The most-read Los Angeles Times stories of 2023
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Mass shootings. Celebrity deaths. Extreme weather. These were some of the biggest news events in California in 2023 and were among the most-read articles published by the Los Angeles Times this year.
To recap 2023, we compiled our most-visited coverage into three lists: the stories that attracted the highest number of readers, the articles that people spent the longest time reading, and the most popular pieces that only subscribers get to read.
The result is a mix of breaking news coverage, investigative reporting and surprising features storytelling.
(We want to squeeze as much good stuff into 2023 as possible. So when multiple stories about the same topic landed in the top 10, we did not list them separately. Instead we’re listing each topic’s highest-ranked story and mentioning similar stories under it.)
Most-read stories | Deep reads | Subscribers' favorites
Most-read stories
(ranked by overall number of visits)
1
Read more: 'Friends' star Matthew Perry dead at 54, found in hot tub at L.A. home
The untimely death of Matthew Perry, beloved by generations of “Friends” fans, caught the world by surprise, and The Times was among the first to confirm the news. As culture critic Mary McNamara put it, “Few performers can convincingly portray both the arrogance and self-doubt, the resilience and vulnerability that fuel so much of human nature as well as he did.”
Also widely read: Officials release more details about Matthew Perry's death, but determining cause will take time
2
Read more: Authorities identify 72-year-old man as suspected gunman in Lunar New Year mass shooting
January's mass shooting — one of the deadliest in L.A. County's modern history — devastated a hub of Southern California’s Chinese community during a weekend of celebration. After a manhunt that stretched into the next day, disclosure of the suspect's identity calmed fears that the violence was racially targeted but intensified the mystery of the motive.
3
Read more: 'Widespread flooding' expected as intense Hilary pounds Southern California
When Hurricane Hilary swept toward the state, Californians had reason to seek out information: Few had ever seen anything like it before. When it made landfall, Hilary became the first tropical storm to hit Southern California since 1939. It brought heavy rain to areas that rarely see so much water. And it served as a potential preview of the future: As the climate warms, scientists expect more intense tropical cyclones.
Also widely read: Hilary is speeding up and inching east with fury: The final Sunday California forecast
And: Tropical Storm Hilary tracker map
4
Read more: California workers who cut countertops are dying of an incurable disease
The bare facts are deeply alarming: Men barely hitting middle age are dying of an incurable yet preventable disease. This news caused people who remodeled their kitchens or bathrooms during the pandemic to wonder if their new countertops cost someone their lungs or their life. After this piece was published, such deaths prompted a state board to back emergency safety measures.
5
Read more: Tucker Carlson departs Fox News, pushed out by Rupert Murdoch
Tucker Carlson was a ratings juggernaut for Fox News, so his removal came as a shock. This article immediately tackled the biggest question: Why? It sheds light on the reasons the network got rid of the provocative, conservative prime-time host, and along the way it delves into lawsuits, scandals and things Carlson said when the cameras weren’t rolling.
6
Dennis Earl Seger left Seattle for Los Angeles in 1986. He never made it there. Off-road motorists found human skeletal remains in the desert a year later, but without identification the case went cold — until police used DNA testing this year. Reporter Cari Spencer and editor Amy Hubbard focused on emphasizing “the mystery and the 'life interrupted' aspect of the piece,” Hubbard recalls.
7
Read more: Housekeeper's husband arrested in killing of beloved bishop
Clergy members rarely get murdered, but in this case, a beloved bishop known for his compassion and altruism was shot to death at his own home. For days, there was little information about who might have done such a thing and why. This story identified a suspect no one saw coming.
8
Read more: More details emerge about 'Wild 'N Out' star Ms Jacky Oh's death at 32
Few major news outlets covered the death of MTV star Ms Jacky Oh, so fans particularly welcomed this piece. The “Wild 'N Out” cast member, who had three young children and had spoken about the pressure to "snap back" after childbirth, died shortly after a cosmetic surgery. “In an era where social media drives the pressures of perfection, this story illuminates the dangers of plastic surgery,” reporter Emily St. Martin says.
9
Read more: Stanford scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don’t have free will
A lot of scientific research can feel opaque to a lay audience. But the question this scientist tackles — are we in charge of our own lives, thoughts and actions? — is an enormously significant one that instinctively makes sense to anybody who has thought about what it's like to be human.
10
Wild animals are charismatic, and humans' interactions with them can be either heartwarming or horrifying. This piece shows what a bear might find delicious, and it's a reminder that the detritus of our daily lives can have deadly effects.
Most-read stories | Deep reads | Subscribers' favorites
Deep reads
(ranked by average time spent on the page)
1
Read more: Seeking redemption: A death row inmate’s journey into L.A. County’s largest psych ward
“To be mentally ill and incarcerated in an L.A. County jail is to be forgotten and neglected,” reporter Thomas Curwen says. This story is a portrait of that particular hell, told through the perspective of a murder suspect whose capacity for compassion brings hope and humanity to those lost in the criminal justice system.
2
Read more: 'Vanderpump Rules' is 'the Thunderdome': Inside the year's biggest reality TV scandal
This spring, “Vanderpump Rules” fans were consumed with “Scandoval,” the scandal to rule all of 2023’s reality TV scandals. After the season ended they wanted to hear more about the love triangle between Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss. In this piece, Madix and co-star Katie Maloney talk about what went down.
3
Read more: 10 years after USC fired him on the tarmac, Lane Kiffin believes he can weather any storm
The firing of Lane Kiffin as USC’s football coach in the wee hours of the morning after a game quickly became the stuff of legend. Until telling the story for this piece, Kiffin had never relived his personal humiliation and the growth that came out of it.
4
Read more: 'A vehicle for profit': Jill Duggar details her family's reality TV finances in 'Counting the Cost'
After the thrill of shiny, polished reality TV comes a second thrill: the hidden, unsavory realities behind reality TV. So when Jill Duggar published a memoir in which she opened up about the difficulties of starring in “19 Kids and Counting” as a teenager — as well as delving into the pain of dealing with publicized reports of her brother sexually abusing her and accusing her father of financial exploitation — interest in the revelations was high. This piece jumps right to the most telling parts.
Also deeply read: What 'Shiny Happy People' reveals about the Duggars: 'We were taken advantage of'
5
Read more: From a one-way flight to sleeping in a parking lot: Diary of a California dream gone sour
This honest and intimate story brings readers into the day-to-day life of Andrew Truelove, a recent arrival to Los Angeles who is living on the streets. Reporter Connor Sheets shows Truelove’s challenges navigating the region’s homeless services, where he struggles to find a shower, let alone shelter. “It’s hard not to wonder what will happen to Andrew Truelove once you get to know him and his story,” Sheets says.
6
Read more: Inside the world's largest AIDS charity's troubled move into homeless housing
This well-known, well-funded L.A. nonprofit said it could solve homelessness more cheaply and efficiently than the government and other nonprofits. The piece shows how the organization failed to live up to its promises and lays out the consequences felt by some of L.A.'s most vulnerable residents.
7
Read more: Nobody pities the King: Inside Ryan Garcia's doomed fight for boxing credibility
This close and colorful look at boxer Ryan Garcia goes far beyond his loss in the ring to Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Part of what writer Tyler R. Tynes describes as his “concerted effort to try and understand the American boxer,” the story explores Garcia’s personality and motivation leading into the bout. “No matter what generation we find ourselves in, this country has an affinity for the fights,” Tynes said.
8
Read more: Inside the Pac-12 collapse: Four surprising moments that crushed the conference
As the sports world mourned the death of the West Coast’s premier college conference, this article revealed the real reasons Pac-12 leaders could not come together and put aside their self-interest.
9
Read more: 'Mrs. Maisel' cast reflects on the early days, their bonds and ... a shark encounter?
