The world loves to Google. According to one source, there are about 40,000 Google searches processed every second. That adds up to 3.5 billion searches a day, or 1.2 trillion a year.
While you can Google anything and everything, there’s no question that most Google searches are about people. (There are better ways to search people, but that’s a topic for another discussion…)
Every December, dozens of news sites publish lists of the most-search people of the year. It’s a fun way to see who made waves and drew billions of clicks in the process.
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Sure, we’re only one month through 2019, but that doesn’t mean we can look at who are the most-Google’d people of 2019 so far, right?!
The Most-Searched People of 2018
Before we look at last month’s flavors of the..uh….month, let’s take a brief look back at the top-searched people of last year.
2018 was a wild year, full of political chaos, celebrity scandal and lots of Cardi B. Here were the most popular people searches according to Google Trends:
1. Meghan Markle
The American-born actress was the most-searched person in 2018 following her marriage to Prince Harry.
2. Demi Lovato
The young actress and singer made the headlines after a scary medical emergency resulting from a drug overdose.
3. Sylvester Stallone
Sly became the subject of a nasty death hoax that got people clicking from around the globe. Thankfully, he’s alive and well and can still beat me up.
4. Logan Paul
The YouTube star provoked a public outcry after he uploaded a video of himself in the infamous Japanese “Suicide Forest.” (He later apologized, for what it’s worth.)
5. Khloé Kardashian
The reality star made the news after giving birth to her first child with NBA player (and cheater) Tristan Thompson.
6. Jair Bolsonaro
The far-right Brazilian politician surprised the world by winning the 2018 Presidential election.
7. Brett Kavanaugh
Trump’s controversial Supreme Court nominee faced allegations of sexual misconduct during his confirmation hearings but ended up getting confirmed anyway.
8. Hailey Baldwin
The model and daughter of actor Stephen Baldwin broke millions of Tween hearts in November by marrying Justin Bieber. You never even gave me a chance, Justin!
9. Stormy Daniels
The adult actress made waves and published a memoir detailing her affair with President Trump. The President was accused of illegally paying for her silence in the run-up to the 2016 election.
10. Cardi B
2018 was the year of Cardi B, who was pretty much everywhere, with hit songs, viral Instagram stories and everything else. If that wasn’t enough for her, she also became a mother. Talk about a busy woman.
So that was 2018. Let’s take a look at who we we’re all looking up last month. You may be surprised by a few of them.
The Most-Searched People of January 2019
R. Kelly
The R&B superstar was in the news again, and for all the wrong reasons as millions tuned into watched the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly.
The documentary chronicles the singer’s controversial career and graphically details allegations of sexual abuse through interviews with past associates and survivors. R. Kelly has threatened Lifetime with legal repercussions for airing it, but there’s also a strong indication that he may be the one defending himself in court soon.
Lauren Sanchez
The news anchor and outspoken Trump supporter made the gossip pages in January for her role in the very expensive divorce of Amazon CEO (and world’s richest man) Jeff Bezos. A few amorous and creepy texts from Bezos to Sanchez were also leaked and made everyone very queasy.
Earl Scruggs
The bluegrass legend and banjo virtuoso (who passed away in 2012) became a popular Google search after being honored as a Google Doodle on January 11th. It’s not often a bluegrass banjo player tops the most-Googled list!
Sake Dean Mahomed
Google dedicated another honorary Doodle to this pioneering early-19th century Indian entrepreneur who introduced England to the delights of his native cuisine, among many other things. His Wikipedia entry makes for fascinating reading.
Katherine Schwarzenegger
The eldest daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger (AKA ‘Ahh-nold’) and Maria Shriver made headlines on January 13 for her engagement to movie star Chris Pratt. Schwarzenegger is an author and animal rights activist. Pratt finalized his divorce from Anna Faris last year.
Mysterio
Sadly, not Rey Mysterio Jr., but rather a comic book villain who will reportedly be portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal in an upcoming Spider Man movie. Who cares? Millions do, apparently, and took to Google and Twitter to find out more.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Searches of the great Civil Rights leader always spike on MLK Day, when the nation celebrates his life and legacy. January is always a great time to revisit some of his most inspiring speeches on YouTube.
Kamala Harris
The California senator drew major buzz after she officially announced her candidacy for President on January 27, 2019, at campaign rally in Oakland. The coming months will definitely see several more Democrats throw their hat in the ring.
Ted Bundy
Yes, that Ted Bundy. The notorious serial killer re-entered the zeitgeist thanks to the sordid Netflix documentary series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. I recently finished it and can say that Ted was as tiring to listen to as he was evil. True crime fans will still love it, but avoid watching at night. Blech.
Roger Stone
The distinctly dressed and…headed former Trump aide made news towards the end of the month after his indictment by the Mueller Probe in connection with Russian interference in the 2016 election. He has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded ‘Not Guilty.’
Anthony Davis
The NBA’s best center, and the world’s best unibrow, set sports Twitter ablaze with his agent’s announcement that he was looking to be traded from the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis has been the cornerstone of the franchise for years, but had little luck when it came to making it deep into the playoffs. Rumor has it that he’d like to land in L.A. alongside LeBron, but it doesn’t look like the Pelicans are letting him go just yet.
Kristaps Porzingis
From the Unibrow to the Unicorn. The NBA drama continued on January 31 when Knicks center Kristaps Porzingis broke the hearts of long-suffering New York Knicks fans by reportedly requesting a trade. Seemingly (and a bit suspiciously) 10 minutes after this news leaked, ace NBA reporters like Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Knicks had agreed to trade Porzingis (and a few others) to the Dallas Mavericks in return for the 21 year old Dennis Smith Jr. (and a few others). Talk about a quick turnaround!
While it’s still unclear what the Knicks have in mind by making this trade, optimistic New Yorkers are hoping it’s a way to clear the way for huge signings in the summer in the form of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Don’t give up just yet, Knicks fan!
These were just (a few) of the most-Googled people of January 2019, each with at least 1 million + hits. Any guesses who the most-Googled people of February will be? Check back in March to find out!