Addison Rae

**Addison Rae Easterling** (born October 6, 2000) is an American social media personality, singer and actress. In 2019, Rae started actively posting content on TikTok, where her dancing videos rose in popularity; as of July 2022, she has amassed over 88 million followers on TikTok, making her the fourth most-followed individual on the platform. In August 2020, she was ranked as the highest-earning TikTok personality by *Forbes*, and a year later, she made the *Forbes* 30 Under 30 list for social media influencers.

In 2021, Rae released her debut single "Obsessed" and made her acting debut in the Netflix original film *He's All That*, a gender-swapped remake of the 1999 film *She's All That*. She is also set to appear in the 2023 films *Thanksgiving* and *Animal Friends*. Also in 2023, Rae signed a publishing deal with Atlantic Records and released her debut self-titled EP, *AR*.

## Early Life

Addison Rae Easterling was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, to parents Monty Lopez and Sheri Easterling. Rae has two younger brothers, Enzo Lopez and Lucas Lopez, and an older half-sister, Macye Neumeyer, who has 2 daughters of her own. Addison's parents initially divorced when she was younger and were on and off often throughout her childhood before remarrying in 2017. Both parents also have their own presence on TikTok; Monty has 5 million followers and Sheri has 14 million followers.

Rae started dancing competitively at the age of six where she attended competitions across the country. Before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her TikTok career, the dancer briefly attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where she studied sports broadcasting in the fall but then dropped out when she began to gain popularity on TikTok. In an interview with *Elle* magazine, Addison Rae talks about her choice to move to Los Angeles saying, "a few people in LA reached out to me, and I was like 'I need to go. I need to go.' So my parents supported me fully."

## Career

Addison Rae has over 88.7 million followers on TikTok; she first joined TikTok in July 2019, uploading dance videos to trending songs on the platform. She has been part of The Hype House, a TikTok collaborative group, since its formation in December 2019. In just a few months, Rae gained over one million followers on TikTok and decided to leave LSU in November. "I remember that's when it changed for me," Rae told Business Insider in April 2020. "I knew I wanted to take it more seriously and expand it to other platforms. I uploaded a video to YouTube and got really active on Instagram." She signed with talent agency WME in January 2020, along with her parents. In that same month, Addison released a weekly podcast exclusive to Spotify with her mother called "Mama Knows Best" in July 2020 entailing topics covering their personal and career life. In 2021, Rae relaunched this podcast with the new name, "That was Fun? With Addison and Sheri." Addison has launched her own cosmetics line, Item Beauty, with her as the role of Chief Innovation Officer*.* She co-founded Item Beauty with Madeby Collective, and she oversees most of the products in the brand.

Rae starred in *He's All That*, a remake film of the 1999 teen comedy *She's All That*. Her role was inspired by Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character Zachary Siler from the original. The film was released on Netflix in August 2021 and though it was the most streamed film of its week, it received negative reviews from critics. Courtney Howard for *Variety* magazine wrote that "Rae has a natural ease and charm, at her best when she's either leaning into the bubbly, comedic, satirical overtones, or performing in a heavily choreographed dance-off; however, she's a little rough around the edges and not quite a confident presence when tasked to mine emotional poignancy, especially evident in the third act." Rae subsequently signed a deal with Netflix. On February 2, 2022, Rae announced on Instagram that she had signed to join the cast of a new movie called *Fashionista,* produced by Paramount, which is currently in the works. Rae was cast in Eli Roth's *Thanksgiving* on February 23, 2023, and on May 12, 2023, Rae was also cast alongside Ryan Reynolds for a live-action hybrid movie titled *Animal Friends.*

## Personal Life

In October 2020, Rae confirmed she was in a relationship with TikToker Bryce Hall through various social media posts; however, they broke up the following year. In January 2021, Rae donated her $1 million in prize money from winning an all-star *Mario Tennis Aces* tournament called the Stay At Home Slam to the charity No Kid Hungry. In April 2022, it was reported that Rae was in a relationship with Omer Fedi, a producer and musician based in Los Angeles.

## Public Image

*Forbes* published a report in August 2020 revealing that Rae earned $5 million in the last year through June from her various endorsement deals and merchandise, making her the highest-earning TikTok star. Rae's TikTok success has led her to work with companies such as Reebok, L'Oréal, Hollister and American Eagle. In July 2020, she partnered with American Eagle on the brand's campaign of *#AExME Back to School '20* ads as the brand did their first virtual photoshoot that encompasses shots in Addison's bedroom due to the pandemic.