The magazine that broke the internet again and again… before breaking apart: As Paper lays off its ENTIRE editorial staff, FEMAIL reveals its most infamous covers – from THAT Kim Kardashian champagne shoot to Miley Cyrus posing naked with a pig
- The New York-based fashion and pop culture magazine was founded in 1984
- It became an overnight sensation with Kardashian’s cover shoot in 2014
- The magazine’s entire editorial staff was laid off this week
Fans are wondering if Paper Magazine will ever again ‘break the internet’ after the iconic publication — best known for its viral 2014 Kim Kardashian cover shoot — laid off its entire editorial staff.
Editorial operations have ceased this week after 20 to 30 full-time employees were let go on Wednesday, Ad Week reported. Editor-in-chief Justin Moran will remain at the helm through May, but the fate of the magazine remains unknown.
The publisher is said to be ‘seeking to cut costs as it looks toward alternative options to remain in operation,’ leaving questions about what will happen to its unparalleled editorial direction.
The New York-based fashion and pop culture magazine was founded in 1984 and became an overnight sensation 30 years later with the publication of Kardashian’s butt-baring champagne shoot.
As fans mourn the breakdown of the internet-breaking publication, FEMAIL is looking back at its legendary covers, from Nick Minaj’s racy ‘Minaj à Troi’ to a dirty Miley Cyrus naked with a pig.
Kim Kardashian, Winter 2014, photographed by Jean-Paul Goude
Paper Magazine got a taste of the Kim Kardashian effect in 2014 when it set out to ‘break the internet’ with her cover shoot, enlisting photographer Jean-Paul Goude to recreate his famous ‘Champagne Incident’ shot with the reality star.
Goude’s original portrait from 1976 shows a naked Carolina Beaumont popping a bottle of bubbly while balancing a coupe glass on her derrière. Kardashian, then 34, emulated the pose while modeling a black sequin gown and a neck full of pearls.
For a second, racier cover, the Keeping Up with the Kardashian star was lubed up in oil as she teasingly held her gown right below her naked bottom. She also stripped down to nothing for full-front shots that were featured inside the magazine.
Mickey Boardman, who was the editorial director of Paper Magazine at the time, told Yahoo Style that Kardashian was the one who dictated the creative direction.
‘It was her idea to take off her clothes and show more than her butt,’ he said. ‘We didn’t say, “Let’s do a cover with your butt hanging out.” She said she was willing to take her clothes off, and one thing led to another…history in the making.’
Kardashian sparked backlash for posing nude and for recreating a controversial image by Goulde, who has been accused of fetishizing Black women in his work.
However, the shoot put the indie magazine on the map and is arguably its most famous cover over nearly four decades of publication.
Chloë Sevigny, Winter 2015, photographed by Kate Owen
Nineties ‘It’ girl Chloë Sevigny was a decade into her icon status when she became one of four celebrities to star in Paper Magazine’s ‘Fandemonium’ issue.
The indie darling scored an individual cover along with Paris Hilton, Lucy Hale, and Marc Jacobs’ Insta-famous dog Neville, but she separated herself from the pack with her gory shoot inspired by Stephen King’s novel-turned-horror film Carrie.
Sevigny channeled Sissy Spacek’s Carrie White as she modeled a white gown and tiara while soaked in fake blood.
Kate Owen photographed her posing with her mouth open in shock as red liquid drips down her face, arms, and chest.
The Carrie theme was in celebration of Tara Subkoff’s 2015 directorial debut #Horror, which starred Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne.
The scary movie may have gotten mixed reviews, but the cover will go down in history as one of Paper Magazine’s greats.
Marilyn Manson, March 2015, photographed by Terry Richardson
Marilyn Manson stayed on brand when he modeled ghoulish makeup and Mickey Mouse ears for his 2015 Paper Magazine cover, which was shot by Terry Richardson.
The rocker, who was born Brian Warner, also posed with his father in the spread after his mother’s death led to them becoming closer.
Manson was promoting his ninth studio album, The Pale Emperor, when he participated in the shoot, which would likely never take place in the post #MeToo world.
Both the disgraced musician and equally disgraced photographer have faced numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment over the years.
Manson has been accused of sexual, psychological, and physical abuse from over 15 different women, including actresses Evan Rachel Wood and Esmé Bianco, leading him to be dropped by his record label and talent agency.
Meanwhile, Richardson was banned from working with several major fashion magazines amid resurfacing sexual harassment claims in 2017.
Both men have denied the claims against them, but they remain Hollywood pariahs.
Kanye West, April 2015, photographed by Jackie Nickerson
Kanye West covered Paper Magazine’s ‘American Dream’ issue in April 2015, less than a year after his then-wife Kim Kardashian posed nude for the magazine.
