Adam Rippon

Adam Rippon is an artist, athlete and activist. One of the most dramatic figure skaters on the planet, Rippon won the hearts of America and the world at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Known for his refreshing candor and wit, his rise to fame on the global stage provided him with a platform to speak out in support of LGBTQ rights and the freedom to be oneself. His passion and charm made him an inspiration to young and old alike, and he quickly became a role model and icon to millions. He has been named to the Time 100 List of Most Influential People, AdWeek’s 100 Most Creative, Forbes 30 Under 30; Bleacher Report’s Power 50: 2018’s Most Influential People in Sports Culture and OUT Magazine’s Power 50: The Most Influential Voices in LGBTQ America.

He has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) with their Visibility Award and recognized by the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. The oldest of six children from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Rippon rose through the skating ranks, claiming the world junior title twice before winning the U.S. men’s title in 2016. He was named to his first Olympic team in 2018 at the age of 28. Rippon also made the bold decision to come out publicly in October 2015, which led him to become the first openly gay athlete to medal for the United States in Winter Olympic competition. He has been featured on the covers of the New York Times Style section, ESPN’s Body Issue, The Washington Post Magazine, The Guardian’s G2 and OUT Magazine and celebrated in the pages of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, People Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Paper, Elle, Cosmo and many more. Rippon has worked as a special correspondent for ABC, on both Good Morning America and Nightline, including meeting with LGBTQ youth in Laramie, WY, for a feature which was nominated for a GLAAD Award.

He made his live theater debut in the fall of 2018 in a benefit reading of The Laramie Project. He was a judge on the premiere season of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Juniors, after having won the DWTS: AthletesMirrorball Trophy; and has appeared on Will & Grace and in Taylor Swift’s You Need to Calm Down video. Rippon is currently hosting two podcasts, Normalize This, a weekly lifestyle and culture podcast from LeBron James’ SpringHill, which he co-costs with Danielle Young, and The Breakthrough, which he co-hosts with Ashley Wagner, in which the two Olympic medalists and BFFs cover all the news, competitions and drama of the figure skating season in their signature lighthearted and laughable style.

Rippon’s memoir, Beau1ful on the Outside, was published in 2019 to rave reviews. He can currently be seen on Messyness, a comedy clip series spinoff of Ridiculousness, which airs on MTV, and has been a fixture on NBC’s Olympic coverage — reporting from both Tokyo (2020) and Beijing (2022). His comedic wit has made him a favorite on the celebrity game show circuit, as he raises funds for charity competing on The Wheel, Name That Tune and Pictionary.