The Year's Most Controversial Magazine Covers


Elton John’s adorable baby judged unsafe for “young shoppers”

No, it’s not the bizarre expression on Elton John’s face that caused Arkansas supermarket chain Harps to censor the January Us Weekly cover above. The issue apparently merited the kind of “Family Shield” you see blocking explicit porn magazines from public view because it pictured a pair of gay dads and their new baby. According to Harps president, the shield was placed after “our store manager received some complaints” and then removed after sane customers pointed out that it’s actually kind of homophobic to suggest that gay families are somehow offensive. Elton John: respectable enough for British knighthood, but too controversial for grocery stores in the South.