Nyle DiMarco won America’s Next Top Model Cycle 22 in 2015, then won season 22 of Dancing With the Stars in 2016. He went on to work as an actor, producer and documentary co-director, advocate for Deaf representation, and author of the memoir Deaf Utopia. He has also spoken about feeling isolated on Top Model and about accessibility and storytelling choices he says he encountered during production.
From America’s Next Top Model to a second competition-show win
DiMarco was the first Deaf contestant on America’s Next Top Model, and he won its 22nd and final cycle in 2015. A Washingtonian profile identified him as the show’s first Deaf contestant before the season aired; Washingtonian’s 2015 profile also noted that he was a Gallaudet University graduate with a mathematics degree.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Deaf Utopia: A Memoir―and a Love Letter to a Way of Life | $11.04 | Buy on Amazon |
His next major television competition was Dancing With the Stars. Partnered with Peta Murgatroyd, DiMarco won season 22 in 2016, extending his profile beyond fashion and modeling. TIME reported the win on May 25, 2016.
He moved into acting, producing and documentary work
DiMarco’s career after the competition shows included acting roles and production work. In a 2020 interview, Entertainment Tonight described his work producing the Tony-nominated revival of Children of a Lesser God and executive producing projects including Netflix’s Deaf U. At that time, he was also developing a scripted series; the interview does not establish that the series later aired.
#1 Best Overall
Deaf U centered Deaf and hard-of-hearing students
Released in 2020, Deaf U followed Deaf and hard-of-hearing students at Gallaudet University. DiMarco told Entertainment Tonight that he wanted the series to present Deaf people as complex individuals navigating ordinary life, rather than reducing their stories to struggle. He also said the production included a crew that was 50 percent Deaf.
Deaf President Now! put him behind the camera
In 2025, The Atlantic identified DiMarco as the Deaf co-director of Deaf President Now!, a documentary about the 1988 student protest at Gallaudet University. In an interview with John Hendrickson, DiMarco said, “I’ve really learned that the key to success in telling authentic stories is having Deaf people behind the camera.” The Atlantic’s 2025 profile discusses his approach to the film and Deaf storytelling.
His later account of the Top Model experience was more complicated
A 2017 profile by ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership said DiMarco had described feeling lonely and left out while living in the show’s house. In a video quoted by the profile, he reflected on turning that experience into advocacy: “I realized in that moment that I had to flip the script and not think about my deafness as a negative, but rather think about it as a positive and how I could use it as a platform to change the world’s perception of deaf people for the better.” ASAE published the profile in 2017.
In a 2022 interview about his memoir, Them reported DiMarco’s account that interpreters were not always available during Top Model production and that a producer repeatedly pressed him to discuss what he called the “sad” aspects of Deaf life. This is his recollection, as reported by Them, rather than independent production documentation. The interview also reproduces his memoir’s response to that framing: “I explained to Anita how being born Deaf to a Deaf family and attending Deaf schools growing up were good things,” he writes. “In fact, I thought of my Deaf-centric life as utopian — the perfect mix of conditions for a Deaf kid like me.”
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Advocacy has focused on who gets to tell Deaf stories
DiMarco has argued that representation should include Deaf and disabled people in content creation, writers’ rooms and production—not only in front of the camera. In the Them interview, he put the point this way: “Authenticity for me happens behind the camera and I think that’s where our priorities need to lie. It’s my big challenge to Hollywood right now.” His comments about Deaf U and Deaf President Now! connect that advocacy to the productions he has helped shape.
Deaf Utopia is his account of life and reality television
DiMarco co-wrote Deaf Utopia with Robert Siebert. The memoir covers his life, Deaf culture and his experiences on reality television; in his 2022 interview with Them, he discussed how his upbringing and Deaf identity shaped his perspective on the show. It is a direct source for readers who want more of his own account, rather than only a summary of his career milestones.
The latest dated career milestone in the sources cited here is the 2025 documentary. That establishes a significant later role, not a complete list of DiMarco’s projects as of 2026.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
