Fri. October 20, 2023
Chris Stanley, a popular social media content creator who focuses on the LGBTQ community, released a video of himself sleeping with a straight male friend. They frequently film together and were in Provincetown, Mass., filming a vlog.
Stanley admitted, “it was a silly video, asking (his straight friend) how it felt to sleep with a gay guy.”
Well, that viral-powered video now has more than 20 million views on YouTube. “I definitely did not expect it to blow up like that,” Stanley said.
Then there was the video from @stanchris, where Stanely asks straight men to name the Grindr alert sound for $20. It too is another viral sensation.
“I guess the gays waited to see if anyone ever got it, and the straights waited to see what the sound was. It was (a video) idea that randomly came to me,” Stanley said.
Stanley, 23, is a New Hampshire native who now lives in Boston. For almost three years, he has been dating Boston police lieutenant Brett Labelle, anchored around Stanley binge-watching Survivor during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Labelle, 50, came out on Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X, which aired in late-2016. This was the 33rd season of the CBS reality TV show.
Stanley is a video creator, influencer and YouTube sensation. He also is involved with video editing, production, marketing, acting and more.
“He came-out on the show and I decided to shoot my shot because he lived close by. It was weird, though, because he had already DM’d me before, so we both sort of found each other and slid into the other’s DMs,” Stanley said.
Stanley started making videos after graduating from high school.
“I took a gap year and started looking for ways to make money online,” he said. “TikTok was just getting started, so I made a few videos in the LGBTQ+ niche. A few went viral and it seemed untapped, so I kept doing it. Around this time, I also decided to post on YouTube (with) long form videos every week, which I did for three years.
“I made my new profile right after I graduated. I would just post selfies and thirst traps on Instagram with a whole bunch of gay hashtags. That’s how I got my first 10,000 followers. I knew I wanted to be like the YouTubers who I grew up watching: Joey Graceffa, MarkE Miller and Shane Dawson. So, my social media career began as soon as I graduated. I wanted to be a role-model for other LGBTQ+ teens, sort of giving back to the community the way the other YouTubers who I watched helped me so much after I came out.”
Stanley’s first ever video was a gay Q&A. He laughs at it nowadays as that initial video was … terrible, he said, laughing.
“It’s still up on my YouTube channel, a reminder that everything takes time to get good at,” he said. “My content has been evolving ever since and continues to evolve. First, I’m a much better editor now. I am far more confident on screen than I was in (that first) video. It almost seems like I’m scared if you watch that video. I’m constantly trying new things and new ideas.”
Case in point, he just wrote his first screenplay for a Halloween short film special, due out on Friday, October 27. “I am so excited for people to see it,” he said.
Most of Stanley’s videos are about LGBTQ lifestyle, memes and interviews.
His all-time favorite video is his parody from last Christmas. “It was one of the first times I really went all-in on a project and I love how it turned out,” he said.
He also recently made a parody of Doja Cat’s popular song, ‘Paint The Town Red.’ Stanley expected this video to do better as it’s a very trendy song and usually parodies do well.
Before jumping into the social media universe, Stanley envisioned a world of soccer or maybe as a therapist.
He’s very proud to stand for the LGBTQ community on social media.
“It’s a lot of responsibility, and sometimes gets me a lot of hate. But luckily, I’m used to it and nothing can ever top the amount of hate I got after coming-out in high school,” he said. “That’s why I think it’s important to show LGBTQ+ teens that you can do it, and life is 10-times better after high school.”
Stanley’s short-term goals are to get more consistent views and just make viewers smile. Long-term, he wants to make more produced content, maybe even a short series or a movie. “Another project I really want to do is a reality TV show,” he said.
So, who is @Stanchris away from the camera?
“I’m chill, kind of shy. I love to binge-watch Netflix, longboard, play video games, read, run and workout. People often say I’m easy to get along with.”
Now On-Camera … @Stanchris
It’s a Fact: “I never went to college.”
Hobbies: Running, reading, Pokémon, longboarding and poker
Upcoming: Has a new, original music video coming out in November
The Quote: “I like bears … Dad bods are in.”
Favorite TV Shows: Game of Thrones and Schitts Creek
Favorite Movie: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Favorite Sport: Soccer
Dream Vacation Destination: Japan
Celebrity You’d Like To Meet: Noah Schnapp
Little-known Fact: “I worked at Walmart before I quit to pursue social media full-time.”
First Thing You Notice About A Man: “His smile”
Boxers or Briefs: Boxer briefs – “Boxers are too loose, but briefs are too restraining.”
Video links: First Video, All-time Favorite, Most Popular, Unexpectedly Well, Not As Well As Expected
Following Chris Stanley on Instagram
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