Best Photos of 2021: Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and More Celebrities Who Stole the Show

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Best Photos of 2021: Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and More Celebrities Who Stole the Show

Center of attention! Celebrities know how to stand out amid the noise of Hollywood, whether it is on the red carpet or in the love connections they make. 2021 continued the trend, and the best photos from the year prove it. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, for instance, made headlines when they rekindled their relationship after her April split from Alex Rodriguez. The couple were initially engaged from 2002 to 2004 before getting back together in May. The Oscar winner, 49, kept the details behind their reunion vague when he opened up about the romance six months later. “I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me. And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that,” he told WSJ. Magazine. “My life now reflects not just the person that I want to be, but the person that I really feel like I am — which is not perfect, but somebody who tries very hard and cares very much about being honest and authentic and accountable. It’s hard to say who benefits more, without going into gossipy detail.” Affleck added: “I could just say that I feel great about being very healthy. And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire.” [jwplayer oO7BFz4p-zhNYySv2] Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim, meanwhile, struck up a relationship after working together at The Oppenheim Group and starring on Selling Sunset. The news that they were dating took some fans by surprise, but their romance was short-lived. Us Weekly confirmed earlier this month that the pair called it quits after seven months of dating. “Jason was and is my best friend, and other than our ideas for family ultimately not being aligned, the amount of respect and love we have for each other will not change going forward,” the actress, 40, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, December 21. “I very much hope to one day have a family and decisions I make at this point are with that goal in mind. … Thank you Jason for the most incredible relationship and for consistently being honest with me even when it hurts.” Outside of breakups and makeups, stars were also in the news for reasons such as family drama. One year after their royal exit, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made shocking allegations against his relatives in a March CBS tell-all interview, including that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [son Archie’s] skin might be” before he was born. In response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that read: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” Scroll through the gallery below to revisit the best photos from this year: [podcast_block]

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Best Photos of 2021: Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and More Celebrities Who Stole the Show

Center of attention! Celebrities know how to stand out amid the noise of Hollywood, whether it is on the red carpet or in the love connections they make. 2021 continued the trend, and the best photos from the year prove it. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, for instance, made headlines when they rekindled their relationship after her April split from Alex Rodriguez. The couple were initially engaged from 2002 to 2004 before getting back together in May. The Oscar winner, 49, kept the details behind their reunion vague when he opened up about the romance six months later. “I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me. And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that,” he told WSJ. Magazine. “My life now reflects not just the person that I want to be, but the person that I really feel like I am — which is not perfect, but somebody who tries very hard and cares very much about being honest and authentic and accountable. It’s hard to say who benefits more, without going into gossipy detail.” Affleck added: “I could just say that I feel great about being very healthy. And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire.” [jwplayer oO7BFz4p-zhNYySv2] Chrishell Stause and Jason Oppenheim, meanwhile, struck up a relationship after working together at The Oppenheim Group and starring on Selling Sunset. The news that they were dating took some fans by surprise, but their romance was short-lived. Us Weekly confirmed earlier this month that the pair called it quits after seven months of dating. “Jason was and is my best friend, and other than our ideas for family ultimately not being aligned, the amount of respect and love we have for each other will not change going forward,” the actress, 40, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, December 21. “I very much hope to one day have a family and decisions I make at this point are with that goal in mind. … Thank you Jason for the most incredible relationship and for consistently being honest with me even when it hurts.” Outside of breakups and makeups, stars were also in the news for reasons such as family drama. One year after their royal exit, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made shocking allegations against his relatives in a March CBS tell-all interview, including that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [son Archie’s] skin might be” before he was born. In response, Buckingham Palace issued a statement that read: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” Scroll through the gallery below to revisit the best photos from this year: [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Chrishell Stause/Instagram

Office Romance

Stause and Oppenheim, 44, confirmed they were dating in July when she posted a PDA-filled Instagram photo from their vacation in Italy. “The JLo effect,” she captioned the pic, adding a shrug emoji.  

