This morning, Google released its annual Year in Search list and, predictably, the top trending people of 2015 were also subjects of the year’s biggest controversies. Rachel Dolezal went from being an unknown woman in Spokane, Washington, to the focus of several national debates on cultural appropriation. Newsman Brian Williams became the story after several accounts of his questionable reporting history were revealed. Charlie Sheen, who had kept a low profile these last few years, had his personal life subjected to intense scrutiny after he revealed his HIV-positive status on the Today show. Donald Trump’s increasingly disturbing presidential campaign also secured him a spot on the list.
Of course, the Kardashians, America’s
most famous family, continued
their dominance over our national headlines—so much so that earlier this
year, a British man even created an app that blocks all mentions of
them from your news feed. This year, however, it wasn’t Kim who broke
the Internet: The introduction of Caitlyn Jenner
in June became the focus of our intense fascination, while Lamar Odom
sadly took the top spot because of his continued battle with addiction.
