Yo, Adrian, he did it! The most Google-searched actor of 2018 was 72-year-old Sylvester Stallone.
Would you have guessed him? I probably wouldn't have guessed most of the people who made the top 10.
Google Trends recently shared the data on its own year, including topics like actors, people, TV shows, athletes, etc. Technically there are still a couple of weeks left to 2018 at this point, but the figures are already in.
Globally, here are the top 10 trending actors (including actresses):
Sylvester StalloneLogan PaulPete DavidsonBill CosbyNoah CentineoDonald GloverAllison MackGary OldmanSapna ChoudharyRoseanne Barr
What a crazy lineup! Not all of the stars were trending for positive reasons -- as you can see from Logan Paul, Bill Cosby, Roseanne Barr, and Allison Mack, who all made headlines for serious controversies. You could maybe add Pete Davidson onto that list, too, since his 2018 was dominated by his relationship with Ariana Grande and Saturday Night Live insults. Oscar winner Gary Oldman was also trending for good and bad reasons. (No. 9 is Indian dancer/performer Sapna Choudhary, who isn't as much of a household name in the U.S.)
Sylvester Stallone made No. 1, and it seems to mostly be for his film work -- although headlines came out over the summer and fall about an investigation into an alleged attack. Stallone was never charged, due to lack of witnesses to corroborate the allegations.
Sylvester Stallone kept himself trending through 2018 for his Rocky role in Creed II, which came out in November, and filming for Rambo V: Last Blood, which comes out in 2019. He's also stayed in the spotlight after roles in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and a cameo on This Is Us. Sly also filmed Escape Plan 2: Hades for 2018, and has a third movie in that franchise for 2019.
If you change the Google search to just United States, instead of global, the order changes a bit. Here's the U.S. list of most trending actors in 2018:
Logan PaulBill CosbySylvester StallonePete DavidsonMichael B. JordanAllison MackNoah CentineoBradley CooperRoseanne BarrChadwick Boseman
Logan Paul was No. 1 for the U.S.? Sigh. You can see that most of the names are similar, but Sylvester Stallone's Creed co-star Michael B. Jordan joins the list, along with Black Panther's Chadwick Boseman. Plus, A Star Is Born director Bradley Cooper made this cut.
It's kind of fascinating to see what people around the world are searching in any given year. It also makes you think about your own search habits. Did you Google any of the names above this year? We'll have to see how the list shakes up in 2019. Speaking of, here are the many films we can look forward to in the new year.
