JOY RECLAIMED –
September 18, 2025 – At 21, Corey O’Brien checked into rehab for what was supposed to be a 28-day stay. He didn’t leave for nearly two years. But after coming out the other side — O’Brien’s been sober for over a decade — there’s very little that fazes him. “There’s no one that can really affect how I feel about myself,” he says.
In the years since he left rehab, O’Brien, now 34, has completely reinvented himself: He has a following of 2 million across Instagram and TikTok for his comedic videos, and he’s actively putting on comedy shows for sold-out audiences on his first national tour. O’Brien is also in a committed relationship with Ryan Russell, the NFL’s first out bisexual player.
But for O’Brien, his past hardship isn’t an unsavory truth he tries to quickly brush aside; instead, it’s a fixture of his story he proudly embraces.
The performer was born in Chester Springs, Pa., a town he describes to PEOPLE as “close-minded” and “very conservative.” He spent his early years “hiding in the shadows,” he remembers, but he found his voice through his love of dance and entertainment.
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