Nico Tortorella is an American actor and model. Born in Wilmette, Illinois, Nico grew up in the Chicago suburbs before attending New Trier High School, where he developed an interest in acting. After graduating, Nico moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, landing modeling work while auditioning for TV and film roles. His early screen appearances included roles on series like Make It or Break It and The Beautiful Life: TBL, before getting his big break with a role in the movie Scream 4. The role introduced him to a wider audience and led to an increase in TV roles and appearances.
Following Scream 4, he starred as Jacob Wells in the thriller series The Following, sharing the screen with Kevin Bacon during the series’ first two seasons. He then joined the cast of the comedy-drama Younger as Josh, a tattoo artist and central character through the show’s seven seasons. Nico also appeared in movies like Hunter & Game, Menendez: Blood Brothers, and The Mattachine Family, and later played Felix Carlucci in The Walking Dead: World Beyond.
Outside of his acting career, Nico has also done work as an author, podcaster, activist, and advocate for topics such as identity, gender, and relationships. In 2016, he launched The Love Bomb podcast, where he interviewed artists, activists, academics, and public figures about love, sexuality, mental health, and personal growth. The show featured conversations with guests from the LGBT community and reflects his long-standing interest in challenging traditional ideas surrounding relationships and identity.
Throughout his career, Nic has been open about his relationship with fitness entrepreneur and activist Bethany C. Meyers. The two began dating in 2007 and have described their relationship as “fluid and nontraditional”. After being together for more than a decade, they tied the knot in a private ceremony in 2018 and have since had two children. Over the years, both Nico and Bethany have spoken publicly about being polyamorous, challenging conventional ideas about marriage, and creating a relationship built on communication, honesty, and growth.
Nico first publicly identified as bi in an interview with Vulture, where he stated:
The more I’m having these conversations, the more comfortable I am identifying as bisexual… I’ve been so hesitant about using the word for so long, because it does have a negative connotation in our generation. People fought for so long for that ‘B’ in LGBT, and I refuse to be the person that’s going to throw that away because I think I have a more colorful word.
Beyond his acting career, Nico has become one of the most visible bi actors working in TV. Through their books, podcast, appearances, interviews, and advocacy, he has encouraged broader conversations about sexuality, gender identity, and relationships while continuing to acknowledge bisexuality as an important part of their identity.