TikTok Creator Sam Vicchiollo Talks Content, Queer Rights and Coming Out

Sam Vicchiollo (@samvicchiollo) is a 22-year-old TikTok star with over 2 million followers and 144 million likes. His content is mostly made up of comedy, lip-syncing, lifestyle, skits, and POV’s. He has used his platform to become an activist, partnering with brands like Converse to found House of Us, a TikTok content house that championed social justice, equality, environmental sustainability, dignity, and voting rights during the 2020 election.

Keep reading for a Q&A with Sam and Twenty2.

Twenty2: How did you initially get into TikTok content creation?  

Sam: “I downloaded TikTok in May of 2019 as a joke. I never intended on making a video, and coming from a small town in Wisconsin, I never believed that something like this could happen. I came home from school one day and was so bored that I decided to make a TikTok, post it, and completely forget about it because I didn’t think anything would come of it. Hours later I went back on TikTok and discovered it had thousands of views, which by the next day grew to over 1.8 million. After that, I was hooked, and for the next three years, I continuously created content and pursued social media because I finally found my passion.”

When did you know that you had “made it” in the TikTok world?

“I knew I made it when I got verified on TikTok. Hitting 1 million and 2 million followers was definitely surreal, but nothing compares to the feeling of getting verified. To me, it means that all my hard work is recognized. It’s such a rewarding accomplishment and I’m so proud of myself.”

What made you want to work with Converse and what was your exact role in House of Us? 

“I was a big contributor to the overall success of the House of Us. When Jesse Stollak reached out to me and told me about his vision for The House of US, I knew this was a project I wanted to lead and help bring to life. We hopped on an initial Zoom call with his entire team at Converse and I told him exactly how I envisioned the house forming and how to make it as successful as possible. I then worked hard bringing in other TikTokers to join the house, and created a content strategy, budgets, and timelines before the election. Overall, the house exceeded my expectations, and I was so proud of the work I put in.”

How did you decide that you wanted to come out publicly on TikTok? How has your audience/content changed since coming out?

“I’ve struggled with my sexuality for my entire life. I came out to my family and friends as bisexual in 2021, but coming out on social media was a completely different story. Having 2 million opinions telling me how to live my life terrified me, and I was worried that people weren’t going to support me. Honestly, there wasn’t one specific thing that pushed me to do it. I just decided one day that I was tired of hiding a part of my life. I didn’t want to pretend anymore, and I wanted to finally be free to be my 100% authentic self. I’m so glad that I chose to do it. I received an overwhelming amount of love and support. I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulder, and I feel like it was evident in my content as well. Now, I advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and encourage people to be their true authentic selves. No one should live their life hiding a part of who they are, and I realized after 21 years that I didn’t want to go another day doing the same.”

Credit: Ethan McAlister