Meet Valentin Osipov, aka ‘Val OS’– reality TV star and Brooklyn barber internationally known for his Russian-styled comedy videos on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Tiktok.
The Ukranian 27-year-old began his career on YouTube and Vine several years after moving to America with his mother. Vine was a popular social media network app that allowed users to post short-form looping videos, but was shut down in 2016. Val had always enjoyed the idea of being in the spotlight ever since he was a young boy, especially if it meant he could use the attention to make people laugh. When initially uploading videos to the platform, the young content creator found that the niche of being brought up under Russian culture, along with being raised under the influence of a Ukranian mother, seemed to make for easily relatable jokes that his audience seemed to enjoy. In fact, the videos that tended to outperform the rest were usually the ones he’d film with his mom. Over time, Val’s online personality had finally hit a viral standpoint, gaining thousands of fans within the online Soviet community.
While gaining the attention of many following his internet stardom, the russian sensation received an invitation from USA Network in 2018 to participate in season one of a reality television show titled “Temptation Island”. The premise of the program consisted of several couples putting their relationship to the test by living in a house filled with a group of single men and women. On the show, Val was known as the shortest, yet the funniest, single man in the house with a slightly competitive edge. He quickly grew into a fan favorite for his wit and sense of humor. In the end, although coming close to developing a relationship with a fellow contestant named Kaci Campbell, Val ultimately did not end up finding love on the show.
And although the television fame may not have given him love, it did end up gaining him a new fanbase, along with an even bigger following on social media that would prove to be beneficial for future content. However, he needed to prove he could do more than just his regular ‘Russian comedy’ if he wanted to keep his now widespread, international audience. In turn, he decided he would switch up his content to more lifestyle-based videos, accompanied by his comedic sketches. He would also revert to posting more often on his personal social media platforms than on his YouTube channel . Since “Temptation Island”, Val has now built up to 66.2k followers on Instagram alone.
But Val admits that maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle can prove quite difficult at times– especially when working 15 hours a day. Aside from his passion for entertaining, he also runs his own barbershop in Downtown Brooklyn called LadyKillers, at which he spends 5 days a week, working 10-12 hours shifts. He then comes home to spend 3-4 additional hours creating, filming, and editing content for his social media platforms. And in the small (almost nonexistent) gaps between editing videos, running a barbershop, and attempting to maintain a social life, he also creates designs for his own merchandise line named POHUY (translated to “F’ it” in Russian), which he created back in 2011. Needless to say, he’s a busy guy.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Val was on yet another hybrid reality show that aired on Instagram called “Let’s F’n Date”, hosted by video producer and instagram influencer Serena Kerrigan. The show aired live on IGTV every Friday at 8:30pm and was viewed by over 2 million people on the platform. There was indeed an initial love interest between Val and Serena from the beginning, but the flames were not spicy enough to last. The two ended the show with a live conversation of them committing to being just friends. Following the finale, he also decided he’d be keeping his succeeding dating life with any future partners out of the public eye until ‘the time was right’.
And while he stays committing to his digital content, along with cutting hair and running two self-owned businesses, Val says that he’d eventually like to take his talents beyond just reality television. The current goal is to push toward a professional acting career. But until he makes it on the big screen, he’ll keep doing what he does best– making people laugh.
To watch some of Val OS’s hilarious content, follow him on Instagram at @itsvalos. You can also check out his clothing line on @pohuynyc and www.pohuynyc.com.