Atsuko Okatsuka
Comedian
Drop it like it’s hot: What started as the offbeat comedian just trying to make her grandmother laugh turned into Atsuko Okatsuka’s viral Drop Challenge, where participants just going about their routine suddenly get low when the beat drops during Beyonce’s “Partition.” HBO came calling quickly after, with a standup special that The New York Times named its best debut of 2022.
Taking off: In 2025, the Japanese American comic with the signature bowl haircut (which she reclaimed for its “art gallery owner” vibes) released her second comedy special, Father, and started her Big Bowl Tour. In April, she appeared alongside Keanu Reeves and Jonah Hill in the Apple TV+ dark comedy Outcome.
Bad Bunny
Rapper, actor, singer/songwriter, producer
Foto Finish: The Puerto Rican superstar had a huge 2025 and is off to an even bigger 2026. His seventh album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” is a love letter to his island home that won him six Grammys, including Album of the Year. He supported it with a 31-day residency in Puerto Rico (the first nine dates only open to locals) that lifted the country’s economy during the notoriously challenging hurricane season.
History-maker: He had a memorable role in Happy Gilmore 2 and also toured the world, but what really broadened Benito’s audience was his history-making Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, where he was the first Latino and Spanish-speaking artist to headline as a solo act.
Connor Storrie & Hudson Williams
Actors, Heated Rivalry
Let’s hear it for the boys: The Heated Rivalry stars were thrust into the spotlight thanks to the low-budget Canadian series that went viral globally. Storrie and Williams’ model-good looks and electrifying chemistry had men and women hot for their same-sex romance as hockey players Ilya and Shane.
Talk of the town: The show, based on a book series by Rachel Reid, catapulted the young men into superstardom and gave HBO Max its highest-performing acquired, non-animated debut. The duo have since been seen on the runways, at award shows, and even carrying the Olympic Torch (and will be back for Season 2 of Heated Rivalry next year).
Identical ink: To commemorate their wild year, they each got matching “Sex Sells” tattoos.
Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami
Singers
Going up, up, up: Life’s been “Golden” for the three singers of Huntr/x, the fictional girl group from Netflix’s most-watched film ever, 2025’s KPop Demon Hunters.
Give the people what they want: Incredibly, the singers had never even been in the same place together until the film’s premiere last summer—they each recorded their vocals separately. But once the song took off, appetite for the group was insatiable: They spent eight weeks at the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 slot (the first K-pop girl group to reach the top) and picked up historic Grammy and Academy Awards in 2026. And yes, there is a sequel in the works.
Holiday heroines: The stylish trio also inspired a whole new generation of girl-power Halloween costumes.
Kareem Rahma & Andrew Kuo
Creators & producers
Just my two cents: Utensils are blocking your blessings. Nature is boring. If you plug your ears when a siren goes by, you’re a big baby. These are just a few of the (unhinged) opinions Rahma and Kuo have solicited on their SubwayTakes Instagram series, which asks commuters to share their most controversial opinions while riding the New York City subway (or the Tube in London, or the L in Chicago).
Famous fans: Since starting the show in 2023, the guys have racked up nearly 2 million Instagram followers and enlisted celebs like Cate Blanchett (not a fan of leaf blowers) and Hasan Minhaj (hates when restaurants sing “Happy Birthday” to adults).
Longer takes: A longform version, SubwayTakes Uncut, was released on podcast platforms in February.
Katseye
Pop singers
Bringing the chaos: The global girl group—comprising members from South Korea, Switzerland, the Philippines, and the United States—hit it big in 2025 with “Gnarly,” the first single off their second EP, “Beautiful Chaos.”
On brand: The girls also helped lead a Y2K resurgence, making bath bombs with Lush, an exclusive vinyl for Urban Outfitters, and bags with Fendi. Their “Better in Denim” campaign for Gap served as the rebuttal to Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle collab, earning praise for its inclusive and empowering tone.
Next Up: After a standout performance at this year’s Coachella, the group announced their third EP, “Wild,” due in August. It will be the first without Swiss member Manon Bannerman, who announced a hiatus to focus on her health in February.
Marcello Hernandez
Comedian, actor, writer
Late-night laughs: Saturday Night Live’s first Gen Z cast member made a splash last year for his portrayal of fellow funnyman Sebastian Maniscalco, who praised the young talent’s effusive and physical-heavy impression as “fantastic.” The sendup took on a life of its own, even inspiring an impression-of-an-impression by Harry Styles in a March episode.
His big year: Hernandez’s first standup special, American Boy, premiered on Netflix in January and quickly cracked the Top 10. Like fellow Creative 100 winner Bad Bunny, Hernandez also appeared alongside Adam Sandler in last year’s Happy Gilmore 2. In 2025, he was named to Time’s Latino Leaders and The Hollywood Reporter’s Latin Power List.
Micky Gordon (Mickycashflow)
Creator
Sorry not sorry: It’s the Mickyverse, and we all just live in it. Micky Gordon told Cosmopolitan that growing up, people labeled her personality as “annoying” and “too much.” Safe to say she’s officially found her kind, racking up more than a million TikTok followers with her authentic, hilarious content.
Beauty queen: Her takeover of InStyle’s The Intern mockumentary, “organizing” the magazine’s beauty closet, is the series’ top performer to date, besting even celebrity episodes with Drew Barrymore and Nick Jonas.
Cashflow: She parlayed her fame into a Super Bowl ad for beauty brand Byoma and a side-splitting partnership with Applebee’s, which gave the chain 7.5 million views on a single video.
Olandria Carthen
Fashion tastemaker & television personality
Claim to fame: The Love Island fan favorite and half of power couple Nicolandria, with fellow contestant Nic Vansteenberghe, went from the beach to the catwalk in mere months. Shortly after wrapping the reality show as runner-up, Carthen made runway appearances in New York, Paris, and Milan—three of the four “Big Four” international fashion weeks.
Role model: The first-generation college student is an alum of Tuskegee University and a higher education advocate, especially Historically Black Universities and Colleges and Universities. She’s spoken at Harvard and Texas A&M, and also partnered with Microsoft Copilot for a campaign about academic success. It’s a long way from her past life—not even a year ago—selling elevators.
Olivia Dean
Singer
High note: Signed since 2019, the British songstress is no stranger to the industry. But it was her second album, released in 2025, that turned her into a household name. “The Art of Loving” was released in September, and its catchy anthem “Man I Need” quickly caught fire. A Saturday Night Live musical performance put her on the U.S. map, and in February she nabbed the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Going vocal: Dean uses her voice for more than singing. She has spoken out against unfair ticket prices, which got Ticketmaster and AXS to cap resale prices and issue refunds on her tour. And during her Grammy acceptance speech, she proudly told the crowd, “I’m up here as the granddaughter of an immigrant.”