Well, we survived the vibe shift. It was a strange year, though! It’s hard to believe that less than 12 months ago, Allison P. Davis wrote about the possibility that you might get caught forever in a previous era’s cultural stylings and fixations. More than a few of our readers found that prospect actually quite wonderful — why not just pick a vibe and settle in? — but magazine-making is, among other things, the art of keeping up, and we are happy to look back on our year of journalism and see evidence of a newsroom always on the lookout for the new and the next.
Below, you’ll find a list of our 21 most-read articles we published this year. It’s a vivid testament to our wide-ranging interests, from Meghan Markle to Dianne Feinstein to crashing crypto billionaires to high-school seniors struggling to apologize and forgive. This list, which is measured by total collective minutes of audience engagement, is just a small sample of the work New York puts out each day in print across its six digital sites — Intelligencer, the Cut, Vulture, Grub Street, the Strategist, and Curbed — and in its growing portfolio of newsletters. For more of all of it, be sure to sign up for One Great Story, our daily recommendation newsletter, and to subscribe.
21.
The Institutionalist
By Rebecca Traister
Dianne Feinstein fought for gun control, civil rights, and abortion access for half a century. Where did it all go wrong? Read the story ➼
20.
Nathan Fielder Is Out of His Mind (and Inside Yours)
By Lila Shapiro
The comedian’s new show, The Rehearsal, is his grandest experiment yet. Read the story ➼
19.
Why America’s Railroads Refuse to Give Their Workers Paid Leave
By Eric Levitz
Wall Street’s new robber barons can’t make the trains run on time. Read the story ➼
18.
The Rich New York Women Who Love Their Fake Birkins
By Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz
Among a certain set, counterfeit luxury bags may be more popular than the real thing. Read the story ➼
17.
‘I More So Consider Myself a Con Artist Than Anything’
By Gabrielle Bluestone
What Danielle Miller learned at Horace Mann and Rikers. Read the story➼
16.
Black Lives Matter Secretly Bought a $6 Million House
By Sean Campbell
Allies and critics alike have questioned where the organization’s money has gone. Read the story ➼
15.
A Vibe Shift Is Coming
By Allison P. Davis
Will any of us survive it? Read the story ➼
14.
The Curse of Kentwood
By Kerry Howley
One year ago, Britney Spears was freed from a notorious conservatorship. What possessed her father to seize control of her life? Read the story ➼
13.
The Making of Silent Bruce
By Matt Zoller Seitz
Willis was a fast-talking lead who became a man-of-few-words star. It made his mental decline that much harder to notice. Read the story ➼
12.
The Sordid Saga of Hunter Biden’s Laptop
By Andrew Rice and Olivia Nuzzi
The most invasive data breach imaginable is a political scandal Democrats can’t just wish away. Read the story ➼
11.
The Crypto Geniuses Who Vaporized a Trillion Dollars
By Jen Wieczner
Everyone trusted the two guys at Three Arrows Capital. They knew what they were doing — right? Read the story ➼
10.
Teenage Justice
By Elizabeth Weil
A list of boys “to look out for” appeared on a high-school bathroom wall last fall. The story of one of them. Read the story ➼
9.
Which Women Do We Choose to Believe?
By Claire Lampen
Amber Heard claims an extremely famous man abused her for years. Why do so many people hate her for it? Read the story ➼
8.
What Happened to Maya
By Dyan Neary
When a 10-year-old girl complained of mysterious pain, a doctor suspected child abuse. How far would she go to prove it? Read the story ➼
7.
Taking Another Look at The Watcher
By Reeves Wiedeman
What we know about the case four years later. Read the story ➼
6.
How a Nepo Baby Is Born
By Nate Jones
Hollywood has always loved the children of famous people. In 2022, the internet reduced them to two little words. Read the story ➼
5.
An All But Definitive Guide to the Hollywood Nepo-Verse
By Nate Jones
Actors, singers, directors who just happen to be the children of actors, singers, directors. Read the story ➼
4.
The Last, Lonely Days of Ivana Trump
By Nina Burleigh
Her friends wish she’d never met the rakish young Italian they called the “snake.” Read the story ➼
3.
The Final Campaign
By Olivia Nuzzi
Inside Donald Trump’s sad, lonely, thirsty, broken, basically pretend run for reelection. (Which isn’t to say he can’t win.) Read the story ➼
2.
The Undoing of Joss Whedon
By Lila Shapiro
The Buffy creator, once an icon of Hollywood feminism, is now an outcast accused of misogyny. How did he get here? Read the story ➼
1.
Meghan of Montecito
By Allison P. Davis
She’s left the Firm behind. Harry’s found a polo team in Santa Barbara. The kids are doing great. Now she’s ready for her next act. Read the story ➼
This article was originally published on December 21, 2022. It has been updated to include all stories published through 2022.
