Mandy Moore Remembers ‘a Lot of Teenage Drama’ on the Set of ‘Vanity Fair’s’ 2003 Cover Shoot

Celebrity news is a bit slow this morning (where is everyone??? We need you back on the balcony of Sushi Park!!), meaning it’s the perfect time to rewind and contemplate a little vintage celeb drama. This week Mandy Moore was a guest on Valerie Lipovetsky’s Not Alone podcast, talking about motherhood, social media, and her career—you know, the stuff podcasts are about these days. 

Towards the end of the episode, Valerie brought up what Mandy is most famous for. No, not her pop music career, not her role on This Is Us, and no not even her incredible fluffy bangs in Saved, but her appearance on the 2003 Vanity Fair “It’s Totally Raining Teens” cover.

Happy 20 years to Vanity Fair’s ‘It’s Raining Teens’ issue, released on July 2003 a thread: pic.twitter.com/zCTNZkrQua

— popculture (@notgwendalupe) July 6, 2023

There was “a lot of teenage drama, for sure,” Moore explained. For those who don’t see the iconic cover when they close their eyes because it isn’t burned into their retinas—it featured a who’s who of early aughts teen royalty all dressed in various shades of blush and rose gold: Amanda Bynes, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen, Hilary Duff, Alexis Bledel, Raven-Symoné, Evan Rachel Wood, and Lindsay Lohan. The cover was iconic enough to warrant a 20th-anniversary follow-up on everyone in 2023.

“There was a fight over a boy, I want to say, between two people,” Moore said. “I don’t even remember who.” Well, unlike Mandy Moore, I might not be able to remember any of my bank account passwords but I remember every detail of the Hilary Duff-Lindsay Lohan-Aaron Carter love triangle. Carter had been dating Duff for about a year in 2002 before allegedly cheating on her with Lohan, kicking off a years-long petty feud between the two. I think the photo director of the shoot was smart to put three nice teens between the two gals.

Moore also added that “one of the Olsen twins had a crush on my boyfriend,” which made her feel very cool and like she “picked them good.” Moore was dating tennis phenom Andy Roddick at the time. I love imagining Ashley Olsen (or Mary-Kate! We don’t know!) crushing on him, with a poster of him on her wall. All in all, great vintage goss to round out this otherwise uneventful Thursday. 

• Alive Girl, Lauren Sanchez wore a rather va-va-voom dress to hang with Joe Biden for the evening. [Page Six]
• Kate Beckinsale continues to vague-post from the hospital. Hope she’s OK! [People]
• Holy shiplap! Chip Gaines is letting loose with the your-mama jokes on Twitter. [Us Weekly]
• Prepare for Ice Spice on the silver screen: The rapper has been cast in Spike Lee’s latest film. [Variety]