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” resonated deeply with its viewers: “If you liked it, you loved it,” says Elena Howe, editor of The Envelope magazine, The Times' home for awards-season coverage. As the comedy-drama series reached its finale this year, this article brought the show’s lead actors together to reminisce. It was a way for fans to hang out with the cast one last time.
10
Read more: Workplace harassment, gunshots, arson: What happened at Fire Station 81?
L.A. County Fire Department officials knew a firefighter was harassing his colleague, but they did nothing to intervene. Then the worst happened. Although the ultimate tragedy was public, the years of dysfunction leading up to it remained unknown. Drawing from exclusive interviews and never-before-published documents, this article reveals how it all unfolded.
Most-read stories | Deep reads | Subscribers' favorites
Subscribers' favorites
(subscriber-exclusive stories ranked by number of visits)
1
Read more: Stanford scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don’t have free will
This piece is so popular, it also landed on our list of overall most-read stories.
2
Read more: Droves of Californians are moving to Texas. Here's the life they are finding
The so-called California exodus was a hot topic this year as residents continued to leave for more affordable states. Although some former Californians find greener pastures, others are running into the same problems they’d hoped to leave behind.
Also widely read: California exodus continues as population drops by 500,000
And: These California cities are booming even as L.A., San Francisco lose population
3
We’ve all dealt with frustrating living situations, but this one — a bizarre dispute set against the backdrop of L.A.’s housing crisis and the wealthy Brentwood neighborhood — is exceptional. Depending on their personal perspectives, each reader can pick whom to root for and enjoy a big helping of either sympathy or schadenfreude.
4
Read more: 'I've never seen anything like this': Death Valley gleams with water, wildflowers and color
A sprawling lake was just one of the surprises revealed when the national park reopened after a storm that dropped a year’s worth of rain in a single day. This piece offers a rare glimpse of those temporary natural wonders.
5
Read more: Ex-NFL player thought 'Shark Tank' would launch his barbecue empire. It became a nightmare, he says
The show “Shark Tank” makes it easy to believe that any entrepreneur with a good idea, hard work and the right investor can become a millionaire. When former NFL player Bubba Baker and his daughter brought forward their boneless ribs concept, they believed it too, and viewers wanted them to succeed. But ultimately, reporter Stacy Perman says, “Shark Tank” is just a TV show. This article shows what can happen after the fairy tale ends.
6
Read more: A trick for getting into the Magic Castle — and how to avoid the bracelet of shame
Most locals have heard of the Magic Castle, but far fewer know how it works or how to get in. This article lifts the veil, bringing readers into the inner circle — and also talks about how the exclusive club has evolved in the #MeToo era.
7
Read more: The most lucrative majors? Some community college grads can outearn elite university peers
In a time of growing scrutiny over the value of college degrees, this piece provides insight about whether higher education is worth the rising costs. It also shows how the skills acquired in a field of study often matter more than the school’s prestige — a relief for those who can't go to an elite university, and discomforting for some of those who already have.
8
Read more: These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles
This carefully curated list steers Southern Californians toward the best food in one of the world's greatest places to eat. And price is not a factor: Delicious dives are ranked higher than some fine dining establishments, making enjoyment widely accessible.
Also widely read: 14 of the best bagel shops in Los Angeles
And: 51 rooftop restaurants and bars in L.A. to soak in the best city views
9
Read more: After 18 years in prison, he took over his old L.A. gang. A string of murders followed
If prisons are places where people should be not only punished but also rehabilitated, then this story exposes a dire problem. It illustrates how incarceration can have the opposite effect: turning young men into hardened killers.
10
Read more: The actor, the hairstylist and the eye surgeon: Drugs and death in a Malibu beach house
In a metropolis of haves and have-nots, this peek into the life and death of a very wealthy person is unusual: The multimillionaire is the victim. This story is also a stark example of how severe mental illness, if not treated properly, can leave a person vulnerable.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
