After a year full of viral celebrity red carpet looks, Google now has the hard data on the most talked-about looks of the 2019.
Google’s Year in Search list for red carpet looks runs the gamut from Lady Gaga to Cardi B, but it is “Pose” actor Billy Porter, who ranked as the top searched red carpet celebrity, thanks in large part to his dramatic, impactful fashion looks.
Google’s Year in Search data is determined by aggregating trillions of worldwide searches over the year, with trending searches defined as those with a high spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2019 compared to the year prior.
Scroll on to read more on the 10 celebrities that were the top-searched red carpet stars of 2019.
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1. Billy Porter
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock Billy Porter knows how to leave his mark on the red carpet. In 2019 alone, Porter had a number of standout red carpet looks, including his hybrid Christian Siriano tuxedo ballgown at the Academy Awards and his Cleopatra-inspired The Blonds jumpsuit and 10-foot tall angel wings at the Met Gala.
Surprisingly though, the actor isn’t aiming for fashion icon status. In an interview with WWD, Porter declined to call himself a fashion icon, rather stating: “I let other people say that about me. You know, show business is hard because you borderline on confidence and arrogance, so I’m trying to be on the confidence side.”
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2. Cardi B
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock While she made history at the 2019 Grammy Awards for becoming the first solo woman to win an award for Best Rap Album, Cardi B made waves on social media at the awards show for her red carpet look: a vintage Thierry Mugler Venus sheath dress from 1995.
The rapper’s stylist, Kollin Carter, helped make the viral moment happen by direct-messaging the Mugler brand on Instagram nearly four months prior, which led to both Carter and Cardi B getting invited to view the Mugler archives.
“There was one piece I was fighting for and harassing them about constantly, and it was the red-carpet dress,” Carter said in an interview with WWD. “From the moment I saw it, I knew it was going to be a debatable moment, some people would love it and some people would hate it and that’s everything we’re about when it comes to fashion. It’s meant to create a conversation.”
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3. Lady Gaga
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock Lady Gaga is no stranger to a dramatic red carpet look — remember her infamous meat dress? — and had a number of viral fashion moments in 2019.
The Oscar winner began the year with a viral moment at the Golden Globes, where she wore a powder blue custom Valentino gown that gave a nod to Judy Garland’s performance in the original “A Star is Born” film from 1954.
She then made waves at the Academy Awards, where she paired a custom Alexander McQueen dress with the legendary 128-carat yellow Tiffany diamond, which is estimated to value at $30 million.
As the co-chair to this year’s camp-themed Met Gala, Lady Gaga gave spectators a red carpet performance, changing outfits four times from an oversize hot pink Brandon Maxwell dress to a bedazzled bra and underwear set.
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4. Chris Fischer
Image Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Perhaps surprisingly, chef Chris Fischer ranked as the fourth most searched person on the red carpet. Fischer married comedian Amy Schumer in 2018 and the couple welcomed their first child, Gene Attell Fischer, earlier this year.
The couple has made a number of red carpet appearances together, including at Charlize Theron’s Africa Outreach Project event in November and last year’s Tony Awards.
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5. Jenny McCarthy
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock Actress Jenny McCarthy ranked as the fifth most searched red carpet star, after she served as the host for Fox’s Emmys red carpet show in September. Throughout the telecast, McCarthy conducted a number of interviews that were branded cringeworthy across social channels.
For one, McCarthy asked nominee Christina Applegate — a three-time lead actress Emmy nominee — what it felt like to receive her first lead actress nomination. McCarthy, one year younger than Applegate, closed the interview by saying she wants to be Applegate when she “grows up.”
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6. BTS
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock K-pop boyband BTS has had a meteoric rise to stardom over the last few years, especially among U.S. fans.
The seven-member group is known for their coordinating red carpet outfits, which was seen at this year’s Grammy Awards in February, Billboard Music Awards in May and Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch in December, where they all wore matching suits.
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7. Caitlyn Jenner
Image Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Caitlyn Jenner had a number of red carpet appearances this year, most notably at the Vanity Fair Oscars after party where she was photographed alongside daughter Kendall Jenner, who wore a Rami Kadi dress with a vertiginous slit.
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8. Richard Madden
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock Richard Madden was a staple on the red carpet this year, thanks to his multiple nominations for his role in the limited series “Bodyguard” and the premiere of the biographical Elton John film, “Rocketman.”
The Golden Globe winner’s style has been consistent through the year, with the actor sticking to darker colors, fitted suits and classic silhouettes.
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9. Brie Larson
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock Brie Larson had a year full of standout red carpet looks thanks to press tours for her hit films “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame,” where she regularly gave nods to her titular superhero character.
Most notably, Larson attended the premiere of “Avengers: Endgame” pairing her custom lilac Celine dress with a custom Irene Neuwirth bracelet and rings that resembled the film’s infamous Infinity Gauntlet.
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10. “Brienne of Tarth”
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock “Game of Thrones” fans were keen on searching the red carpet style of Brienne of Tarth, who is played by actress Gwendoline Christie.
Christie had a number of standout red carpet looks this year, including at the premiere of the HBO’s last season, where she twirled around in a cloud-printed Iris van Herpen dress. She had another memorable red carpet moment at the Emmy Awards in September, where she wore a robe-like Gucci dress.
Read more here:
Billy Porter Doesn’t Call Himself a Fashion Icon