Julia Roberts, 1991
American heartthrob Julia Roberts was featured on the cover of People Magazine in 1991, just a few months after the Avant-première of the Hollywood classic Pretty Woman.
Many editors called the 23-year-old movie star “a Botticelli beauty,” and they were right! We’re not used to seeing her sporting such short hair, but it sure suits her well.
Jodie Foster, 1992
Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster went down in history after her brilliant performance in the 1991 horror film Silence of the Lambs. She became one of the first actresses to win two Academy Awards before turning thirty.
A few months later, Foster appeared on People’s Most Beautiful list alongside other Hollywood icons such as Elizabeth Taylor and Denzel Washington.
Cindy Crawford, 1993
Revlon model and TV star Cindy Crawford was only 27 years old when she was first featured on the front cover of People Magazine.
This edition came out in 1993, less than a year after Crawford’s wedding to Richard Gere. She looks great with those dashing, dirty-blonde locks, doesn’t she?
Meg Ryan, 1994
Meg Ryan hit stardom in her early twenties after featuring in some of Hollywood’s greatest rom-coms, such as When Harry Met Sally and You’ve Got Mail.
However, it wasn’t until her early thirties that she made the cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful Issue. When a Man Loves a Woman was about to be premiered right when this edition went out.
Courtney Cox, 1995
Courtney Cox had just turned 30 when she landed the role of Monica Geller on the all-time favorite sitcom Friends.
The following year, the Friends star made it to the front cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful weekly edition together with George Clooney and Halle Berry.
Mel Gibson, 1996
Hollywood star Mel Gibson made it to the cover of People Magazine for the first time in 1985, right after starring in Mad Max.
However, he appeared on the cover for a second time ten years later, just a few weeks after winning an Academy Award for Best Director for Braveheart. 1996 was definitely his year!
Tom Cruise, 1997
Tom Cruise reached world fame in the 1980s after starring in classic action films like Top Gun (1986) and Rain Man (1988). At the turn of the decade, he was featured on the cover of People under the legend “The sexiest man alive.”
In 1997, he made it to the magazine’s front cover once again, though he looks just as young as in 1990! He was 34 and still married to Nicole Kidman at that time.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 1998
Leonardo Dicaprio left his mark in history after starring in the iconic blockbuster Titanic. He was all teenagers talked about by the time he made it to the cover of People.
DiCaprio shared the magazine’s Most Beautiful list alongside Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Michelle Pfeiffer, 1999
Michelle Pfeiffer rose to fame in the mid-1980s, though she reached the peak of her fame in 1990 after winning her first Golden Globe and featuring on the cover of People for the first time.
Nearly a decade later, the American bombshell made it to the magazine’s front cover once again, alongside Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock.
Julia Roberts, 2000
Did you know that Julia Roberts holds the record for being named People’s 100 Most Beautiful People the most times?
She made it for the third time at the turn of the century, right after her award-winning performances in Notting Hill and Erin Brokovich.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 2001
Welsh movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones was 31 when she landed the cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful Issue alongside Benicio del Toro.
Zeta-Jones had just become a mom, as her son Dylan had just been born by the time this edition was published. I know what you’re thinking – she looks just as young today!
Nicole Kidman, 2002
Nicole Kidman was pretty much the talk of the town at the start of this century. She got divorced from Tom Cruise and won her first Golden Globe for Moulin Rouge in the same year.
A few months later, the Australian bombshell made it to the cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful People, alongside Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
Halle Berry, 2003
Halle Berry left her mark in history after becoming the first black artist to win an Academy Award for Best Actress (for her performance in Monster’s Ball).
Barely a year later, Berry graced the cover of People together with pop queen Britney Spears and heartbreaker George Clooney.
Jennifer Aniston, 2004
2004 definitely marked the end of an era: not only was it the year the final episode of Friends was aired, but it was also around the time when Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt got divorced.
Later that year, Aniston graced the cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful list. It goes without saying that she looks just as young today. What’s her secret?
Britney Spears, 2005
Pop legend Britney Spears was featured on the cover of People Magazine right after Sean Preston, her first son, was born.
This is probably one of the cutest pictures ever taken. Sean’s smile breaks your heart, and Britney and Kevin Fundelrine look so deeply in love! Are you ready for another cute family portrait?
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, 2006
Brangelina is probably Hollywood’s hottest couple ever. How can we forget the day they had their first kid together, Shiloh?
In June 2006, People published one of the couple’s first pictures with Shiloh on their front cover. This is as cute as it gets.
