Our Favorite Gawker Stories of 2021

Gawker.com is a very supportive community while also being cutthroat (about who supports each other the most). Our favorite stories of the year are not always our most popular stories of the year, but I think this list is even better. Again, thanks for reading Gawker.com for the last five months of 2021.

Hi Glenn Greenwald, Would You Like to Buy My Substack?

When Bryan [Goldberg] pulls the plug on Gawker we can pad our severance with the sales money from politics.substack.com. That's just good planning. —Tarpley Hitt, Staff Writer

My Rejected Pitches the Day Before Thanksgiving

Every single day I read the posts on Gawker and laugh out loud, but only once can I remember being moved to tears by how funny a post was. It was Claire's post, "My Rejected Pitches the Day Before Thanksgiving," an instant classic. I think part of why it's so funny is knowing that Claire did pitch at least five of these ideas in earnest, and then let her twisted mind do the rest. I mean, the first idea is "Oh, suddenly everyone but me has a nephew????" I'm laughing all over again. I'm sure that any of the ideas Claire pitched in this blog would have been great, but seeing them all together in one big list really makes them sing. —Olivia Craighead, Staff Writer

Eric Clapton Making This Face

For one its just a perfect concept. The face is so captivating and there's so much of it. But the cherry on top is the full screen image before you even get to the headline... so immersive. It's like I could reach out and touch him. ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ ≖▃≖ —Jack Koloskus, Art Director

Teigen Tales

Allie has such a special tone in her writing, winking and detached yet also somehow warm and kind. —Jocelyn Silver, Managing Editor

I Can’t Stop Writing Fake Letters to Dear Prudence That Get Published

A fun revelation but also one that's not really about Prudie but about what it means to be a writer striving for something out of one's grasp. —Jenny G. Zhang, Staff Features Writer

George and Ann

I just think it's so nice. —Brandy Jensen, Features Editor

Roving Gang of 20 Otters Kicks Man’s Ass in Singapore

Look we've published a lot of important features and very moving essays and stuff, and my original answer to this query included a piece from everyone doing their very best work. But I was told I have to pick just one, and so my pick is “Roving Gang of 20 Otters Kicks Man’s Ass in Singapore,” by the brilliant Jenny G. Zhang, who has done a lot of really important work for the site that I'm ignoring in favor of this. Like I'm sorry to the guy who got attacked by the otters, his injuries looked REALLY painful. But come on. This is so funny. Look at that pissed off otter’s teeth!!! To NOT quote the man who miraculously survived this vicious otter attack, I'm dead. —Jocelyn Silver, Managing Editor

Pitchfork Reviews: Rescored: Reviewed

I love when Olivia reviews and/or ranks things, and it was difficult to choose between this and her equally breathtaking ratings of the New Yorker’s “Best Jokes of 2021.” One thing Olivia excels at is writing about the desperation of the media industry in a way that is genuinely funny and not just depressing — a nearly impossible task. (Her blog about being jealous of Meghan McCain also comes to mind.) It is an honor to include her digest of reconsidered Pitchfork music reviews in this ranking of previously published Gawker posts. —George Civeris, Senior Editor

How to Make (Good) Popcorn

I make “Tammie Popcorn” almost every day. —Leah Finnegan, Editor in Chief

Looking for a Husband? Try Shrekfishing

Very innovative, and something that will stay with me for a long time to come. —Kelly Conaboy, Senior Staff Features Writer

Prince Charles Exhibits Fan Behavior Toward Granddaughter Lilibet

“Prince Charles Exhibits Fan Behavior Toward Granddaughter Lilibet” is something I think about every single day and laugh to myself. Also I bet this is the first article where a member of staff called a member of the royal family "Sweetie," which we do a lot now. Perfect example of a blog based on a leaked piece of gossip about a baby (and leaked by the baby herself, maybe?) transcending. —Claire Carusillo, Contributing Writer

Application to Ghostwrite Paige DeSorbo’s Eventual Book

This was pitch-perfect and really made me laugh. I'd like to surface it again now to remind Paige she has an incredible opportunity on her hands. —Allie Jones, Contributing Writer

You Know What’s Easier Than Slapping a Peach Emoji Over Your Kid’s Face?

My favorite story is this one by Kelly Conaboy because I see this happen every single day online and I want to yell at these people. —Sarah Hagi, Contributing Writer

Taylor Swift Is Lying About “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version)(Taylor’s Version)”

I don’t listen to Taylor Swift but there is no way she knew about hating the patriarchy before Beyoncé released Flawless so it was good to see her called out on that. Olivia used actual data which is the mark of real journalism and I like to think Taylor read it and was shook. —Tammie Teclemariam, Contributing Writer

My Beautiful Dark Twisted ‘Gutfeld’ Experience

Sarah Hagi is a child genius, an internet savant, one of the world's greatest wonders. It's a rare, beautiful event when she finds a worthy subject, such as her scholarship regarding the Garfield franchise's foray into the restaurant business. But her Gutfeld work is some of her best. I had not previously heard of this birdbrain, and Sarah's introduction to and assessment of him is both adept and unpretentious where others would grasp to exaggerate his importance or overstate his absurdity. In the process, they would insult our intelligence. Somehow, she found a way to upstage her work covering Toronto's shuttered Garfield eatery. —Darcie Wilder, Senior Social Media Editor

A Very Weird Interview With Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A masterclass in subject annihilation. —Leah Finnegan, Editor in Chief

Identity Fraud

I am going to cite this one forever. —Nicole D’Alessandro, Director of Content Operations