FROM Kyle Rittenhouse grinning to the Josh Duggar trial and finding American Pickers’ Frank, here’s a look at The US Sun’s top 2021 exclusive pics.
The photos capture the pain and joy felt by celebrities and the public in a year of high-profile court cases and tragic deaths.
In a case that had many across the nation holding their breath, Kyle Rittenhouse was pictured grinning as he left court after being found not guilty in the deadly Kenosha shootings.
The 18-year-old choked up, fell to the floor, and then hugged one of his attorneys upon hearing the verdict in the courtroom.
Rittenhouse was then rushed out of the courthouse and whisked away in a black Chevrolet Equinox.
The Sun snapped Rittenhouse’s face beaming as he sat in the back seat of the vehicle as he left court a free man.
He had been charged with homicide, attempted homicide, and reckless endangering after killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle during a tumultuous night of protests over police violence against black people in the summer of 2020.
In another court case that captured national attention, Josh Duggar looked “teary-eyed” after he was found guilty of possessing and receiving child pornography.
Exclusive photos shot for The US Sun showed him and his wife Anna arriving at court as they awaited a verdict.
After being found guilty, Josh was ordered straight into custody but stopped to tell his wife Anna that he “loved” her on his way out.
He faces 20 years in prison on each count.
American Pickers’ Frank Fritz looked unrecognizable in exclusive photos after a 65-lb weight loss.
The 57-year-old resurfaced for the first time in a year after he stopped appearing on History Channel’s American Pickers in March 2020.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Frank said he attributes the weight loss to a healthier lifestyle as he battles Crohn’s, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
He said he’d been sober from alcohol for 10 months and was unsure when viewers might see him back on the show.
“I would like to come back to the show, but we will see. I was doing it for 11 years, but there is a lot of controversy going on right now,” he said.
An emotional scene unfolded at JFK airport when the first flights carrying fully vaccinated Brits arrived in New York City.
Teary-eyed families were pictured greeting one another at the arrivals gate after a nearly two-year ban on visitors from the UK due to the pandemic.
Bhavna Patel told The Sun she was meeting her one-year-old grandson Kai for the first time and reuniting with her son and his wife for the first time in more than a year.
Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne was pictured for the first time since the bombshell Hulu doc The Housewife & The Hustler aired about her husband Tom Girardi’s embezzlement scandal and their messy divorce.
Exclusive photographs obtained by The Sun showed the blond wearing a blue t-shirt from the “Billionaire Boys Club” range after downgrading her lifestyle.
Her down-to-earth look was a far cry from her usual glamorous appearance.
Wheelchair-bound Wendy Williams was seen out with bruised legs after psychiatric hospitalization.
She looked frail during her outing to a New York City art gallery, where she was assisted by a young man pushing her wheelchair.
The Sun was the first to report that the 57-year-old host had been “struggling with addiction” leading up to her hospitalization for psychiatric issues.
Photos showed the heartbreak of Daunte Wright’s family and friends as he was laid to rest in April.
Wright was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter on April 11 during a traffic stop when she allegedly mistook her taser for her gun.
Wright’s mother Katie Wright broke down in tears as she told the crowd at the 20-year-old’s funeral that he was “loved by so many” and that he “should be burying her.”
Dog the Bounty Hunter wildly speculated that Brian Laundrie could be a “serial killer” and was obsessed with the “dark side” after claiming to have unearthed the fugitive’s “demonic past”.
Dog helped scour a Fort de Soto campground and its surrounding islands during the search for Gabby Petito‘s boyfriend.
Dog told The Sun: “I’m thinking more and more about him being maybe a serial killer, not just a killer of Gabby. The books he read are unbelievable.”
Laundrie’s body was found in Florida’s Carlton Reserve on October 20 and an autopsy later determined he killed himself following Gabby Petito’s death.
Exclusive photos showed newlywed Pamela Anderson as she loaded up on discount lager at her local shopping center.
The former Baywatch star was pictured carrying a 24-pack at a strip mall in the town of Ladysmith on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
The model and actress announced she had married her “bodyguard” Dan in what was her sixth wedding to her fifth husband back in January, saying: “I’m exactly where I need to be — in the arms of a man who loves me.”
In an exclusive interview, Theresa Balboa‘s neighbors said they heard “loud scratching through the wall at 3am” days before Balboa’s stepson Samuel Olson’s body was thought to have been discovered.
Neighbor Tiffany Schultz, who lives next door with her fiance and their newborn, moved in on May 11, the day after Samuel is believed to have died.
She recalled chilling details of bizarre noises heard from the apartment two days after Samuel was allegedly killed.
Photos showed Little People’s Amy Roloff marrying Chris Marek on the family’s Oregon farm.
The Little People, Big World star looked stunning in the intimate ceremony surrounded by 100 of their close friends and family.
One notable absence from her big day was ex-husband Matt and his fiancé Caryn Chandler.
Though Matt personally asked Amy if she would want to use the farm as an event space for the wedding, she did not invite her ex to the nuptials.
Crystal Harris opened up to The Sun about marrying Hugh Hefner, inheriting millions, and being called a “dumb blonde gold-digger.”
The 34-year-old detailed a chaotic whirlwind of astonishing extravagance, star-studded parties, Playboy covers, and reality TV stardom for the girl who once lived in a West Midlands pub.
It also meant battling gold-digger accusations which haunt her to this day – more than two years after her beloved Hef died aged 91.
Bachelor alum Hannah Brown didn’t have a care in the world as she enjoyed a leisurely bike ride and public displays of affection with her new boyfriend.
The Bachelorette star was pictured in Los Angeles after she was accused of once attending a “racist antebellum party” after the Rachael Kirkconnell controversy.
Exclusive photos showed the emotional funeral for Andrew Brown Jr., who was shot and killed by police in his driveway in North Carolina.
Deputies were serving drug-related search and arrest warrants at the time, which prompted protests in Elizabeth City as pressure mounted for cops to release the footage.
Brown’s son Khalil Ferebee noted that their family intended to “do what he would have wanted us to do in life” and said, “I love you, pops” during his emotional address at the funeral.
SantaCon returned to New York City for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing chaos and at least one reported fight.
The annual charitable bar crawl that encourages patrons to come dressed in their Christmas best came one day after Governor Kathy Hochul announced that a statewide mask mandate would be in effect starting December 13.
The event featured DJs, elaborate Santa costumes, and an eggnog waterfall contest.
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