The rapper was photographed stony-faced and turned away from the camera, a stark cry from Kardashian’s playful images that turned the publication into a household name.
West wore a minimalistic grey sweatshirt from his collection for Adidas and a necklace featuring his daughter North’s nickname, Nori.
Instead of a typical cover interview, he penned an essay about his ‘world dream’ while slamming the conspiracy theory that celebrities like himself are controlling society as members of The Illuminati.
‘I am tired of people pinpointing musicians as the Illuminati. That’s ridiculous,’ he said. ‘We don’t run anything; we’re celebrities. We’re the face of brands.’
Plenty has changed since West covered the magazine, including his divorce from Kardashian, which was finalized in 2022. He married Bianca Censori two months later, although it’s unclear if the union is legal.
West has always been known to court controversy, but he crossed a line last year when he went on an antisemitic rant. He lost his billionaire status after being dropped by Adidas, as well as other brands.
He claimed last month that watching Jonah Hill’s film 2012 film 21 Jump Street made him ‘like Jewish people again,’ but it seems unlikely that he will be covering any mainstream magazines anytime in the near future.
Miley Cyrus, Summer 2015, photographed by Paoloa Kudacki with creative direction by Diane Martel
Miley Cyrus amped up the shock value when she posed naked with her pet pig Bubba Sue for Paper Magazine’s Summer 2015 issue.
The cover shot shows her wearing nothing but caked-on mud as she hugs her beloved pet, who is somehow cleaner than she is.
The publication later confirmed that she was ‘basically naked and rolling in the mud’ with Bubba Sue during the shoot, which took place at Milk Studios in Los Angeles.
Kanye West was working in the studio at the time and stopped by to say hello. Paper got a shot of the two of them together, but it was never published.
Inside the pages of the magazine, the Wrecking Ball singer shared how grateful she is to be able to put on such racy displays.
‘I was doing a show two nights ago and I was wearing butterfly nipple pasties and butterfly wings,’ she said. ‘I’m standing there with my t**s out, dressed like a butterfly. How the f**k is that fair? How am I so lucky?’
Three years after the shoot, she married her on-again, off-again love Liam Hemsworth in December 2018, but they split less than a year later.
Cyrus has since moved on, and she is riding high on the release of her latest album, Endless Summer Vacation, which features her hits Flowers and Muddy Feet.
Kylie Jenner, April 2016, photographed by Erik Madigan Heck
Kylie Jenner was transformed into a living Barbie for her cartoon-esque cover of Paper Magazine YOUth! issue, which was published in April 2016.
The quirky Instagram-inspired shoot took place just months after the launch of her popular Kylie Lip Kits, which would later become the building blocks of her Kylie Cosmetics empire.
Jenner, who was 18 years old at the time, posed in a variety of brightly-hued wigs for the spread as she became the second Kardashian-Jenner to grace the cover of the magazine.
The teen was candid about her future goals in her cover interview, saying she wanted to become a major player in the beauty industry, as well as a young mom.
‘Business-wise, I would love to have a really successful cosmetic line and then family/personal-wise, I’d like to have a really big family and a farm,’ she shared. ‘I daydream about when I can get to a place in my life where I can be off the radar.’
Seven years later, Jenner, 25, is worth an estimated $600 million — after previously being dubbed a billionaire — and shares two children, Stormi and Aire, with her ex Travis Scott.
Blac Chyna, September 2016, photographed by Charlotte Rutherford
Blac Chyna was engaged to Rob Kardashian and pregnant with their daughter, Dream, when she posed naked for the September 2016 cover of Paper Magazine.
The shoot took place two years after Kim Kardashian’s ‘break the internet’ cover, and her sister-in-law-to-be showed her support by stopping by the set.
‘Kim actually came by the shoot, which was really nice to see her giving encouragement to Chyna and talking to her,’ managing editor Abby Schreiber told E! News at the time.
Chyna looks angelic on the cover, which shows her sitting on her knees and cradling her baby bump, her large diamond engagement ring on display. Her long blonde waves cover her bare breasts, and she has shimmering gold grown on her head.
She and Rob Kardashian broke up a year later, and she went on file a $108 million defamation lawsuit against his mother, Kris Jenner, and his sisters, Kim, Khloe Kardashian, and Kylie Jenner.
Chyna, who was born Angela White, accused the family of forcing producers to cancel her show, but she lost the defamation case when it came to an end last year.
Rihanna, March 2017, photographed by Sebastian Faena
Rihanna channeled punk glamour as she rocked spiked green hair and a yellow mesh top while posing inside a New York City bodega for Paper Magazine’s ‘Break the Rules’ issue in 2017.
