Photos: Cover Stars Nyle DiMarco, Chella Man As the New American Idols

Nyle DiMarco and Chella Man Are the New American Idols

This summer, Out enters its 30th year with over 300 printed issues. Here, we revisit and re-create 10 covers -- celebrating them for what they were while reimagining them for newer audiences.

When Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy covered our May 2018 issue, it became the most liked cover on social media -- and remained that way until our 2021 Out100. And for good reason: our "American Idols" were celebrating their friendship and historic year at the Olympics. Today, its multihyphenates Nyle DiMarco and Chella Man that are celebrating. Both making space for the deaf community and queer folks in Hollywood specifically and culture at large, each having made history multiple times over. The pair have become idols themselves.

Chella Man is, largely, a star of his own creation. The artist, model, and actor of many communities -- he is Chinese American, genderqueer, trans, Deaf, and Jewish -- came to the fore initially through his YouTube channel where he began sharing his experiences with dysphoria and transitioning back in 2017. He fashioned himself into a piece of representation he had needed, talking about his own identity, sharing his body, and his art. And people began to take notice, following him en masse, as well as brands who began to cast him in fashion projects as a model.

Man made history when he was signed to IMG Models back in 2018 -- he appeared on our Out100 that year. A year later he made his acting debut as Jericho on DC Universe's Titans. In 2021 he made history yet again, becoming a face of YSL Beauty.

Now, the 23-year-old is more than just representation but an agent of change and at times a power broker. He currently serves as a host of the webseries The Truth alongside Aaron Rose Phillip for In The Know. This follows having served as an executive producer on Trans in Trumpland, a four episode docuseries. He also recently curated his first exhibition, Pure Joy. Presented at 1969 Gallery, it is a group exhibition of 14 emerging and mid-career artists seeking to reclaim and celebrate the humanity of disabled artists.

"As disabled individuals, we are often asked to make work about our suffering or trauma -- I wanted this exhibition to encourage other components of our humanity," he wrote of the show.

NYLE and CHELLA MAN are both wearing PRADA Pants and BERNARD JAMES Jewelry

Creative Direction MIKELLE STREET mikelledstreet.com @mikellestreet
Assistant MILAN GARCON @milangarcon
Photographer MYLES LOFTIN mylesloftinphotography.com @mylesloftin
Photo Assistant Light Tech EVADNE GONZALEZ @evadnegonzalez
Photo Assistant ANDREW ESPINAL @andrewespinal and JIN JIN
Digitech MERLIN VIETHEN and JOSH ROBINSON
Production Director TIM SNOW @snowmgz
Production Manager STEVIE WILLIAMS x2production.com@beingstevie of X2 Production Production
Assistant TOBY TEITEL @toby_teitel
Video AUSTIN NUNES austinunes.com @austinunes
Creative Conception STUART BROCKINGTON, ANNA CARIAS, MIKELLE STREET
Hair CHARLIE LE MINDU charlielemindu.com@charlielemindu
Hair Assistant JET KEEFE @jetkeefebeauty
Makeup LARAMIE laramiemakeup.com@laramiemakeup
Makeup Assistant ARPITA BRAHMBHATT
Stylist RASAAN WYZARD @monsieur_wyzard
Stylist Assistant MELINDA GRIFFITH

Related | Cover Star Nyle DiMarco Is a Model Teacher of Deaf and Queer Culture