Talking his life away: the legend behind the world's favorite podcast

By: Gemma Styles

for Buzzfeed UK

December 23rd, 2018

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and also the 26th birthday of one of the most popular "internet celebrities". But no one knows what he looks like, and no one ever will.

Louis William Tomlinson began "I Can't Shut Up!" when he was eighteen years old, living in an apartment in London.

All his fans know of his previous and current life is what he tells them. We know that he's from Doncaster, and has a whole horde of half-siblings that he visits during the holidays every year.

His podcast started off a small operation, with a microphone he ordered online and still uses to this day. Now, the podcast is recorded in San Francisco, California, in the United States. There are upwards of ten people on the payroll.

What does he talk about? Everything, really.

Tomlinson is very detailed about things that happen to him, from intricate details of hookups to his failed cooking attempts. Guests on the podcasts can be anyone he finds interesting, and he often picks the brains of A-level celebrities and blue-collar workers.

It's hard to hear of anyone with a presence on the internet who hasn't heard of this podcast or one of the many viral moments from the last several years. Likewise, everyone seems to have an opinion on this podcast star's appearance - the fact being that he doesn't have one.

Not a single person except maybe his mother knows what this internet dinosaur looks like. Tomlinson preaches body positivity and not judging a book by it's cover. At the same time, he has an incredible amount of self-hatred, frequently claiming an "ugly" and "disgusting" appearance, in reference to why he'll never show himself online.

When videos for the podcast started around a year ago, audiences became familiar with the white box that Tomlinson has been recording all of his podcasts in for the last five years to avoid being seen by anyone. It's rumored that not even the staff at his company has ever seen him.

Maybe he'll pop out of that box in a couple days and be the best Christmas present for his listeners?

If not, we here at Buzzfeed UK support you, Louis, whatever you look like. Happy birthday!