Abigail Thorn is an English YouTuber, actress, and playwright, best known for her YouTube channel Philosophy Tube. Philosophy Tube started in 2013 when Thorn wanted to offer free philosophy lessons after university tuition fees increased in England in 2012. The channel has been well-received and has over one million subscribers.
In 2019, Thorn hosted a five-day Twitch livestream reading Shakespeare’s plays to raise money for the mental health charity Samaritans, raising over £100,000. In 2022, her play The Prince, which she wrote and starred in, ran Off West End and featured transgender themes based on characters from Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part 1.
Thorn came out as a transgender woman in January 2021 through her video Coming Out As Trans – A Little Public Statement and the More Theatrical Identity: A Trans Coming Out Story. 1imdbÂ
Abigail Thorn Biography
Abigail Thorn’s birth name is Oliver Thorn and she was born on 24 April 1993 in the United Kingdom and is 31 years old as of 2024. She is a White British who follows the Christian faith. Her height is 6 feet. 2famousbirthdays Â
Abigail Thorn Education
Abigail Thorn attended the Royal Grammar School and was part of an army cadet group. Thorn studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of St. Andrews, where she was involved in Mermaids and the St Andrews Revue. She graduated in 2015 with top honors, later trained at East 15 Acting School, and earned a Master’s degree from the University of Essex in 2017 before moving to London.
In October 2019, Thorn came out as bisexual in her YouTube video Queer✨. On 30 January 2021, she came out as a trans woman. She has spoken at protests supporting transgender health care and believes transgender liberation is more important than representation in media.
Abigail Thorn’s Wife
Abigail is unmarried as per her marital status and is also not dating anyone. Thorn came out as bisexual in 2019 and as a trans woman in January 2021.
Why is having transitioned or being trans something that I should hide or be ashamed of? I think that being trans is perfectly normal. It’s like being tall or having freckles. It’s just the way that some people are—and I don’t want to hide that or be ashamed of it. 3poptvculture
Abigail Thorn’s Career Journey
Abigail started her YouTube channel, Philosophy Tube, in 2013 to provide free philosophy lessons after university tuition fees in England tripled in 2012. Her goal was to “give away a philosophy degree for free.” Her first video, “I think therefore I am,” was uploaded in May 2013. Before her transition, she presented the channel as Oliver Thorn.
Thorn earns money from YouTube ads and Patreon crowdfunding. In 2016, she participated in YouTube NextUp, a training program for creators with under 100,000 subscribers.
In 2018, Thorn’s content became more theatrical, using studio sets, costumes, and makeup. Her videos began featuring characters and music, and her style became known for its narratives and detailed production design. She covers philosophical topics and sociopolitical ideas from a leftist perspective.
Thorn’s channel is part of the “BreadTube” community, which focuses on leftist YouTubers. Her videos often critique the alt-right and cover broad topics like climate change and mental health.
In January 2020, Thorn hosted a five-day Twitch livestream reading Shakespeare’s complete works to raise money for the Samaritans and raised over £100,000.
She has acted in various roles, including in the BBC series Ladhood and the 2023 series Django. She also voiced a character in the video game Baldur’s Gate 3 and appeared in the Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Thorn wrote and appeared in the play The Prince, which ran Off West End in 2022. The play features transgender themes and characters becoming self-aware within Shakespeare’s works. It received mixed reviews but was praised for its ambitious exploration of gender and performance.
Thorn co-hosts the podcast Kill James Bond!, a critical review of James Bond films from a socialist and feminist perspective. She also narrated the audiobook for Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis and earned a nomination for an Audie Award. 4wikipedia Â
Abigail Thorn’s Achievements
In 2022, Thorn won an Off West End Theatre Award (“Offie”) in the “OneOff” category. The awarding body recognized her as “a pioneer for trans rights” for her work on YouTube, her Shakespeare charity livestream, and her role in The Prince.
Thorn was also included in Diva’s Power List of 100 influential LGBT individuals in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Thorn was nominated for the Online Influencer category at the 2021 British LGBT Awards but declined the nomination due to moral and political disagreements with the award’s sponsors.
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