Adam Rippon Talks LGBTQ Fundraising Initiatives and His New Crush on Shawn Mendes

· Updated on May 28, 2018

Adam Rippon dropped by The Ellen Degeneres Show on Thursday and talked being an LGBTQ role model, Mike Pence, and celebrity crushes.

“When I was young, to have somebody out there that I could’ve looked up to ― it would’ve made a world of difference. It would’ve changed my life. One in five kids today identify with some sort of LGBTQ identity,” he said, before turning to the crowd and quipping, “So look to your left, look to your right, and if no one is gay, you’re probably the one.”

Rippon appeared on the show to announce his new GLAAD fundraising campaign in support of LGBTQ youth programs. But even though he’s emerged as a Winter Olympics breakout star and LGBTQ icon, the 28-year old insisted he’s still the “same ol’ hot mess” he’s always been.

On his very public back-and-forth with Vice President Mike Pence, Rippon said he “didn’t feel like [the Olympics were] the right time” for a call between them. He continued, “If I had the chance to have a call with him now … I have nothing to say to Mike Pence. That’s not a conversation for me. If that call were to happen, I would say, ‘You know what? It’s not for me. It’s for those people [whose] lives have been affected and changed by legislation that he’s pushed.’ It’s a chance for them to share their stories and their experiences.”

The Olympian and Vice President sparred after Rippon declined a meeting with Pence at the beginning of the Winter Olympics. After much media attention on the scuffle, the Bronze medalist subsequently said in a press conference that he didn’t want his Olympics to be about Mike Pence. “I have no problem about what I’ve said because I stand by it, but I think right now the Olympics are about Olympic competition,” he told the crowd in Pyeongchang.

As far as celebrity crushes go, Rippon admitted Jake Gyllenhaal and Harry Styles have been on his list, but he has a newfound appreciation for the swoon-worthy Shawn Mendes. “Here’s the thing, I was sleeping on Shawn Mendesnot with, but onI didn’t realize how cute he was!” he told Degeneres. “I know Harry will be upset, butlove is a funny thing.”

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