Adam Rippon

Olympic Medalist, Figure Skater, On-Air Host & LGBTQ+ Activist

Adam Rippon

Olympic Medalist, Figure Skater, On-Air Host & LGBTQ+ Activist

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Biography

Artist. Athlete. Activist. Adam Rippon is a combination of all three. One of the most dramatic figure skaters on the planet, Adam won the hearts of America and the world at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Known for his refreshing candor and wit, his rise to fame on the global stage has provided him with a platform to speak out in support of LGBTQIA+ rights and the freedom to be oneself. His passion and charm have made him an inspiration to young and old alike and he has quickly become a role model and icon to millions.

He has been named to the TIME 100 List of Most Influential People, AdWeek’s 100 Most Creative, Forbes 30 Under 30; Bleacher Report’s Power 50: 2018’s Most Influential People in Sports Culture and OUT magazine’s Power 50: The Most Influential Voices in LGBTQ America.

He has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) with its Visibility Award and has been recognized by the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.

The oldest of six children from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Adam didn’t come from a super-wealthy family or area. Elite skating programs were nowhere to be found, so he had to travel to train and came home on a bus on the weekends. Despite the issues, he rose through the skating ranks—claiming the world junior title twice before winning the U.S. men’s title in 2016. He was named to his first Olympic team in 2018 at the age of 28. Adam also made the bold decision to come out publicly in October 2015, which led him to become the first openly gay athlete to medal for the United States in the Winter Olympic competition.

He has been featured on the covers of The New York Times Style section, ESPN’s Body Issue, The Washington Post magazine, The Guardian’s G2 and OUT magazine and celebrated in the pages of InStyle, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, People magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Paper, Elle, Cosmo and many more.

He has worked as a special correspondent for ABC on both Good Morning America and Nightline, including meeting with LGBTQ youth in Laramie, Wyoming for a feature that was nominated for a GLAAD Award. He made his live theater debut in the fall of 2018 in a benefit reading of The Laramie Project. He was a judge on the premiere season of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Juniors, after having won the DWTS: Athletes Mirrorball Trophy in 2018 and has appeared on Will & Grace and in Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” video.

His memoir, Beautiful on the Outside, was published in 2019 to rave reviews. He has hosted two seasons of “Break the Ice with Adam Rippon” a weekly celebrity interview show on the ice, which airs on his YouTube channel. He can currently be seen on “Messyness,” a comedy clip series spinoff of “Ridiculousness,” which airs on MTV and hosted “Talkin’ Tokyo," an original daily Twitter show from the Tokyo Olympics, for NBC.

Speaker Videos

Adam Rippon Keynote | 2018 Out & Equal Workplace Summit

Adam Rippon Receives HRC Visibility Award, Presented by Gus Kenworthy

Adam Rippon Won An Olympic Medal And Lost A Shirt Button

Speech Topics

Winning in the Game of Life

Olympic skating medalist and self-professed “America’s Sweetheart” Adam Rippon shares his Olympic journey—the highs and lows and what he learned from each. It’s an inspiring story, a lot of fun—Adam is known for his sense of humor and quick quips—and a great lesson on how anyone can persevere when you embrace your own potential, be yourself and never give up.

It’s Never Too Late: Redefining Yourself

For most Olympians, fame is fleeting. But for Adam Rippon, his career continues to flourish. So what’s his secret? He’s naturally really funny. In fact, he wants to be known as a comedian who was once an Olympian. But that’s just a minute part of his success. Adam knows how to make the most of his talent and work ethic to achieve new goals. And you can do the same. In this keynote, Adam will give you the tools to achieve—even if you are starting over—as well as a lot of laughs along the way.

You’ll learn:

The importance of understanding what you want and going for it
How to use your work ethic to create a plan
Why you need to build a good team/support system
How to overcome the fear of failure

The Champion Mindset: Speaking Up for Those Not Being Heard

It’s not easy growing up in a small town, where you feel that you never quite fit in. It’s something that Olympic figure skating medalist Adam Rippon struggled with for years and has never forgotten. In this inspiring keynote, he’ll share his story, from his early years when he didn’t think it was OK to be gay to how he stopped worrying about what other people thought to becoming the first openly gay American Winter Olympian to win a medal. Today, he is a fierce advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights—even refusing to meet former Vice President Mike Pence prior to the 2018 Olympics—who uses his popular platforms to help others. He’s also a passionate champion for women’s rights, civil liberties, the importance of voting and simply making the world a better place for everyone.

Not only will you be fired up to speak up but you’ll also learn:

How you can use your platform and voice to advocate for the marginalized
How telling your story can help others
The importance of talking about things that are important to you
How knowing yourself is the greatest victory of all

My Journey: Making Mental Health a Priority

Competing in athletics at the highest level is incredibly tough—and something that few achieve. Add to this paradigm, the ultra-competitiveness and additional issues in figure skating and it’s even harder. And yet, Adam Rippon, who had hit rock bottom several times during his career, did just that—helping his team win a Bronze Medal at the Olympics in 2018. All at an age (28) where he was considered too old to compete. In this talk, Adam shares his story and what he learned that can make anyone a winner—whether in sports, business or just life. And it all has to do with prioritizing your mental health.

You’ll learn: