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As RoleModel wraps up the end of his world tour, this feels like the perfect time to finally spill the lore behind why this American musician refers to himself as Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae and even Olivia Rodrigo.
In this long-running joke amongst his fans, the star never refers to himself by his stage name RoleModel (or even his real name Tucker Pillsbury) but rather, every other celebrities’ name under the sun.
From Jacob Elordi and Ed Sheeran to Inhaler and One Direction, the list is endless. But where did this comical act come from and why are his fans even joining in on the joke?
The entire saga first kicked off when the singer and songwriter created a TikTok account under the alias @SaintLaurentCowboy.
Playing coy, RoleModel used ‘Saint Laurent Cowboy’ as an alter-ego where he pretended that he wasn’t famous and jokingly claimed that he didn’t know who RoleModel was, or why he was being ‘mistaken’ for them.
But inevitably, fans weren’t fooled for long and soon enough what was once a secret account soon blew up online.
The comments section became flooded with fans leaving sarcastic remarks like “why does he kind of look like RoleModel?” – in a nod to them catching on.
Not missing a beat, RoleModel soon bounced back with an equally sarcastic post. He took to his main account to address ‘rumours’ that @SaintLaurentCowboy was impersonating him… all while everyone knew it was him all along.
However, RoleModel did not stop there. Taking the joke from social media to the stage, he began to introduce himself under other names at the beginning of every live gig.
So far, we have had Maroon five, the Kid Laroi, Dominic Fike, and even the 1976, in a spinoff of Matty Healy’s crew.
Now, amused fans eagerly anticipate which celebrity persona he will be stealing for each show and even take to social media to predict who he will be impersonating next.
However, to make things even more complicated, RoleModel also sang a cover of the hit single Espresso, leaving fans relentlessly claiming that he is Sabrina Carpenter in disguise.
This long-running fan theory is popular online, with people calling the two musicians by each other’s names, while others claim that they are the same person.
The best part? RoleModel has also fully committed to the bit. He references her viral Juno Positions during his performances and even sings the chorus of Espresso between songs.
For fans in the know, this celebrity saga was hilarious — but for anyone outside of the fandom, they were left completely puzzled.
To keep the confusion going, both RoleModel and his fans alike have also started to gatekeep the joke by insisting that Espresso is actually a lullaby that Role Model’s mum used to sing to him as a baby.
It’s clear that this fandom continues to communicate through niche references that you must uncover months of lore to even understand.
For instance, the mere mention of Harry Styles is now considered offensive to the RoleModel fandom. Why? Because the watermelon-sugar-high popstar stole the PEOPLE magazine’s ‘Sexiest Musician Alive’ award off of him.
In the run up to the announcement, RoleModel relentlessly campaigned for the win, wearing a ‘Nominated Sexiest Man Alive’ t-shirt on stage.
To show support, fans attended his concerts in matching t-shirts, while a few celebrities such as Addison Rae and Gracie Abrams also hopped on stage to promote the campaign.
Claiming “I am the underdog that needs a happy ending”, RoleModel was determined to win, and didn’t take the loss very well.
He posted online saying that Harry Styles wouldn’t even know he won, yet he is distraught.
However, regardless of this loss, the rising star has still had a very successful career so far. He is currently on tour, performing his latest album ‘Kansas Anymore’.
During the crowd-favourite track ‘Sally, When the Wine Runs Out’, the musician pauses mid-set to call out “Where’s my Sally?” – cue one lucky fan coming on stage to dance with him.
Amongst fans picked from the crowd, special guests such as Renee Rapp, Jake Shane, Dylan Minnette and even RoleModel’s mum, have all been selected.
So, whether he is losing to Harry Styles, pretending to be the pop-princess Sabrina Carpenter or forcing concertgoers to dance battle him on stage, one thing is clear: RoleModel isn’t just making music, but creating a close fandom, which is pretty heart-warming to see.
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