 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
 | |
 Cover of the August 2017 issue, featuringAlexis Ren | |
| Editor-in-chief | Sardar Biglari[1] |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sardar Biglari (2014–present) |
| Categories | Men's |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Biglari Holdings |
| Total circulation (January 2017) | 928,753[2] |
| Founder | Felix Dennis |
| Founded | 1995,United Kingdom |
| First issue | 1995 |
| Country | 17 editions in 76 countries |
| Based in | New York City |
| Language | English, many others |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1092-9789 |
Maxim (stylized inall caps) is an internationalmen's magazine, devised and launched in theUnited Kingdom in 1995, but based inNew York City since 1997.[3] It is known for its photography of actors, singers and female models whose careers are at their peak.Maxim has a circulation of about 9 million readers each month. Maxim Digital reaches more than 4 million unique viewers each month.Maxim magazine publishes 16 editions, sold in 75 countries worldwide.
Maxim was founded byFelix Dennis (1947–2014) in 1995[4] and expanded to the United States in 1997.[5]
In 1999, MaximOnline.com (now maxim.com) was created.[6] It contains content not included in the print version, and focuses on the same general topics, along with exclusive sections and videos.
In December 2001,Editorial Televisa published theSpanish-language edition ofMaxim magazine for Latin America and theHispanic communities of the United States, its first cover was Colombian model and actressSofía Vergara.
On February 5, 2005, Maxim Radio, featuring male-oriented talk programming, debuted onSirius Satellite Radio. Following the Sirius-XM merger in late 2008, theMaxim brand was dropped, and the channel is now known as Sirius XM Stars Too.
Since 2005, in Argentina, the Argentinian edition ofMaxim magazine began to adapt and approximate the styles of the American adult magazinesPenthouse andHustler, publishing photos of Argentinian models in thongs and topless.
On June 5, 2006, the magazine announced plans to build a casino on theLas Vegas Strip north ofCircus Circus, but the casino plan failed after local condominium owners complained that the proposed casino would ruin their view. The land was sold toMGM Mirage.[7]
On June 15, 2007, private equity firmQuadrangle Group, along with long-time media executive Kent Brownridge, announced the acquisition of the parent company ofMaxim,Blender,Stuff, and MaximOnline.com in the United States, under the name Alpha Media Group. As of April 23, 2009,Dennis Publishing has announced that it will no longer produce a print edition ofMaxim in the United Kingdom, though the website for the UK version will remain.
Quadrangle Group gave up on its investment in Alpha Media Group in August 2009, makingCerberus Capital Management the majority partner. In 2013, Alpha announced the sale ofMaxim to the newly created Darden Media Group, but Darden was unable to raise the money.[8] Calvin Darden Jr. was later charged with fraud relating to the transaction.[9]
Between 2010 and 2012,Maxim eliminated two issues, going from 12 issues a year to 10, and decreased its circulation numbers by 20%, from a reported 2.5 million to only 2.0 million.[10]
The Argentinian edition of the magazineMaxim stopped circulating in March 2013 in Argentina and its last cover was the Argentinian model Valeria Degenaro.
On February 27, 2014, entrepreneurSardar Biglari, the founder ofBiglari Holdings and Biglari Capital, purchasedMaxim. In September 2014,Kate Lanphear became editor-in-chief. During Lanphear's tenure, the September 2015 issue featured actorIdris Elba on its cover, marking the first time that the magazine did not have a woman on the cover.[11] Lanphear left the magazine in November 2015.[12]
In January 2016, Biglari officially took over as editor-in-chief ofMaxim, though aMaxim staffer said that the new masthead title just formalized what had always been clear since Biglari's purchase; Biglari exercises full editorial control overMaxim. At one point in 2015, the staffer said, Biglari decided to throw out a nearly complete version of the December issue to completely redesign the magazine.[13] On January 13, 2016,Gilles Bensimon joined Biglari as a special creative director.
