Chris Olsen discusses TikTok fame and mental health at AfterDark

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Nicole Hasek

Fans held signs that read “DADDY?” when Chris Olsen arrived at After Dark.

TikTok star Chris Olsen was welcomed to Iowa State with cheers and guests holding up signs saying “Daddy?” This was a call back to his viral interaction with Harry Styles at his Harryween concert.

“It was [framed] above my bed, but I took it down. It felt like a weird place for that,” Olsen said.

Chris Olsen was noticed by Harry Styles at his concert with a “DADDY?” sign, matching the signs he was greeted with. (Nicole Hasek )

This was not his only celebrity interaction of the year, as he discussed his fast-growing friendship with singer Meghan Trainor. After randomly posting “thinking about Meghan Trainor,” he was invited to be on her podcast, where they formed an unbreakable bond.

“It’s become such a good friendship and I feel like I was able to really help her song and album be something that everyone really got to enjoy,” Olsen said. “Which is just a perk on top of the friendship and all of that because I truly think she is so unbelievably talented.”

Even with TikTok being a full-time job, he makes time for his side hustle: delivering coffee across the country to celebrities. This task started with Meghan Trainor, expanding to Austin Butler and Joe Biden.

Commentator Brooklin Border, former Student Union Board president, asked Olsen what his coffee order is since he happens to know everyone else’s. Twice a day, every day, he has an iced vanilla latte with oat milk. This drink was made and brought to him by a student attending AfterDark. After having a shift at Cabin Coffee Co., she brought him his order to try.

Olsen initially gained popularity by posting relationship videos with his ex-boyfriend, fellow TikToker Ian Paget. After having a very public relationship, he also had a very public breakup. Through this experience, he learned that posting relationship content is no longer for him.

“I think it’s really important to find what you’re comfortable with, and I think it played so much into the reason why we’re not together anymore,” Olsen said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned for myself was sometimes when you share a certain section of your life too much, then it no longer feels like it’s yours.”

After going through these challenging times, Olsen started posting clips of his therapy sessions to TikTok, showing a comedic and comfortable side to online therapy. He describes his therapist as someone he pays to gossip with.

“It’s a very scary feeling to start with someone from zero, and how to tell your life story and then catch,” said Olsen. “But there’s so much room for fun moments in therapy. There’s also so much room to dig really deep and now put it out there.”

Olsen advocates for mental health and therapy, continuing to post videos about it because his followers have told him it makes it easier for them to start therapy.

“Be prepared for the hard stuff, but also realize it’s not all going to be hard,” Olsen said. “A lot of it’s going to be very fun and I always leave the session feeling lighter.”

Before Olsen, hypnotist Brian Imbus also gave an entertaining performance that started the night, bringing audience members on stage to be hypnotized. The craft was another hit, as many students were walking around with their mini Pop-Tart pillows.