The cover shoot coincided with her being named the Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard University, and she made an appearance at the Ivy League school to accept a plaque given to her by Allen Counter, the director of the Harvard Foundation.
Rihanna, who never graduated high school, earned the prestigious award thanks to her various charitable efforts, including her role in creating an oncology center in her birthplace of Barbados.
Just months after the Paper Magazine issue dropped, the Grammy winner would go on to launch her Fenty Beauty line followed by her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand.
Rihanna is expecting her second child with rapper A$AP Rocky, with whom she shares a nearly one-year-old son. She announced her second pregnancy at her Super Bowl halftime show in February.
Amanda Bynes, Fall 2018, photographed by Danielle Levitt
Amanda Bynes looked like her old self in a preppy plaid blazer and jeans when she covered Paper Magazine’s ‘Break the Internet’ issue in 2018.
At the time, she had been slowly making her way back into the limelight after a 2014 mental breakdown that led to her being placed under a psychiatric hold.
Bynes’ lawyer, Tamar Arminak, addressed her mental health that year, only to state that she does not have schizophrenia and wished to keep her actual diagnosis private.
A tweet that was posted to her official account stated she was diagnosed as bipolar and manic depressive, but she later claimed a friend was behind the post.
That same year, she tweeted she wanted Drake to ‘murder my vagina’ and accused her father of abusing her before retracting her claims.
People were quick to put a psychological label on her behavior during that time, and Bynes admitted to Paper that she was bothered by the headlines about her mental health.
She insisted her past behavior — including her wild tweets — was drug-induced.
‘If you deny anything and tell them what it actually is, they don’t believe you,’ she said. ‘Truly, for me, [my behavior] was drug-induced, and whenever I got off of [drugs], I was always back to normal.’
Fans hoped the cover would mark Bynes’ return to Hollywood, but she has continued to struggle with her mental health.
Bynes was recently hospitalized after reportedly wandering the streets of the Greater Los Angeles area for four days straight after her car was towed in Long Beach on March 15.
She called 911 to report that she was coming out of a psychotic state and needed assistance. She was initially put under a 72-hour psychiatric hold and spent three weeks in a mental health facility.
Nicki Minaj, November 2017, photographed by Ellen Von Unwerth
Nicki Minaj gave Kim Kardashian a run for her money when she imagined a threesome with herself for Paper Magazine’s ‘Break the Internet’ issue in 2017.
The ‘Minaj à Troi’-themed cover features not one but three photos of the rapper thanks to a little photo editing.
The first Minaj, who is topless aside from a pair of pasties, is seated with her legs spread in the center of the cover.
The second is suggestively posing between her legs with her tongue out, while the third is leaning over and grabbing her breast.
‘I feel this year I have never been stronger, I have all my super powers back. I’ve never felt this powerful, as a woman, as an emcee — I’ve never felt this invincible,’ she told the magazine in her cover interview.
A few years after the shoot, she married her husband Kenneth ‘Zoo’ Petty in 2019, and they welcomed their first child together, a son nicknamed ‘Papa Bear’ in 2020.
The mother of one has continued to make hit after hit, and she most recently powered her way to the top of the charts with her first solo single of 2023, Red Ruby Da Sleeze.
Pete Davidson, November 2019, photographed by Tommy Dorfman
Pete Davidson starred on the cover of Paper Magazine’s ‘Break the Internet’ issue in 2019 — five years after his future girlfriend Kim Kardashian made it famous.
The comedian seemed to be making fun of his ‘big d*** energy’ when he posed like a Ken doll, with his nether regions missing.
Davidson’s hair is bleached blond, and his shirt is opening, revealing his chest full of tattoos, but his body appears to be made of plastic.
Ironically, the Barbie-inspired photo shoot also featured Julia Fox, who would go on to date Kardashian’s ex Kanye West following their split.
During the interview, which came out shortly after Davidson ended his relationship with Margaret Qualley, he discussed what he is like as a boyfriend.
‘My love language, when I’m in a relationship, is I treat the person I’m with like a princess,’ he said at the time. ‘I try and go as above and beyond as possible, because that’s what you’re supposed to do?’ he said.
‘If you’re in a relationship with someone, you’re just supposed to make that person feel as special as possible. But sometimes when you put so much on someone, it overwhelms them, and then they don’t know if they could come close to that.’
The shoot resurfaced when Davidson started dating Kardashian in October 2021 following her appearance on Saturday Night Live.
A few months later, Fox started her whirlwind romance with West, but they were only together for about a month. Davidson and Kardashian split in August 2022.
The Meet Cute star is now in a relationship with actress Chase Sui Wonders.
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