TikTok Star Chris Olsen on His Memoir Helping Young People Struggling With Substance Abuse Issues Feel ‘Less Alone’

Chris Olsen says it wasn’t easy writing his recently released memoir, “I Think My Therapist Hates Me,” but he believes it was worth it.

“People say, was it cathartic to write it? No, it felt like I was just kind of like stabbing myself over and over again,” the TikTok star told me Sunday at the MTV VMAs. “Now the book’s out, people seem to be having a positive impact from it. It’s helping people. That’s all that matters to me.”

The book chronicles Olsen’s battle with substance abuse disorder, his journey to get sober as well as his mental health struggles. He’s received many messages from readers.

“It’s a lot about young people who have maybe struggled with their own substance abuse issues or they’ve been in families where addiction was a big issue and getting through, that they felt very alone and I think that is the point of writing a story like that, writing a memoir, feeling less alone and relating to people and that’s really all I wanted,” Olsen said.

He also joked about adapting the tome as a limited series for television, proposing that Harry Styles play him. “It could have to be someone humble like Harry Styles,” Olsen cracked. “I just want someone who looks like me, like a newcomer, a newcomer who looks like me, acts like me and wants it. He’s hungry for the role.”

Olsen, 28, grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He gained fame as one of the original influencers on TikTok, where he amassed more than 14 million followers with another three million on Instagram. He is also a singer, actor and LGBTQ advocate. In 2022, he hosted Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood party in Los Angeles.