Credit: Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese

Spilling All

Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40 — then pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Lilibet, who arrived in June — gave their first TV interview since their 2020 royal exit. In the March tell-all, the duo were more forthcoming than ever about where they stand with his family and their new lives since moving to the U.S. 

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Red Carpet Debut, Take 2

Lopez, 52, and Affleck returned to the red carpet for the first time in 18 years, attending the September premiere of his film The Last Duel at the Venice International Film Festival. She stunned in a white low-cut Georges Hobeika gown, while he wore a black tuxedo. 

Credit: Terence Patrick/HBO Max

A Reunion to Remember

The cast of Friends — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — reminisced about the sitcom on Friends: The Reunion, which dropped on HBO Max in May.  

Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock

They’re Back!

After a slight delay, the Oscars returned with an in-person ceremony in Los Angeles in April amid the coronavirus pandemic. Halle Berry was among the stars who turned out for the awards show at Union Station.  

Credit: John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock

Hidden in Plain Sight

Kim Kardashian caused a frenzy in September when she wore a black Balenciaga ensemble — which covered her from head to toe — to the Met Gala. Her estranged husband, Kanye West, helped create the polarizing outfit. 

Credit: NBC/YouTube

Close But So Far Away

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the Golden Globe Awards in February, but they helmed the ceremony from different coasts — with Fey, 51, in New York and Poehler, 50, in Los Angeles — amid the pandemic. The situation made for some strange moments as the Saturday Night Live alums’ settings were spliced together.  

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Golden Opportunity

Prince William and Duchess Kate proved that they can still go full-on glam when they want to. The couple attended the September premiere of No Time to Die in a black tuxedo and gold Jenny Packham gown, respectively. Kate’s look drew comparisons to Princess Diana’s ensemble from the 1985 premiere of A View to a Kill, another James Bond film.  

Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Of the Moment

Olivia Rodrigo became the breakthrough musical artist of the year when her debut single, “Drivers License,” dropped in January. She continued to dominate the industry in September when she won Song of the Year, Best New Artist and PUSH Performance of the Year at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Credit: Luca Carlino/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Just Friends?

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac went viral in September when the Scenes From a Marriage costars and longtime friends displayed some strange PDA on the red carpet at the Venice International Film Festival. “I’m looking straight ahead and he looks over at me and he just kind of goes to give me a peck on my elbow, and at the same time, I’m going to give him a hug,” she explained on the Today show later that month. “So all of a sudden, his face ends up in my armpit. He made a joke out of it.”

Credit: Ashley Landis/AP/Shutterstock

A Courageous Move

Simone Biles became a role model for mental health awareness in July when she withdrew from multiple events at the Tokyo Olympics while suffering from “the twisties.” She ultimately won one silver and one bronze team medal.  

“If it costs me my peace, I’m going to step away,” the athlete, 24, told Us in November of her future in gymnastics. “And I’m completely fine with stepping away because I’ve been through so much. I’ve accomplished so much.”

Credit: Courtesy of Sam Asghari/Instagram

Free

Britney Spears broke her silence on her conservatorship in June when she testified in a court hearing. She subsequently became more vocal about her desire to end the conservatorship and wore a Free Britney shirt in November hours before a judge ruled to terminate the conservatorship after 13 years.  

Credit: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Shutterstock

Carrie’s Closet

Sarah Jessica Parker caused controversy while filming the Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That, because fans believed her character, Carrie Bradshaw, was wearing a Forever 21 maxi dress. However, in August, a brand called Raga took credit for the piece. 

Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

Hello … Again

Adele celebrated her latest album, 30, with a CBS special titled Adele One Night Only in November. One month prior, she released new music for the first time in nearly six years. 

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Slay All Day

Zendaya demonstrated her red carpet prowess time and again in 2021, but the nude leather Balmain gown she wore for the Venice International Film Festival premiere of Dune in September was the clear winner in a string of gorgeous looks.