Micky Gordon, named last week to the 2026 TIME100 Creators list, built a loyal following of more than 1.2 million TikTok followers through her comedic videos and relatable storytelling and humor. As a recent college graduate, she balanced classes with growing an audience online, and won a Webby award for her role on InStyle’s “The Intern” series, in which she plays one of the company’s content obsessed Gen-Z interns. Weeks after her graduation, I spoke with Gordon in Cannes, where she was part of TikTok’s cohort of creators, about what comes next.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Dylan Wells: Share with us your abbreviated creator origin story.
Micky Gordon: I started posting TikToks like a year and a half ago. I had one viral video. It was like the bestie dictionary where you put the [phone] on your head, and then that video went really, really viral. Then after that, I was like, okay, let me just keep talking and see what happens. And then I did the InStyle “The Intern” thing, and that kind of changed things into something really serious.
DW: That InStyle series immediately blew up. How did that come to be, and why do you think it connected so much?
MG: They reached out, and I flew to New York and did it. I just thought it'd be a good idea, and at that time, I hadn't really filmed anything like that, so I was really excited. I think people thought it was really funny because it wasn't scripted. They kind of told me the vibe. And so it was just fun to be able to say what I actually would have said in that situation. I think people resonated with it and thought it was funny because I don't know, it's a little bit outlandish.
DW: You've been living this Hannah Montana-like lifestyle of being a student and being a creator, going from Coachella to exams. How have you balanced all of that?
MG: I just graduated so I am done balancing that. It was really hard when it was happening. I would say it was really, really busy, especially because I take my school really seriously, and I wanted to graduate with honors still. But I made it work, and I honestly always prioritized school because I knew it was important to me. [Now] I feel very free. … But I always knew school was the priority for me.
DW: You just got your degree in political science. How are you thinking about that in relation to your creator career? Is that something you're looking to intermix or keep separate?
MG: I think that it's beneficial. When I decided to do poli-sci, I had no idea I would do TikTok. So I technically am pre-law, and that's how I graduated. I think it is beneficial to my creator career because the things I've learned in my political-science classes translate well to current day and real life, and helps me in how I communicate and use my platform and stuff like that.
DW: Do you think you're going to get more into the political creator space at all, or keep it with more humor and lifestyle?
MG: I think probably keep it more the humor and lifestyle, but I definitely am someone that if I find myself wanting to say something, I will. I'll probably stick more with this humor and lifestyle, probably won't do a lot of political reporting, but I definitely will speak up for things that I feel are important to me and on my heart.
DW: You just signed with an agency (UTA). How has that impacted your career and how you're thinking about taking your next step?
MG: It's really awesome. I think it really expanded the horizons and broadened everything for me, and really solidified that this is a career I really want to pursue. Because I think beyond TikTok, I love entertaining, and I love connecting with people and being funny and making people laugh. And I think that signing with my agency will expand that in different ways and make it easier for me to do maybe something long-form, which I'm interested in, and then maybe that will be coming soon.
DW: How are you thinking about your various revenue streams and diversification with different platforms and different types of content?
MG: I'm excited to take it to other platforms and I love posting TikToks. I always say I could literally become the president tomorrow and I would still post TikToks. I will always post TikToks because I love — I think it's the easiest, quickest way to connect with people. So I love posting my videos and I always will. I now have opportunities to do acting, which I'm really excited about, and stuff like that. So yeah, I think I think it'll be fun to expand.
DW: Did you have an “I’ve made it moment” as a creator?
MG: OMG. Probably the first time I got recognized. … That was so surreal. The first time someone asked me to take a picture, I was like, OMG. No way — you want to take a picture of me? And that was a year ago, and so that was really, really exciting. And I was like, okay, people know who I am.
DW: I always like to ask creators for a recommendation of a creator to follow — someone they love or think deserves a bigger audience. I will say, two creators I’ve interviewed so far this week have said you.
MG: You’re joking.
DW: You’re a fan favorite. So who is your recommendation for us?
MG: I love Charles Hsu, so funny, obsessed, and I love Kitty Murphy. She's so amazing. She's gonna be really big, and she's so funny and sweet, and I really like her videos.
This Q+A is part of Verified, a newsletter that is published by Washington Post Creator, a new business outside The Washington Post’s newsroom that is focused on the creator economy and content partnerships with independent creators. Learn more about Washington Post Creator.
