Top Searches: #3 Kim Kardashian
Celebrity archetypes—the reality star, the cover girl, the comeback queen, and the recovering train wreck—returned to the Top 10. Kim Kardashian, a staple since 2009, reached the height of her online popularity as the most searched person in 2012. (In 2011, she was second only to the notorious Casey Anthony.) Much of the attention stemmed from her ongoing divorce saga with Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries and her current high-profile relationship with hip-hop singer Kanye West. Her brand image took some body blows with the breakup and lawsuits over controversial endorsements, but the Kardashian name remains lucrative, with a three-year renewal for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," another fragrance and the debut of the Kardashian Kollection with sisters Khloe and Kourtney.