baffling to me. For example, he considers Twitter a place to, yes, relax. “You
need a little vacation from the Internet, and you just have to find the right
platform for that,” he explains.IN THE PAST YEAR, HE HAS BOOKED A FASHION SHOOT WITH TEEN VOGUE,
as well as partnerships with American Eagle, the luggage company Away, and
Coach. One of his most recent stints was with Calvin Klein, which hired him
for a spot in the #MyCalvins IRL lineup, a campaign featuring models in both
highly posed shots and everyday moments. His demeanor is very different
in these than in his video posts—for one thing, he’s silent in them. He comes
across as more somber and masculine, bordering on vulnerable, and it didn’t
come easy. “With modeling I was very discouraged. I was like, Oh my gosh,
can I only be the funny guy? Is that all I’ll ever be?” He believes in manifesta-
tion, but he also believes in persistence, particularly when thinking beyondmodeling. “An Emmy and an Oscar will be mine,” he says matter-of-factly.
Lately, Thompson has been trying to land an audition for Dynasty, and he’s
starred in four seasons of the YouTube Premium series Foursome.
After an hour, I have found only one Rickey-approved garment: a bur-
gundy mock-turtleneck sweater with an embroidered snowman. Below it,
the words STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT, PLEASE DON’T LET ME MELT
TONIGHT are written in script.
As we leave the Goodwill, Thompson mentions my boyfriend and wants to
know how long we’ve been together. I tell him we just passed the four-year
mark, and he gushes, “Oh, I love that! It can happen.” He claims he’s done
with dating for now, explaining that by twenty-three, he had already sworn
off all the apps. Instead, he’s going to focus on this machine he’s created. He
has to plot that path to his Emmy. And his Oscar. This Vine-star-cum-
Instagram-star-cum-model-actor is convinced he’s running out of time.I TAKE A PICTURE WITH YOU? DAMN, WHERE’S MY PHONE? I FORGOT YOUR NAME.”