In 2005, actress Jennifer Aniston was the first woman honored with a cover for GQ’s Men of the Year Issue.
As part of GQ’s 2010 Men of the Year Issue, actress Scarlett Johansson was given the “Babe of the Year” distinction.
One of GQ’s 2011 Men of the Year covers was given to actress Mila Kunis. She had just starred in “Friends With Benefits” alongside Justin Timberlake and spoke with GQ about her then-20 year career.
“I love what I do, but my theory is that it’s people who doubt what they do and want to prove it to you, they’re like, ‘It’s art. I create art. It’s art, art, art.’ I’m like, Holy shit, are you f–king kidding me? I run around and pretend I’m someone else for twelve hours,” she said.
Rihanna was featured as GQ’s Men of the Year in 2012, just days before the release of her seventh album, “Unapologetic.”
“I want to make music that’s hopeful, uplifting. Nothing corny or supersentimental,” Rihanna told GQ. “I just want it to have the feeling that brings you out of whatever you’re going through. I want it to spark that fire. I want it to be real, authentic, and raw.”
Actress and activist Shailene Woodley appeared on GQ’s Men of the Year cover in 2014. Then 23 years old, Woodley had recently starred in “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Divergent.” In her cover story, she discussed working with co-stars Miles Teller and Ansel Elgort, as well as the “hippie” persona she had been labeled with in Hollywood. “The weirdest adjustment was to sort of absorb the labeling the press loves to do,” she said in 2014. “Oh, she’s this person or She’s that person.”
“That’s the thing about me in this industry,” she added. “I do my thing and then I’m like, ‘Peace! See you later! I’m going to Europe, where I’m gonna do my own thing!’ You know? So I don’t really interact.”
In 2017, actress Gal Gadot — fresh off her starring role in DC’s “Wonder Woman” — was honored with a Men of the Year cover. In a Tel Aviv interview with Caity Weaver, Gadot discussed being “probably” the most famous person in Israel, aside from its current leader, and taking on the pressure of the Wonder Woman role.
Twenty-three time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams graced GQ’s Men of the Year cover in 2018. In her cover story, Williams talked about the double standard when it comes to who is allowed to display anger and who isn’t, her relationship with her sister Venus, and taking on the French Tennis Federation’s dated standards for how women players must dress on court. “Tennis players in general didn’t look like me. Especially the top players or anyone that ever won Grand Slams. Nothing like me. So it was, Can I win looking like this? Can I perform looking like this?” Williams told GQ. “And that was something that I realized that I could do.”
Jennifer Lopez — the actress, producer, musician, and all-around pop culture icon — was honored with a cover for GQ’s Men of the Year issue in 2019. The “Hustlers” star spoke with Jessica Pressler, the New York magazine writer who wrote the original story that “Hustlers” is based on, about her prolific career.
“There is no reason to ever be ashamed of where you’re at. Not when you’re doing your best. Not when you’re in your best moment,” Lopez told Pressler. “There’s always gonna be people to tell you no. Or ‘You can’t.’ Or ‘You shouldn’t.’ It’s gonna happen. No matter what anybody says, you just have to still be like, ‘I’m still doing this. I’m still gonna succeed. I’m still gonna do my best.’ Defy the odds. Why not?”
The rapper Megan Thee Stallion capped off a memorable 2020 by hitting the cover of GQ. The music star, whose hits include “Savage” and the raunchy “WAP” (with Cardi B), told the magazine: “I feel like a lot of men just get scared when they see women teaching other women to own sex for themselves.”
