GOING VISIONARY

GOING VISIONARY
Comedy, Couture, and the Courage to Shape Culture
Exclusive Interview with O'Neil Thomas
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

​Some creators strive to go viral. O’Neil Thomas seeks to go beyond numbers with nuance. With satire sharp enough to spark headlines and style bold enough to challenge expectation, he is redefining what it means to be seen in digital culture. In a world addicted to applause, O’Neil is playing a longer game.

ALLIÉ: O’Neil, You make us laugh first and then you make us think.

First question for you. When did you realize that comedy could be more than entertainment for you? That it could be a doorway into culture, identity, and truth? Will you tell us about that?

O'NEIL: For me, comedy has always been very fun and accessible. I see that a lot when joking around with my family and friends. While I love making everyone feel good and laugh, at the same time, at a very young age I've always been really into deep conversations and deep thoughts and thinking about why we do the things that we do.

I realized comedy is a great entryway to meet someone where they are. I always say that comedy is presence. It's something that we are forced to actually feel in the moment. It's nice to be able to meet someone where they are in that present feeling. ​Once we're mutually there, I'm allowed to ask questions, knowing they already have their guard down. They're a bit more comfortable and more willing to share things that maybe they were repressing in the past.
​

​ALLIÉ: Absolutely. It's kind of like a little bait and switch, but with really good intention.

Let's talk about fashion. Fashion is such a bold language, especially for a man navigating digital spaces that love to box people in. What did it take for you to stop dressing for approval and start dressing for expression?

O'NEIL: I started listening to myself, my body, my expression, my creativity.

There is so much inner thought that we all have as human beings. It's easy for us to be invited to spaces we've dreamt of and think about how we want to be perceived and how we want the world to see us. A lot of people resort to what the expectation is.

I took the approach that sometimes the expectation just isn't enough when you know you want to play around with more things and not take life so seriously. I noticed that in the men's fashion industry I kept seeing a lot of the same thing. There was a lot of comfortability. I feel like a lot of people are just being comfortable as a safety net, especially as a man.

So I wanted to play around with that and show men it's okay to be expressive. Express yourself. How are you feeling today? We're all multifaceted human beings. If you're feeling one way, dress that way. If you're feeling another way, you can dress that way too. You don't have to go to a black suit and tie for everything.

ALLIÉ: Exactly. Give yourself permission. Why do we feel like we need to give ourselves permission? I don't know.

You often use humor to explore mental health and the nuances of modern life. Behind the satire, what's something you've had to face quietly that shaped the way you show up so confidently on screen?

O'NEIL: That's a bigger question. To this day, mental health is something that we consistently have to work through. I think it's a matter of being more in tune with my mental psyche and my emotions and allowing myself to really feel.

Especially as actors and entertainers, it's easy for us to put up a shield and make someone else laugh. I always make a joke saying, always check in on your funny friends, because a lot of the time they're really going through stuff that they're too scared to talk about.

I allow myself to feel. I allow myself not to give in to too much pressure. What I do is fun, but there are also millions of people watching me daily. I can feel indebted to giving them what they want, but when I do that, I'm leaving myself behind.

There are going to be days, especially with seasonal depression when we have less sunlight. It definitely takes a toll on my mental health, and I have to allow myself to step back and feel. Allowing myself to do that and not ignoring it is super important to move forward.

​ALLIÉ: No doubt, there’s a difference between going viral and going visionary. When people look back at this era of your work, O'Neil, what do you hope they understand that maybe they don't see yet?
​
O'NEIL: I hope that they understand that they're not alone and that they're seen.

Everyone wants to feel seen and understood. It's easy to scroll endlessly and only see highlights. I love making the content that makes my audience feel really good, but I also want them to feel seen and understood.

I've received countless messages from fans saying they were going through something extremely similar. Seeing me talk about it or having that same experience makes them feel so much less crazy and so much more connected.

This industry has a lot of highs, but not enough people talk about the lows. The lows are what really bring it together.

ALLIÉ: I want to go back to the beginning of your journey as a comedian and creator. What drew you to this industry?

O'NEIL: Oh my gosh, it all started in the third grade.

We had to do a Christmas show and I had no lines. I was absolutely terrified of stage fright. I had the worst stage fright ever. Something about going up on the stage scared me so much. I did my little part. I was one of the three kings. I had to deliver gold. So I delivered the gold and ran off the stage.

After that, I felt a sense of relief. It felt fun, but mainly relief in that moment. Then during the curtain call at the end of the show, we all went back on stage and the faculty, staff, and families were standing, clapping, cheering us on. There was a moment I genuinely cannot forget. It was a defining moment in my life. When I was on that stage, I felt something in my heart that told me this is the right thing I should be doing. It was something I couldn't explain, but it's a feeling I never forgot.

From that moment on I thought this is what I should be doing forever. I started studying. I'm a Disney and Nickelodeon kid. I love watching sitcoms and studying the comedy and physical comedy from them. In those moments of freedom, safety, and enjoyment, that's where I felt like I could thrive the most.

I just fell in love with it.

ALLIÉ: That's when it started. That's where you felt that calling.

Let's talk about a different time, because to your point there are lots of highs, but there are lots of lows. Can you share a story about one of your lows when you thought maybe you couldn't do this?

​O'NEIL: One of the first low moments prior to starting the career I'm in now was definitely March of 2020.

As a serial empath, it was very scary to see what we were all collectively going through during the pandemic. When you're seeing a lot of fear and doubt and doom, mental health was at an all-time low.

In that moment I thought I need to laugh right now or I'm going to go insane.

I took that moment of fear and hopelessness and decided I needed to make someone feel good.

Making someone feel good makes me feel really good.

So I started making videos online. My goal was never to be where I am now. I told myself if I could make one person laugh, my job was done.

Since then I've been doing it full time. My whole life has changed because of that moment.

ALLIÉ: Let's talk about guilty pleasures. I think that would be fun. I'll share mine.

What's a show that's a guilty pleasure for you?

O'NEIL: Maybe Family Guy… It's so raunchy and out of this world. The comedy is a little bit too much, but it's also a really intelligent comedy, which I love.

Some jokes you definitely can't say out and about.

ALLIÉ: Fair enough. I’ll reciprocate. I have a bit of an addiction late at night. I'll convince Jack, my husband, to sit with me and watch old game shows like Supermarket Sweep and Match Game. I love that.

O'NEIL: Can I add a couple more?

Another guilty pleasure right now is MTV's The Challenge. I love competition reality shows.

But my top guilty pleasure is true crime documentaries. I tell my family all the time that if I wasn't in this field, I would absolutely be in forensics or detective work.

I literally have The First 48 paused on my TV right now. It's morbid and fascinating.

​ALLIÉ: For people who are scared to take a chance right now, what advice would you give them?

O'NEIL: Chance is never comfortable. Chance is scary.

It's something we have zero control over, and you have to become comfortable with that.

Betting on yourself is the biggest leap of faith you can take.

It doesn't hurt to try. What hurts more is living life with regret and never giving yourself a chance. If you're constantly stuck on the perception of someone seeing you try, you'll never get where you're supposed to go. ∎

Find & follow O’Neil on Instagram:
​@oneilthomas