YOU KNOW THOSE memes about how we are so tired during the day and when it comes to 11pm we’ve decided now is the perfect time to Google why Brian left Westlife?

Well, for me, I usually find myself heading to YouTube for some unnecessary time-burning before eventually turning off the light and going to sleep.

Yes, I am guilty of falling down many a rabbit hole on YouTube but one in particular is a favourite - old interviews with 00s stars.

Hear me out.

While most celebrities are fully media trained these days and take to chat show sofas prepared and poised to answer any question in the right way (except for Liam Neeson), back in the noughties, stars weren’t so scripted and worried about tomorrow’s headlines or the viral clip that might be a result of a misstep. 

The sit-downs are often a more realistic insight into their personalities, usually a little awkward and always just a gas reminder of a simpler time.

My entire YouTube watch history for the last week is nearly exclusively all old interview footage (yes, I know, I need a life) and I actually can’t stop watching them.

I will say that it’s hard not to watch these interviews without noticing how much standards have changed over the years and how many of the young female stars were asked questions they certainly would not be now.

Here’s a look at some of the videos that have not helped my addiction.

1. Destiny's Child - 2001

This gem of a clip brings us right back to the early noughties. Beyoncé (who still goes by Beyoncé Knowles at the time) Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams were still fairly new on the music scene and asked about how they got their start.

It was right before the release of the now mega-anthem Survivor and the girls were still asked to explain their background. It’s worth noting how little a part poor Michelle plays in this interview with the camera only panning to her once or twice throughout the chat.

For those who’ve also watched some of Beyoncé’s shadiest moments on YouTube (that’s for another piece) this is just a clip from that full interview.

2. Hilary Duff on Ellen - 2004

The year Lizzie McGuire came to an end, and a year after we were gifted with The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Hilary Duff was taking steps to grow her acting career.

In 2004, she starred in the first Cheaper by the Dozen movie, as well as one of our favourite teen romances ever, A Cinderella Story.

To help promote the movies and her rising star, Hilary took a seat on fairly new daytime talk-show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

She was just 17 at the time and spent the first two minutes of her interview explaining to Ellen how hair extensions work before spending the next two talking about pickles.

These really were simpler times.

I’m not even lying when I say the pair finished the interview on a trampoline simply for the fact that it was a show sponsor back in the early days.

3. Paris Hilton on The Late Show with David Letterman - 2007 

After a string of driving offences, Paris Hilton was sentenced to spend 45 days in jail back in 2007.

Later that year, Paris appeared on David Letterman's show and, let’s just say, it’s become one of her more famous interviews for a reason.

This near nine-minute conversation is the most uncomfortable to watch as host Letterman mocks the star and continues to try and embarrass her in front of a howling studio audience.

At the age of 26, Paris kept her cool and ignored the jibes, an attitude that has since earner her praise.

The comments beneath the video prove that in the more than ten years since, people have copped on that Letterman’s questioning was more than inappropriate.

4. Britney Spears on The Rosie O'Donnell Show - 2001

Firstly, Rosie O’Donnell had her own talk-show back in the noughties.

Secondly, Britney Spears appeared on the show in 2001 to promote her first (and only) film, Crossroads.

At the age of just 19, this was Britney at the absolute height of her fame. She was one of Forbes most powerful celebrities, making millions on her record-breaking world tour and was going strong with Justin Timberlake.

In her interview with Rosie, she spoke about meeting Madonna for the first time and also addressed rumours at the time that she and Justin were broken up.

We all know now that just a few months later, they weren’t just rumours.

Britney spoke about her ‘normal childhood’ and how she still loved to go to TGI Fridays with her gals.

5. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen on The Today Show - 2001

The year was 2001, the Olsen twins were the most hard-working pairs in showbiz and still only 14 years old.

Yes, they sat down with Matt Lauer on The Today Show at the time to promote their latest movie, Winning London.

They spoke about being able to walk down the street in London without being recognised, which I’m not too sure I believe.

Despite a near decade in the industry at this point, you can tell the teens are still a little nervous to be sat for an interview even with a table full of their merch on the table in front of them.

Little did we know then that we only has a few more years of movies from the duo to look forward to.

6. Tom Cruise on Oprah - 2005

This is potentially one of the most famous talk-show moments ever and therefore deserves a mention on the list.

It’s 2005, Tom Cruise has just confirmed his relationship with former Dawson’s Creek star Katie Holmes.

To discuss his hugely talked-about relationship, Cruise decides to appear on Oprah and, well, this happened.

7. Lindsay Lohan on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - 2004

Oh how we miss the golden days of Lilo. In 2004, her face graced the front covers of Seventeen magazine, Interview, and Rolling Stone.

She had starred in the classic Freaky Friday a year previous and had just solidified her superstar status thanks to her role in Mean Girls.

She then appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to talk about it all in a very 00s get-up before jumping into a weird story about wreckless driving.

Lindsay also spoke about her run-in with Ashton Kutcher on Punk’d (God, I loved that show!), seeing Eminem’s bare-backside, and the plastic surgery she hadn’t (at the time) gotten done.

Most bizarrely was when Lindsay was asked about her relationship with That 70’s Show star Wilmer Valderrama. The actress goes quiet before saying “Jay, it’s not legal”.

She was a month away from her 18th birthday at the time and told Leno she would come back on the show in a month and let him know where they are then.

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