her promotion of mental health awareness.
Biles became the center of attention on July 27 when she dropped out of the gymnastics team finals to focus on her mental health. While some supported her decision, others called her a quitter.
In September, Biles was among the gymnasts who condemned USA Gymnastics, the Olympic committees, and the FBI for ignoring sexual abuse allegations about convicted predator Larry Nassar, who was sentenced to 175 years in prison in 2018 for admitting to molesting gymnasts under the guise of providing medical treatment.
6. Derek Chauvin
Former police officer Derek Chauvin made headlines last year after he placed his knee on George Floyd’s neck for nine minutes, prompting national outrage, calls for law enforcement reform and defunding of the police, and social justice demonstrations that often devolved into riots.
Almost a year after Floyd’s death, he was found guilty of murder on April 20. Two months later, Chauvin was sentenced to more than 22 years behind bars. In December, he pleaded guilty to federal charges that he abused his position of power to violate Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin gave his condolences to the Floyd family at his sentencing hearing but added, “There’s going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest. And I hope things will give you some peace of mind.”
7. Morgan Wallen
Country singer and songwriter Morgan Wallen experienced an incredibly rough start to 2021, as a video of him saying the N-word surfaced online. Eric Schiffer of Reputation Management Consultants said Wallen could experience a one-to-two-year setback from the video and the backlash that resulted from it.
Five months passed before he addressed the comments, saying he was with friends and they say “dumb stuff together.”
“In our minds, it’s playful. It sounds ignorant, but that’s really where it came from, and it’s wrong,” Wallen said on Good Morning America in July.
Wallen has already announced his 2022 tour dates, with the first one being held in Evansville, Indiana, in early February.
8. Henry Ruggs III
Henry Ruggs III was a wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders before the morning of Nov. 2 when he allegedly crashed into another vehicle in Las Vegas, trapping and killing a woman inside her car.
Ruggs allegedly drove with a blood-alcohol level that measured 0.16%, twice the legal limit for Nevada drivers. The Raiders dropped Ruggs from the team within 24 hours of the accident.
If Ruggs is convicted of his felony accounts, which include driving under the influence resulting in death, DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm, and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, he could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.
9. Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson attracted fame prior to 2021, thanks to his role on Saturday Night Live. But he made headlines this year after it was discovered he was dating Kim Kardashian.
Their relationship did not become well known to the public until the end of the year when Kardashian hosted an episode of SNL and the two starred in a sketch parodying Disney’s Aladdin. Over the next two months, the two would be seen riding roller coasters, visiting his home state of New York, and celebrating his birthday together, according to Complex.
When Kardashian was asked on Dec. 17 who her favorite SNL star was, she responded by saying, “You know who it is,” according to Page Six.
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10. Shailene Woodley
The star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager and the Divergent film series made news when she revealed on Feb. 22 she was engaged to Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. She said she never imagined getting engaged to someone who “throws balls for a living” but said that “he’s really good at it.”
“When I first met him, my dog, like, pulled me aside and was like, ‘If you don’t date this dude, I will disown you as my mother!'” Woodley joked on The Jimmy Fallon Show in February.
Rodgers came under scrutiny in November when he tested positive for COVID-19 after offering misleading statements about his vaccination status. When stories began to spread about him allegedly breaking quarantine, Woodley stepped in and shut the rumors down, saying news outlets are “still grasping at straws to disparage Aaron,” according to SI.