The Indonesian edition of the magazineMaxim stopped circulating in August 2017 in Indonesia and its last cover was the Australian modelJessica Gomes.
Since 2018,Maxim has hosted an annual online competition known as the Maxim Cover Girl contest, in which aspiring models vie for a cash prize and a chance to appear on the magazine’s cover.[14] For example, the 2022 contest was won by Brooklin Bowdler, who earned a $25,000 prize and appeared on the January/February 2023 cover.[15]
The runners-up that year were Teri Coleman (2nd place) and Hannah Catherine Whitmore (3rd place), both of whom were featured in profile stories byMaxim.[16] Whitmore—known professionally as Hannah Foxx—was profiled as a Nevada intimacy coach with a medical background, reflecting the contest’s reach beyond the traditional modeling scene. These finalist spotlights exemplifyMaxim's engagement with a broad range of contestants through the Cover Girl competition.
In April 2021, Maxim collaborated with internationalsports betting operator, Carousel Group, to create MaximBet, a licensed iGaming and sports betting services provider.[17] In September 2021, MaximBet made its debut inColorado, when they partnered with Johnny Nolon's Saloon and Gambling Emporium.[17] In late September 2021, MaximBet expanded its operations and its brand launched inIndiana.[17]
In April 2022, just after theMajor League Baseball lockout ended, MaximBet entered into an endorsement deal with an active MLB player,Charlie Blackmon of theColorado Rockies, as a brand ambassador.[17]
In May 2022,Nicki Minaj was named as the creative director and global ambassador of MaximBet.[18]
In 2004, the Gender Issues Centre, an on-campus feminist organization atLakehead University inThunder Bay,Ontario,Canada, protested an on-campus "Thunder Bay Boob Idol" event sponsored byMaxim andCoors Light. The Centre describedMaxim as consisting of "sexist bravado and racist imagery".[19] In 2006, Alok Jha ofThe Guardian criticizedMaxim for encouraging excessivealcohol consumption andsexual objectification of women.[20]
In June 2007, Israeli diplomatDavid Saranga invitedMaxim to the country. In what came to be known as "beers and babes", the magazine did photo shoots of near-nakedIsraeli women who serve in thearmy. The campaign drew an angry reaction from lawmakerColette Avital, a former diplomat who served as Israel's consul-general in New York City in the 1990s.[21] ProfessorJohn H. Brown ofGeorgetown University described the spread as the first event in a new branch ofpublic diplomacy.[22]
In February 2008,Maxim was criticized byThe Black Crowes for rating their upcoming CD,Warpaint, without hearing the entire album.[23] Black Crowes manager Pete Angelus said, "Maxim's actions seem to completely lack journalistic integrity and intentionally mislead their readership." According to Crowes, the magazine stated in an email, "Of course, we always prefer to [sic] hearing music, but sometimes there are big albums that we don't want to ignore that aren't available to hear, which is what happened with the Crowes. It's either an educated guess preview or no coverage at all, so in this case we chose the former." The magazine's editorial directorJames Kaminsky later apologized, stating, "It isMaxim's editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers."[24] Facing more criticism over rating albums without listening to them,Maxim magazine maintains it was previewing CDs in its March 2008 issue, not reviewing them, and the mistake was to include star ratings.[25]
The magazine endorsed theDonald Trump 2024 presidential campaign.[26]
Maxim has launched international editions of its magazines since 1995. In 2006, it has launched its 26th and 27th international[27] editions in Serbia and Greece, where it is published by Attica Media. Notably, the magazine has been circulating editions in South Korea, Indonesia (defunct), India (defunct), Japan, Portugal (asMaxmen), the United States, Thailand, France (as Maximal), Russia,[28][29] Turkey, Serbia, Greece,[30] Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Argentina (defunct), Italy, Canada, Poland, Brazil, Germany, Australia (defunct),[31] Mexico (defunct), Colombia (defunct), the Philippines and Ukraine (defunct),[32]
Each year since 2000,Maxim has released theMaxim Hot 100. The winners and their corresponding ages and the year in which the magazine was released are listed below.
