Gossip magazines (sometimes referred to as
tabloid magazines) are magazines that feature scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities and other well-known individuals. This genre of magazine flourished in North America in the 1950s and early 1960s. The title
Confidential alone boasted a monthly circulation in excess of ten million, and it had many competitors, with names such as
Whisper,
Dare,
Suppressed,
The Lowdown,
Hush-Hush, and
Uncensored. These magazines included more lurid and explicit content than did the popular newspaper
gossip columnists of the time, including tales of celebrity homosexuality and illegal drug use.