Rob Anderson

Early life and career Anderson was raised on the Jersey Shore. Growing up, Anderson attended a Christian school and frequently performed in musicals during his adolescence. After graduating from college, Anderson moved to Chicago, where he was inspired by the first two films in the Scary Movie film series and the television series Strangers with Candy to pursue comedy. There, he performed improv comedy for seven years, including with the iO Theater, Annoyance Theatre, and The Second City. He also competed on the reality competition series Capture in 2013.

Anderson started his personal TikTok account, @Heartthrobert, in late 2019 while living in New York City. He also posted TikTok videos for the food review company The Infatuation, one of which, about granola bars "going everywhere", was posted in 2020 and became popular. He published the satirical picture book The Fergamerican National Anthem, about Fergie's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. His video about Mama Bear of the children's book series Berenstain Bears being an "almond mom", posted in July 2023, also went viral. He also co-hosted the WOW Presents Plus series Glam Slam with Monét X Change. Anderson's satirical social media series Gay Science, which uses fake science to explain the behaviors behind LGBT stereotypes, began in 2020 with a video of him describing why gay men prefer coffee iced rather than hot. His book Gay Science: The Totally Scientific Examination of LGBTQ+ Culture, Myths, and Stereotypes was published by Penguin Random House in June 2024 and debuted at number five on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction bestseller list.

In April 2025, Anderson gained attention for "The Pope Games," a viral social media series that framed the papal conclave as a reality TV competition. In late 2025, he premiered a new stage show, Are You Afraid of the ’90s?, which lampoons 1990s pop culture. Following previews in New York, he began a 28-city national tour for the show.

As of September 2025, Anderson has approximately 0.825 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

Recognition Rebecca Alter of Vulture praised Anderson's 7th Heaven recaps on TikTok as "painfully funny" and called them "hyper-shortform". Elle Canadas Nancy Pierri wrote in 2021 that Gay Science had "received a ton of praise" on TikTok. Bernardo Sim of Pride called Anderson "one of the most popular gay comedians on social media" in 2022.

In 2022, Anderson was included in Out’s "Out100" list of the most influential LGBTQ+ people.

In 2025, People magazine referred to Anderson as TikTok's unofficial king of nostalgia for his commentary on 1980s and 1990s media.