USA Network’s “Temptation Island” season one veteran, Valentin Osipov– otherwise known as Val OS– is more than just a single, funny dude with a strange New York-version of a Russian accent. He actually finds passion in being in the spotlight and enjoys making people laugh with his comedic content, which he posts to social media for a following of 66,000+.
The extroverted 27-year-old was born in Crimea, Ukraine and was looked after by his grandparents growing up while his mother worked full-time and his father attempted to build a better life for them in America. Val and his mother ended up joining his father in the states not long after he turned nine, and he’s been Brooklyn-bred ever since.
As a kid, Val enjoyed gaining the attention of his friends and family by putting himself in the spotlight and attempting to make them laugh. His vibrant personality always touched the hearts of everyone around him, and he truly believed his sole purpose in life was to bring others joy and laughter. A few years after moving to America, as a creative outlet, he decided he’d take his sense of humor and spotlight craving online by posting videos to YouTube and Vine. While YouTube is known to support longer-form videos, Vine was a social media network where users were restricted to posting short-form looping videos that were from six to seven seconds long. The app has since been shut down.
Determined to figure out a successful formula to bring in viewers for both platforms, Val tried his hand at all kinds of different content. In the end, one topic always ended up outshining the rest: his witty twist on mimicking a Russian upbringing, and shining a light on what life was like for a Ukranian in America.
His videos quickly gained traction and eventually became viral within the Soviet community online. The most requested videos from his audience consisted of the content he’d shoot alongside his mother, as it embodied their perfect sweet vs. sour duo. The audience he’d built on YouTube and Vine later became his fanbase on other social platforms, which essentially paved the way to the rest of his entertainment career.
After finally grabbing the attention of many, Val received a special invitation in 2018 to partake in the first season of USA Network’s “Temptation Island”– a reality television show with an objective for couples to put their relationships to the test as they join a house full of single contestants looking for love. And although Val did find a love interest in the show, he did not end up leaving the program in a relationship.
He did leave, however, with an even bigger fanbase and social following than he arrived with. And this time, it consisted of people from all over the globe. In order to maintain his newly found audience, Val needed to switch up his narrow-minded niche. He began to steer away from his comfort in Russian comedy and began incorporating more lifestyle videos. He also committed to posting more consistently on his personal social media platforms.
Since then, Val OS has gained over 66.2k followers on Instagram, 32k followers on Facebook, and over 9k followers on Twitter. His cumulative following is over 100k.
Aside from being a consistent content creator, Val is also a full-time owner of a Brooklyn barbershop called Ladykillers, as well as co-CEO of a merchandise clothing line called POHUY, which happens to translate to ‘F’ it’ in Russian. He shares that his clothing line is meant to embody his playful, carefree outlook on life, while still making sure it maintains its output of serious New York City fashion.
Within the past year, amidst a global pandemic, the comedy influencer also partook in a new Instagram-based reality show called “Let’s F’n Date”, created and hosted by video producer and social media influencer, Serena Kattigan. Users watched as Val and Serena went live on IGTV for several dates, stirring up plenty of drama in a span of two seasons and generating over 2 million views on the platform. Ultimately, the two ended up going separate ways.
Although his future plans don’t consist of any more reality shows anytime soon, Val’s plans do remain committed to expanding and growing his digital content and pursuing his passion of entertaining others. He also plans to eventually make a transition into professional acting.
To see more of Val OS and his hilarious content, follow him on @itsvalos. You can also check out his merch at www.pohuynyc.com.