| Year | Choice | Age | Occupation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Estella Warren | 21 | Actress/Model | [33] |
| 2001 | Jessica Alba | 20 | Actress | Youngest winner.[34] |
| 2002 | Jennifer Garner | 30 | Actress | First time anyone has debuted on the list at number one.[35] |
| 2003 | Christina Aguilera | 22 | Singer | First singer.[36] |
| 2004 | Jessica Simpson | 24 | Singer/Actress | [37] |
| 2005 | Eva Longoria | 30 | Actress | [38] |
| 2006 | Eva Longoria | 31 | Actress | First and only woman to win twice (in a row).[39] |
| 2007 | Lindsay Lohan | 21 | Actress/Singer | [40] |
| 2008 | Marisa Miller | 29 | Model | Second time anyone has debuted on the list at number one.[41] |
| 2009 | Olivia Wilde | 25 | Actress | [42] |
| 2010 | Katy Perry | 26 | Singer | [43] |
| 2011 | Rosie Huntington-Whiteley | 24 | Model/Actress | Third time anyone has debuted on the list at number one.[44] |
| 2012 | Bar Refaeli | 26 | Model | [45] |
| 2013 | Miley Cyrus | 21 | Singer/Actress | [46] |
| 2014 | Candice Swanepoel | 25 | Model | |
| 2015 | Taylor Swift | 26 | Singer | |
| 2016 | Stella Maxwell | 25 | Model | Fourth time anyone has debuted on the list at number one.[47] |
| 2017 | Hailey Baldwin | 20 | Model | |
| 2018 | Kate Upton | 25 | Model/Actress | |
| 2019 | Olivia Culpo | 27 | Influencer | |
| 2021 | Teyana Taylor | 30 | Singer/Actress | Fifth time anyone has debuted on the list at number one. |
| 2022 | Paige Spiranac | 29 | Golfer/Influencer | |
| 2023 | Ashley Graham | 35 | Model/Influencer[48] | |
| 2024 | Elizabeth Hurley | 59 | Actress/Model | Oldest winner[49] |
| 2025 | Elle Macpherson | 61 | Model | Oldest winner.[50] |
From 2000 until 2015,Maxim released the rest of the Hot 100 in order. Since 2016,Maxim released the rest of the Hot 100 in random order, so those lists are by default sorted alphabetically on this table. These are the rest of the Top 100 each year.
The awards ceremony for UK edition of the magazine began in 2000. The winners for each category were voted on by readers of the magazine.[75]
| Award[76][77] | Winner |
|---|---|
| Woman of the Year | Cat Deeley |
| Most Beautiful Woman | Adriana Sklenarikova |
| Maxim International Women | Caprice[78] |
| Award[79][80] | Winner |
|---|---|
| Woman of the Year | Tamzin Outhwaite |
| Best TV Soap Personality | Joanna Taylor |
| Best TV Presenter | Cat Deeley |
| Best Film Actress | Kate Winslet |
| Best International Singer | Madonna |
| Most Stylish Woman | Lady Victoria Hervey |
| Maxim International Woman | Caprice |
| Maxim Icon award | Ursula Andress |
| Award[78][81] | Winner |
|---|---|
| Woman of the Year | Jessie Wallace |
| Best TV Soap Personality | Jennifer Ellison |
| Best TV Actress | Fay Ripley |
| Best Comedy Actress | Ronni Ancona |
| Best Film Actress | Nicole Kidman |
| Best Band | Mis-Teeq[82] |
| Best UK Singer | Sophie Ellis-Bextor |
| Best International Singer | Kylie Minogue |
| Best Stage Performance | Dannii Minogue |
| Best Radio DJ | Sara Cox |
| Maxim International Woman | Caprice |
| Maxim Icon award | Joan Collins |
.svg){kind=logo}