PEOPLE in the '90s

Welcome to our bonus episode. It's an awards show special! You know the Oscars, Emmys, and Grammys. Well, allow us to present The Besties — a highly subjective (and voted on by two people) celebration of the '90s. Jason and Andrea wrap up season one of PEOPLE in the '90s by declaring the decade's best fragrance and sex scene, celeb workout video and supermodel, VH1 Divas Live performance, movie theme song, and other vital cultural touchstones. Then we bring on Emmy winner Kenan Thompson, who knows a lot about awards shows (he's up for two more Emmys this year) and the '90s. The former Nickelodeon breakout (Kenan & Kel) turned Saturday Night Live star (18 seasons and counting), he now also has his own self-titled sitcom. Kenan sits down with us and takes us back to filming the '90s cult classic Good Burger, standing in line outside clubs on Sunset Boulevard while Disney stars Justin and Britney were inside, and what it means to have a sitcom with his name on it today. Kenan also pays homage to the late Chris Farley and takes us inside his own "bestie" relationship with black-ish star Anthony Anderson. Oh, and he reveals who sends the dirtiest memes on the SNL text thread.

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We got our man. Fabio seemingly fell to Earth in the ’90s fully formed, Italian beefcake on a clam shell: a 6-foot-3, 250 lb. model turned romance novel cover star (over 1,300 of them) turned I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter front man. He both defined the sexy-silly optimism of the decade and, in some ways, he never really left it. His hair forever blows in an ever-present breeze. If he was, as our cover back on Oct. 4, 1993 cover stated, the “prince of passion," he's now the king. After 43 emails, 11 phone calls, two public pleas on Instagram, and one promise to let him talk about how he sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber, Fabio sat down with us in person. And it was a lot: He tells us about sexy (and scary) times at romance novelist conventions, modeling for Gianni Versace, his Ferraris and butter money, why women loved him dressed as a pirate, if he’s had plastic surgery, his requirements for a girlfriend — and if that's why he’s still single. (Whew!) Oh, and remember when Fabio collided with a goose on a rollercoaster?

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The Rachel. The Gap. Alicia Silverstone’s Aerosmith videos and Rob Thomas' hook on "Smooth." Sometimes, there was too much of a good thing in the '90s. On the cover of PEOPLE’s December 25, 1995 issue (our 25 Most Intriguing People of the Year issue): Hootie and The Blowfish. (Along with Jennifer Aniston and... Babe the Pig.) Darius had the biggest-selling album that year — "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry" were everywhere — and on that Cracked Rear View CD case, the band rode the highs and inevitable lows of popular culture. The man has a lot to say. Darius drops by to talk about the influence of R.E.M., why Hootie & the Blowfish didn't get the respect they deserved, that "Hootie" Friends episode (and the shocking reason he wasn't on it!), the time he passed a “F- -k Hootie” bumper sticker on the highway, his groundbreaking success in country music, and his grudge against Tom Hanks. Oh, and remember bootcut jeans?

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Real World, Daria, Choose or Lose, House of Style and The Week in Rock. (There were some videos too.) In the '90s, MTV was our media of choice — and, if you think about it, was Instagram before Instagram. The network set the pop agenda, told us who was cool and what to wear, introduced us to reality television (and Jenny McCarthy — shoutout to Singled Out!), and broke the biggest news in pop culture and music, like the death of Kurt Cobain. Nirvana’s front man was on the cover of PEOPLE April 25, 1994 issue and, over at MTV, Bill Bellamy was in the middle of the music industry. Bill joins us to pay homage to Cobain, who he interviewed at the MTV Beach House shortly before the singer's suicide in 1994. He sticks around to dish on his '90s life: coining the term "booty call" as a stand-up comic; his "did-they-didn’t-they" relationship with Janet Jackson; early Britney Spears; and appearing in a Tupac Shakur video. Oh — speaking of MTV — remember when Carmen Electra married Dennis Rodman?

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Jerry Springer and Ricki Lake. Sally Jessy, Maury, and a few Steves. The other Mark Wahlberg. There was a lot of talk on daytime TV in the ’90s. And even more gasp-inducing, can't-look-away insanity: “You are the father!” reveals, surprise drop-ins from exes, strippers, club kids, and daughters begging moms to “stop dressing like me!” Then, exactly 25 years ago, came The Rosie O'Donnell Show. Before signing on, the comedian and actress had insisted upon “no trash” and promised to create a safe space for both kids at home after school and celebrities on the talk show circuit promoting movies. The original “Queen of Nice” (Ellen wasn't the first) joins us to talk about her favorite guests on the show, moments she’d do differently today, the day she was handed a check for $25 million, that Oscar night she was mistaken for Kathy Bates, and if she’ll ever bring her show back. (And, obviously, we discuss Tom Cruise and Madonna.) Oh, and remember when Batman’s suit got nipples?

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Breathless romance and shocking slaps. Demonic possessions and really big hair. An exhausting use of the word “bitch.” In the ‘90s, soap operas were off-the-chain crazy. And delicious. On the cover of PEOPLE’s February 21st, 1994 issue: the stars of Melrose Place. Lisa Rinna —who starred on both Days of Our Lives and Melrose — takes us back to the golden era of soaps, both daytime and primetime. As only she can, Lisa tells all about the sex (on-screen and off), fights, absurd plotlines, what she learned from Heather Locklear, how she met husband Harry Hamlin in 1992, and how her entire career prepared her for modern-day soap Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Plus: Find out which of our co-hosts is a die-hard soaps superfan and which barely knows Passions. Oh and remember Janeane Garofalo’s baby bangs in Reality Bites?

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Seinfeld, Sinbad, Ellen, The Jamie Foxx Show. In the '90s, it felt like every standup comedian had a self-titled sitcom. On the cover of PEOPLE's March 29, 1993 issue: Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold — “The Terrible Two of Comedy.” Comedian, actor and talk show host Sherri Shepherd had a front row seat for the standup-sitcom boom — having appeared on seemingly every sitcom in the '90s, including Friends, Living Single, and Everybody Loves Raymond. Never one to hold back, Sherri talks about the lack of diversity on television (then and now), how she uses a friend to find dates on the apps, and how Jamie Foxx still owes her $50 for a haircut. Oh, and remember Indecent Proposal?

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The late '90s were all about teens. As millennials learned to drive, they began shaping pop culture. We even created a magazine for them. On the cover of TEEN PEOPLE's June/July 1999 issue: Julia Stiles, Brandy, and 19 other It Boys and It Girls — all under 21. Julia talks to us about 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger, and whether or not she dated Joseph Gordon-Levitt in her college years. Then, we test her 90s pop knowledge and find out Julia is more Ani DiFranco than Joey Tribbiani. Oh, and remember The Tom Green Show?

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Once upon a time, celebrities dressed themselves. And, sometimes, we made fun of them for it. Actress and comedian Margaret Cho knows a lot about those '90s worst-dressed lists, because Joan Rivers was her mentor. And she was on Fashion Police. And she appeared in PEOPLE's 1995 Best and Worst Dressed Issue. We go back with Margaret as she honors Joan, explains how the culture of roasting evolved, and opens up about how the decade shaped her own body image. We also discuss her groundbreaking sitcom All-American Girl and how she once watched John Travolta eat an entire pie on the set of 1997's Face/Off. Oh, and remember Showgirls?

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