Is Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson dating a stunning Instagram model named Abigail Ratchford?! Romance rumors about these two started on Aug. 7, when she shared a photo of his dog, Rocco, on her Instagram story (there was also a picture of basketballs on the counter in the background of the pic). Alongside the picture, she wrote, “That was the best I’ve slept in a year,” according to The Mercury News. There was no evidence that Abigail was actually with Klay, but the comment about getting a good night’s sleep was enough for people to speculate that she had been snuggling with him the night before. Get to know Abigail here:
1. She makes $170,000 a year from Instagram endorsements alone. Abigail’s career as an online sensation began in 2013, when a photographer simply asked her to model his swimsuits so he could add to his portfolio. She quickly caught the attention of sites like Maxim and Barstool Sports, and once she realized she was gaining popularity, she created an Instagram account that quickly racked up followers. She began modeling for free, but would make money by selling signed photos for $30 a piece. Once she built up her Instagram follower count to the hundreds of thousands, she began getting paid to endorse products on the site, and more and more offers started flooding in. Now, she has nearly 8 million followers, and can make up to $6,000 per post!
2. She’s worked with Kanye West. In 2015, Kanye West, 40, caught wind of Abigail’s page, and he asked her to model for his book Zine. “He said that he really liked my Instagram,” she told the New York Post.
3. She doesn’t want to making a living off taking sexy selfies forever. While Abigail still uses Instagram to upload super sexy photos and videos for her male following, she’s started using Snapchat to gain female fans and hopefully kick off a career in cosmetics. On Snapchat, she posts beauty and makeup tutorials. “By 35 I want to be married and have kids, and I can’t be posting these photos,” she admitted to the Post. “Females are the ones who are gonna be spending the most money on weight loss and beauty products.”
4. She’s dated another recognizable name. When Abigail first moved to L.A., she was in a relationship with Jamie Iovine, whose dad is Interscope Records founder, Jimmy Iovine (they split in 2015). She’s also been romantically linked to Johnny Manziel, but has said they’re just friends.
5. Don’t expect her to go public with her relationship if she is dating Klay. Abigail admitted that when she was dating Jamie, she made the “mistake” of being very public with the romance. “My manager was right that I shouldn’t put [my relationship] out there,” she said. “It’s never a good business move. You kind of have to pretend you’re single, so [fans] can have the fantasy of having a chance with you.”
HollywoodLifers, do you think Abigail and Klay are dating? What are you most surprised to know about her?