Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicki Minaj and More Stars Honored With TIME 100 Covers

Six celebrities have been honored with images of themselves on the national magazine

By Samantha Schnurr Apr 21, 2016 3:00 PMTags
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An Oscar and now a TIME cover—it has certainly been a very special year for Leonardo DiCaprio

The Academy Award-winning actor was featured on the annual TIME 100 cover along with five of this year's most influential nominees, including rapper Nicki Minaj, actress Priyanka Chopra, Broadway's Hamilton creator Lin-Manual Miranda and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

In addition to the six cover stars, the issue also honors dozens of  "forces that move us," including Pope Francis, Ronda Rousey, Grammy winner Adele, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Caitlyn Jenner to complete the yearly 100 list. 

Minaj discussed her international influence in a video for TIME, urging young women to be prove their worth through the quality of their work. 

"If I'm great at what I do, I can't be denied," she said. "Some things may be overlooked but no one can deny my brand, and that's the words of wisdom I would give to other young women."

As is customary with the issue, each honoree is paired with a guest contributor handpicked by the magazine's staff to write about them. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence penned complimentary remarks in honor of her friend and "Hello" singer. 

"The way she is able to capture herself, and then in turn us, has turned her into a star that's not a star we look at, but a giant star with its own gravity that we are drawn to. All of this about her lyrics, and I haven't even gotten started on the voice—how could I?  It's once-in-a-­lifetime," she wrote. 

"All this about her voice and I won't have time to talk about her intelligence. Her 500-year-old wisdom. Her patience and kindness all wrapped up in the tough skin of a damn gangster…. Adele is a gift, an international treasure, but she's also sweet, funny, intelligent and beautiful. Bitch."

The high praise continued, this time from Vice President Joe Biden to The Revenant's DiCaprio. 

"Leo's talent is limitless, but his secret has always been pretty simple: he's real. He does his homework. He knows what he's talking about…Preparation, authenticity and smarts are at the core of who he is as an artist," he shared.

"But I admire him even more for putting those formidable tools toward becoming such a galvanizing force to protect our planet…. Twenty years ago, Leo captured the hearts of millions of moviegoers by declaring ‘I'm the king of the world!' Through his work and example, today he's inspiring many millions more to help save it."