Nyle DiMarco

Nyle DiMarco (born May 8, 1989) is an American model, actor, and Deaf activist. In 2015, DiMarco was the winner of The CW's reality television series America's Next Top Model in season 22, becoming the second male winner and the first Deaf winner. In the following year, he and professional dance partner Peta Murgatroyd were the winners of the ABC televised dance competition Dancing with the Stars in season 22. He is also the author of Deaf Utopia.

Early life DiMarco was born in Queens, New York, as Nyle Thompson, explaining in his book that along with his brothers, he changed his last name from Thompson to DiMarco, his mother's maiden name, while at university. He is of English, Scottish, Italian and German descent. DiMarco grew up in Frederick, Maryland, where he attended the Maryland School for the Deaf, with a degree in mathematics. He has a fraternal twin brother, Nico, and an older brother, Neal.

Career

In 2013, DiMarco had a leading role in the independent film In the Can, an American Sign Language Films production. In 2014 and 2015, he played the recurring role of Garrett Banducci in Switched at Birth on the Freeform network. He is the only deaf male in the show's history, the first deaf winner, and the second male contestant to win.

On March 8, 2016, DiMarco was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. DiMarco is the second deaf contestant to compete on the show after Marlee Matlin. On May 24, 2016, DiMarco and Murgatroyd were announced as the winners of the season. DiMarco became the first deaf celebrity to win any global version of BBC Worldwide's Dancing with the Stars franchise.

In 2016, DiMarco appeared in the Hulu comedy series Difficult People. Later on, he appeared on Tóc Tiên's music video for "Big Girls Don't Cry" in January and Alex Newell's music video for "Basically Over You (BOY)" in March.

In June 2016, DiMarco walked for Giorgio Armani at Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017.

DiMarco was featured on DIVERSEability Magazine's 2017 Summer issue. He was also honored as DEAF LIFE Magazine's "Deaf Person of the Year" (January 2017 issue).

DiMarco played the lead role in Dan + Shay's "Tequila" music video, which premiered in February 2018.

In 2025, he produced and directed his first full-length film, Deaf President Now! which was distributed with Apple TV. The film is presented as a documentary focusing on the 1988 protests at Gallaudet University. He was subsequently nominated for 2 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.

Personal life and activism

In October 2015, DiMarco came out as "sexually fluid" when asked during an interview with Out magazine about his sexuality.

DiMarco does not consider himself disabled by deafness and sees his media profile as an opportunity to bring awareness to Deaf culture. He believes deaf actors should play deaf roles.

In 2016, DiMarco started The Nyle DiMarco Foundation, a non-profit organization providing access to resources for deaf children and their families.

DiMarco supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign during the 2016 U.S. election. He criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump, after reports surfaced of ableist comments, one directed at deaf actress Marlee Matlin. DiMarco stated, "here are 55 million disabled people living in America. I don't want a president who marginalizes my community."

On November 22, 2020, DiMarco delivered the keynote address at the closing general session of the Annual Convention and Expo of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. In the keynote address, DiMarco drew comparisons between his experiences in education (both in Deaf schools and in hearing schools) and the experiences of learners of world languages negotiating cultural differences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was fully online, so DiMarco delivered the keynote via video streaming.

In 2023, DiMarco published his first book, Deaf Utopia, a memoir which chronicles his experience as a Deaf man in a hearing world.

Filmography

Cinema YearTitleRoleNotes 2025 Deaf President Now! Director and producer

Television

Music video appearances Year Title Original artist(s) Director(s) 2016 "Big Girls Don't Cry" 2016 "Basically Over You (B.O.Y)" Alex Newell Alex Newell & Derec Dunn 2018 "Tequila" Dan + Shay Patrick Tracy 2019 "7 Rings (ASL Version)" Ariana Grande Jake Wilson2020 "I Dare You (ASL Version)" Kelly Clarkson (in collaboration with Deaf West Theatre) Trevor Joseph Newton

Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Critics' Choice Real TV Awards June 21, 2021 Best Unstructured Series Deaf U Academy Awards March 27, 2022 Documentary (Short Subject) Audible Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 14, 2021 Best Short Documentary Audible Primetime Emmy Awards September 6, 2025 Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special Deaf President Now! Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program