Ten performers singled out as 2025 breakout stars across the arts

The New York Times identified 10 performers as its 2025 breakout stars, highlighting figures from television, film, comedy, dance, music, podcasts, fine art, theater and classical music who gained broad attention this year. In television, 15-year-old Owen Cooper won a best supporting Emmy for his debut role as Jamie in the Netflix miniseries "Adolescence" and is set to play a young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s "Wuthering Heights." Influencer Gabby Windey, who rose from reality television to win Peacock’s "The Traitors," has parlayed that popularity into a podcast and will host Hulu’s dating show "Love Overboard" next year; the profile notes she previously worked as an I.C.U.

nurse and was an N.F.L. cheerleader. On film, Chase Infiniti made her debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s "One Battle After Another," earning a Golden Globe nomination and landing roles in Hulu’s "The Testaments" (set for April 2026) and the coming‑of‑age drama "The Julia Set." Comedian Josh Johnson built an audience with long-form online routines and, after joining "The Daily Show" as a writer and correspondent, anchored the program in July in its most-watched non‑Jon Stewart episode of the year, according to Nielsen.

Choreographer Robbie Blue won an Emmy for his Grammys work and has been in high demand after staging Doechii’s performance. Musician Olivia Dean’s second album, "The Art of Loving," topped the U.K. album chart this year and produced the No.

Key Topics

Culture, Owen Cooper, Gabby Windey, Chase Infiniti, Josh Johnson, Robbie Blue