Shane Gillis lost his “SNL” hosting gig because of the coarse, derogatory commentary he previously touted on his podcast, but now he’s given people another thing to talk about — his rumored new girlfriend. In the past, Gillis, who has a serious shady side, periodically acknowledged the existence of a love interest, but he’s never shared her likeness with his fanbase. “My girlfriend’s out of town for, like, a week, so the place is trashed,” he shared during a profile with The New Yorker in 2022. However, he offered zero insight into the seriousness of their bond or how she might factor into his future.
With that said, the controversial comic seems to have gotten out of that mystery romance and might be courting a huge TikTok star, who’s all the rage with her Gen-Z peers. According to various internet chatter, that would be none other than Grace Brassel, whose TikTok account, @Gracejohanna, boasts over half a million followers. As for why some fans think Brassel is entertaining an age-gap romance with a guy a decade older than her, well, it’s because of her own social media activity. In July 2024, Brassel shocked the world with Instagram photos of her and Gillis dressed to the nines at a wedding, which the NY Post has identified as the June 2024 nuptials of Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo.
However, Brassel isn’t just Gillis’ rumored new boo.
Grace Brassel is a ‘digital creator’
Grace Brassel describes herself as a “digital creator” on her Instagram account, with a respectable following of more than 50,000 people. However, she didn’t stumble into this career path. According to her LinkedIn, Brassel graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Media Studies in 2021. Since December 2023, she’s served as the Social Media Strategist for a brand called Diff Charitable Eyewear, which “has donated over 1,400,000 pairs of reading glasses to individuals in need around the world” over the last decade, according to their website. Although Diff must have been doing quite well before bringing Brassel on board, their Instagram account (and its 720,000 followers) is still thriving under her direction.
On TikTok, Brassel serves up a variety of content, including videos about her skincare routines and the pros and cons of being a 20-something. Like her rumored boyfriend, Shane Gillis, Brassel also has a funny side that she flaunts in various one-woman skits on the channel. For example, Brassel joined the “Scandoval” pandemonium by pretending to be Rachel Leviss as she broke down her controversial romance with Tom Sandoval to Bravo producer Andy Cohen. “Hi, Andy. I’m ready to talk,” Brassel said while dressed up as Leviss. “I just want to first say sorry to Ariana [Madix]. My actions are indescribably bad. I just can’t believe that I’m one of those people that hurts others.”
But wait until you see her take on Justin Bieber!
Grace Brassel had a health scare
Grace Brassel once weathered a major health scare. In 2022, she posted a video captioned, “Please stop vaping” to her TikTok, where she described being diagnosed with a collapsed lung, which she linked to her vaping use. Her medical nightmare started after she experienced rib pain and coughed up blood upon waking one day. After seeking medical attention, she was told that her lung had collapsed, and ended up doing a multi-day stint in the hospital, eventually requiring surgery. Although Brassel started off with high spirits, she eventually realized the severity of the situation. “It’s no longer fun to be a victim this is actually excruciating,” she wrote alongside a shot of her surgical site.
@gracejohanna Please stop vaping #fyp
Later, Brassel shared her harrowing journey on “Dr. Phil.” During the segment, she said, “It was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.” She also acknowledged that she knew vaping was a risky habit when she was engaging. “I was trying to quit for a while, and I felt like I needed to,” she continued. However, she didn’t realize how serious things were until she was working out. “One day, I was on the treadmill, and I was, like, I really can’t breathe right now.” Then, she started coughing up blood the next day. “So, I knew then that something was up.” She also revealed that her lung collapsed twice before she ended up in surgery. “I had to deal with mortality at a young age and feeling like I could die.”
