People We Love 2018: Adam Rippon

It’s been quite a year for Adam Rippon, who can no longer simply be described as “an Olympic athlete.” He’s spent nearly all of 2018 crushing it — overcoming obstacles, breaking barriers and setting new standards of possibility for gay men worldwide.

He thrilled audiences (and brought the haters too) winning the bronze to become the first openly gay medalist at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He mixed leather fetish with formal wear sporting a Moschino harness on the red carpet at the Oscars, then vaulted into competition again on Dancing With the Stars — which he won, again becoming the first out gay man to do so.

In his spare time, he’s publicly jousted with the Vice President of the United States over LGBTQ issues, gracefully fielded advances from an endless parade of male suitors (including one from actress Sally Field, who tried to set her son up with the skater), and plunged into acting with an appearance in The Laramie Project alongside Emmy winners Samira Wiley and Mary-Louise Parker.