Drew Barrymore, 2007
Hollywood star Drew Barrymore had recently split up with her lifetime boyfriend Fabrizio Moretti right when she appeared on People’s Most Beautiful cover.
The E.T. star was brave enough to pose without makeup throughout the whole photoshoot, probably the first star to do so on the magazine’s cover.
Christina Applegate, 2009
Christina Applegate graced the cover of People shortly after winning over cancer. If there was anyone who deserved to make it to the cover that year, it was her!
Then 37, she looks as radiant as ever. Jennifer Lopez and Robert Pattinson are among the A-list stars who also appear on the cover.
Robert Pattinson, 2010
Hollywood sweetheart Robert Pattinson starred in the Twilight saga from 2008 to 2012. Not only did he break millions of hearts along the way, but he also made it to the front cover of People!
This June 2010 edition was actually a Twilight special, which he featured along with co-stars Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. How many millions of copies do you think were sold?
Jennifer Lopez, 2011
How does Jennifer Lopez manage not to grow old at all? Even though this edition hit the market ten years ago, she looks just as gorgeous today.
At age 41, J-Lo was crowned the World’s Most Beautiful Woman by People. This was a special moment for her career as it happened while she was a judge on American Idol.
Beyoncé, 2012
Queen-B shone in the 2012 edition of People’s World’s Most Beautiful Woman. Can you believe she arrived at the photoshoot in a helicopter? What a diva!
At that time, Beyoncé had just re-established her career after becoming a mom. As you can tell, she didn’t share the cover space with any other stars.
Channing Tatum, 2012
Actor and model Channing Tatum hit stardom after his breakthrough role in the 2006 dance film Step Up. Before he knew it, he had become the world’s top male sex symbol.
Six years later, Tatum was crowned the Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine. Who could claim otherwise?
Lupita Nyong’o, 2014
Lupita Nyong’o stole the limelight after winning the Oscar for Best Actress for her touching performance in 12 Years a Slave.
Less than a year later, she appeared on the front cover of People’s 50 Most Beautiful. The 31-year-old actress was filmed meeting her lifetime idol and fashion icon, Sudanese model Alek Wek.
Sandra Bullock, 2015
Sandra Bullock made it to People’s front cover in 2011, right after turning fifty. “That’s ridiculous,” said the Hollywood star upon finding out she had just been crowned World’s Most Beautiful Woman.
When asked to comment about this in an interview, the actress answered: “What is beautiful is the honor of being Louis’ mother.” How could anyone not love her?
Jennifer Aniston, 2016
Jennifer Aniston was crowned the World’s Most Beautiful Woman for the second time in 2016 at the age of 46. We know what you’re thinking: she looks just the same as she did on the 2005 cover!
It was a “very excited, teenage-y kind of moment,” said the actress in an interview. She also revealed to People her secrets for staying so young. How do you think she manages?
Julia Roberts, 2017
In 2017, Julia Roberts broke a world record that will be pretty difficult to beat: she made it to the cover of People for the fifth time. Wow!
The actress confessed that she felt flattered by the title, though she also said the best was yet to come. “I think I’m currently peaking,” she claimed. We bet you are!
Pink, 2018
In 2018, People changed the title from “Most Beautiful” to “Beautiful Issue,” and they thought Pink would be the perfect star to herald this new era.
When interviewed after the photoshoot, she was asked to comment on the challenges of being both a mom and a rock star. “It's all about our family unit and time spent together,” she said.
Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, 2020
In 2020, three generations of women were featured on the cover of People for the first time ever. We’re talking about Kate Hudson, her mom, Goldie Hawn, and her daughter, Rani Rose Fujikawa.
It’s also worth mentioning that this was the second time Hudson made it to the cover. “Mom was my greatest cheerleader. And it just made me think about Rani…going, 'I hope I give her that kind of confidence,' you know?”, said the Hollywood star.
Chrissy Teigen, 2021
In yet another touching family moment, Chrissy Teigen shared the 2021 cover with her children, 2-year-old Miles and 4-year-old Luna.
In the interview, she was asked to comment both about her parenting style as well as on her husband, John Legend. “I’m an open, free spirit, and I love kids to be kids,” she said.
Helen Mirren, 2022
Helen Mirren was absolutely perplexed when she found out she had been selected as the cover star for People’s 2022 Beautiful Issue at the age of 76.
“I was absolutely sort of gobstruck, as we say in England. I never considered myself 'beautiful.' And [at] my age! So I was amazed”, the Oscar-winning actress said. You go, girl!