Tipton competed in four U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. They and their pair partner, Phillip Cooke, twice became regional champions, and competed twice at the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championships on the Juvenile level.[8] Tipton retired from competitive skating at 16 but continued to skate in charity ice shows for AIDS foundations and to rebuild a rink damaged in a fire.[9]
Tipton became the last eliminated contestant on Cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model in 2008.[13] They were recruited through MySpace and asked to audition in Los Angeles.[7] At the beginning of the show, Tipton revealed that they once encountered sex traffickers posing as modeling agents. They were then sold to a Saudi Arabian prince, but managed to get out of the situation before the deal was finalized.[14] Tipton was called first twice, one for the first CoverGirl commercial, which Tyra Banks deemed "the best CoverGirl commercial in the history of America's Next Top Model."[15] They also won the go-sees challenge by booking all three of their go-sees and getting back on time.[16] They were subsequently eliminated in the finale after forgetting their lines in the second CoverGirl commercial, which left Samantha Potter and McKey Sullivan to walk in the finale runway show.[15]
Tipton signed with Ford Models in Los Angeles and Abrams Artists Agency, in both the commercial and theatrical divisions.[17] They appeared in Spain's Marie Claire, Seventeen magazine's December 2008–January 2009 edition, a several-page spread in Maxim,[18] and in Vogue. They were also featured in ads for Forever 21 and Guess.
In 2010, they modeled Geren Ford's pre-fall 2010 collection. For Los Angeles Fashion Week, they walked for Skingraft and David Alexander for the S/S 2010 season.[19]
Acting
Tipton at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
Tipton and Samantha Potter appeared as guest stars on an episode of the television series The Big Bang Theory in 2008[20] and by themself in a different role in 2015. Tipton played a babysitter who has a crush on Steve Carell's character in Crazy, Stupid, Love,[21] prompting The New York Times to call them a "face to watch".[22]
Tipton was cast in the third season of HBO's TV comedy Hung, portraying Sandee, a young gigolo's scheming fiancée.[23] They played a supporting role in the zombie-apocalyptic horror-romance Warm Bodies, directed by Jonathan Levine.[24] They had a small role opposite Scarlett Johansson in the 2014 science fiction action film Lucy. They had their first lead role in Two Night Stand, directed by Max Nichols, which was released on September 26, 2014.[25]
In 2018, Tipton played Avery's date, Lauren, on the new season of Murphy Brown (S1:E7, "A Lifetime of Achievement").[26]
Personal life
Tipton announced in June 2021 that they are queer and non-binary, and use they/them pronouns.[6] Tipton married entertainment executive Chaz Salembier in October 2022.[27]
