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About

Cooper Tomlinson

American actor and YouTuber

Cooper Tomlinson is an American actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter and YouTuber. He is best known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", which he co-created with Curry Barker. He starred in and co-produced the 2024 film Milk & Serial along with Barker, and again starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced the upcoming film Anything but Ghosts.

Cooper Tomlinson

Cooper Tomlinson
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • YouTuber
Years active2016–present
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers1.3 million
Views633 million
Last updated: June 12, 2026

Cooper Tomlinson is an American actor, comedian, producer, screenwriter and YouTuber. He is best known for the sketch comedy YouTube channel "that's a bad idea", which he co-created with Curry Barker. He starred in and co-produced the 2024 film Milk & Serial along with Barker,[1] and again starred in, co-wrote, and executive produced the upcoming film Anything but Ghosts.[2][3]

Tomlinson studied at the New York Film Academy campus in Los Angeles, California. There, he met Barker, a fellow student. They both soon began making videos together on YouTube, which they described as "our film school outside of film school",[1] forming the sketch comedy channel "that's a bad idea",[4] creating and publishing numerous comedy sketches and short films on their YouTube channel and TikTok.[5][6]

Along with his writing career, Tomlinson starred as Ian in Barker's 2025 film Obsession, starring along with Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless and Andy Richter.[7][8] In 2026, he guest-starred in an episode of the Paramount+ western television series Dutton Ranch.[9]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2019Real WorldBrant PhillipShort film[4]
2020Meanwhile Outside the BankScottShort film[4]
2021DrywallJasonShort film[4]
2023EnigmaAdamShort film; also co-producer and writer[10]
2023WarningsKendalShort film; also producer[11]
2024That's a Bad IdeaMusic video[12]
2024Milk & SerialSevenAlso co-producer[6][13]
2025Fly Me to the EarthAngusShort film; also co-writer and co-producer[14]
2025ObsessionIanAlso associate producer[7]
TBAAnything but GhostsIan's cousinPost-production; also co-writer and executive producer[15]

Web series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2018–2019; on hiatusRoommatesChad ChurchillMain cast, also writer[16]
2024; on hiatusPrivately InvestigatedBenjiMain cast, also co-creator[17]

Television series

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2026Dutton RanchDeputy Cecil Post1 episode[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Barasch, Alex (May 11, 2026). "The Twenty-Six-Year-Old Behind Obsession, a Terrifying Tale of a Crush Gone Awry". The New Yorker. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 3, 2025). "Curry Barker to Direct, Star in 'Anything But Ghosts' for Jason Blum, Roy Lee". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  3. ↑ Couch, Aaron (April 23, 2026). "Curry Barker, Cooper Tomlinson's 'Anything But Ghosts' Lands at Focus". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Films directed by Curry Barker". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  5. ↑ Couch, Aaron (March 10, 2025). "'Milk & Serial' Filmmaker Curry Barker Signs with UTA (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 10, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Earl, William (August 26, 2024). "How 'Milk & Serial,' a Clever Slasher Made for $800 and Released for Free on YouTube, Became a Must-Watch for Horror Fans". Variety. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Piepenburg, Erik (May 14, 2026). "'Obsession' Review: I Love You to Death". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ Barbieri, Candel (May 26, 2026). "Cómo el elenco of 'Obsession' transformó la película de bajo presupuesto en un éxito" [How the cast of 'Obsession' transformed the low-budget movie into a success]. Esquire (in Spanish). Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Dutton Ranch". Plex. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  10. ↑ Enigma. that's a bad idea. 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Warnings. that's a bad idea. 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ That's a Bad Idea. that's a bad idea. 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2026 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "Cooper Tomlinson". AllMovie. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ Fly Me to the Earth. that's a bad idea. 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Couch, Aaron (September 3, 2025). "Curry Barker to Direct, Star in 'Anything But Ghosts' for Jason Blum, Roy Lee (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  16. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLkmfC6FnUyhPapygx_ODLTB_5nCl-yOk
  17. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLkmfC6FnUygnHGMITp6Euypaikur8mQ4