Masks OFF

He spent his teen years concealing his sexuality. Now BENITO SKINNER IS mining that awkward time for art

- REBECCA FORD

BENITO SKINNER KNOWS his way around a disguise.

As his online alter ego, Benny Drama, he got famous for spoofing celebrities like Lana Del Rey and Kourtney Kardashian while also creating original characters like Kooper the Gen Z intern. Skinner's sharp but never cruel content was rewarded with a massive audience on YouTube and Instagram.

When he began, Skinner was a Georgetown undergrad who'd grown used to wearing a different type of camouflage. Raised in Boise, Idaho, he spent much of his time and energy worrying that the whole world might discover he was gay.

"I just remember the sense of doom anywhere I went," he says.

But at 31, all of Skinner's masks are finally off.