Skyler and Austin Autumn

Here at LaineyGossip, it’s been Maria who has been predicting the rise of Skyler Gisondo, anticipating for over a year that Skyler, who’s been scene-stealing for years now, would break out in a big way very soon. As she put it, he is “Walton Goggins for people who grew up with home internet”. 

Skyler Gisondo is extremely popular and recognisable on the internet, he is constantly memed, in a way that’s been much more advantageous than Ben Affleck’s experiences with how social media has laughed at him. With Skyler the jokes are a lot more wholesome and he has leaned in it. And given his level of fame, until recently, this has worked. Skyler and Ben occupy different places in the celebrity ecosystem. For Skyler, right now especially, it’s only been a bonus that has only helped boost his profile, building positive momentum as he transitioned from child actor into adulthood, having just turned 30 this summer.

It seems impossible, given that he still looks so boyish and youthful, but that’s where we are now – Skyler at 30, riding the high of the most acclaimed performance of his career in Primetime, to the point where there are some who feel like he deserves to be in the Best Supporting Actor conversation, and then in a few weeks, he’s back onscreen as a Focker. Skyler will Henry Focker, the son of Ben Stiller’s Greg, and the grandson of Robert De Niro’s Jack Byrnes, who comes home to announce that he wants to marry Ariana Grande. If we are playing the comparison game, perhaps Skyler Gisondo is Walton Goggins for people who grew up with home internet and also the Gen Z Jesse Plemons, quietly and steadily building a resumé that will include a wide range of work across genres and with all kinds of auteur and legacy directors.

And then there’s Austin Abrams, who is good friends with Skyler, also having the best year of his career so far. He too has been internet popular for years, he too just turned 30, excellent one of the most talked about films of 2025, Weapons, and now a box office king with Resident Evil, in which he is #1 on the callsheet. He will follow that up with Whalefall, opening this weekend, playing a dude who gets swallowed by a whale. This movie looks stupidly insane and the reviews haven’t been great, but it's absurdity is exactly the kind of thing that might pop off on social media so if it doesn’t come through at the box office, it could still be culturally relevant – and Austin’s been culturally relevant online with that demo for a while. This is why they’re calling it Austin Abrams Autumn.

20th Century Studios on Instagram: "Austin Abrams Autumn #Whalefall is in theaters Friday, get tickets now."

8,666 likes, 89 comments - 20thcenturystudios on October 14, 2026: "Austin Abrams Autumn #Whalefall is in theaters Friday, get tickets now.".

Instagram

I mean, the timing is interesting outside of what Austin’s been doing too. While his cultural fortunes have been consistently rising, Timothée Chalamet’s stock has been falling. In term of industry status, to be clear, Timmy is in a whole other category, Austin’s not there yet…but he could benefit from Timmy’s recent heel-turn and, well, it’s not like this point isn’t all over TikTok. (tap the links if the posts don't load)

This is what we’ve always done with gossip and celebrities – it may be unfair and they probably don’t love it but it’s a business that runs on hype and buzz, on a ranking system determined by an audience that wants to be served, that demands to be served. From the recent Best Chris and Best Ryan games to the popstar wars to Tom vs Brad and Gwyneth vs Cate and all categories in between.

We are currently in the moment of skinny offbeat acting kids vying for cultural supremacy. This is part of the fun, to imagine how Timmy is processing this discourse, and adjusting, or not, accordingly. Because as fun as it is though to enjoy this moment for Austin and Skyler, please don’t forget…Dune 3 is coming. And how will the guy who got up on stage and declared that he’s aspiring to greatness respond to the breakout season of all his challengers?