Adam Rippon reveals he gave himself the nickname ‘America’s Sweetheart’
"I gave myself that title."
Adam Rippon has revealed he gave himself the nickname ‘America’s Sweetheart’.
The gay figure skater earned the nickname after making history at the 2018 Winter Olympics. More recently, Rippon made news for being a Time 100 honouree.
In a new interview for ABC’s Nightline, Rippon was asked about the nickname by fellow Olympian Gus Kenworthy.
The freestyle skier asked: “During the Olympics, you were dubbed America’s Sweetheart. Who gave you that nickname? Are you America’s Sweetheart? What have you done to live up to that title?”
Rippon replied: “Here’s the thing, I gave myself that title.”
Kenworthy added: “I figured.”
“I gave myself that title because I was like, you know, I feel in a very powerful place right now,” Rippon explained. “I’m going to say that I’m America’s Sweetheart once and see what happens.
“I said it once at a press conference. Then I did something on the news and I could read on the screen, it said: ‘America’s Sweetheart, Adam Rippon.’ And then I knew…
“You’d arrived,” Kenworthy added.
Earlier this week, Rippon spoke about being an icon for younger gay people, revealing he had always wanted to be a role model.