Georgia’s Connor Tomlinson goes beyond ‘Love on the Spectrum’ with new girlfriend
Connor Tomlinson of Cumming came onto Netflix’s second season of “Love on the Spectrum” without a lot of self-confidence.
But over three seasons, Tomlinson became a breakout star on the show. Fans loved his amusing, unfiltered one-liners, sometimes unintentional. His dry delivery didn’t hurt either. There’s no shortage of TikTok videos featuring his best lines like “If cop a feel I must, then cop a feel I shall” and “I’m sweating like a ham.”
After signing with United Talent Agency last year, he decided this spring to leave “Love on the Spectrum” and is now embarking on his own career separate from the show including the new podcast “What the Fact.” And he has been dating teacher Sarah Siebert for five months.
“My first romantic experience was on camera,” he said in an interview at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I decided I wanted to find love naturally in my own right.”
Gina Kavali, whose speed-dating and social event Table Talk for young adults on the spectrum was featured on the show’s second season, set him up with Siebert on a date this past spring. They went to Stoney River Steakhouse & Grill in Roswell and clicked.
He said he appreciated “her intelligence, her understanding and sense of responsibility.”
Tomlinson’s life was less complex before reality TV came along.
“I was a simple humble bagger at Kroger,” he said. “That is a gross oversimplication. My official title was courtesy clerk. I made friends and made small talk with customers. I sang to myself so I could focus.”
Tomlinson first watched the Australian version of “Love on the Spectrum,” enjoying Michael Theo’s journey. “When we learned there was an American version of the series, my mom thought, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be great if you went on there? It’d be your chance to find love!’” (His mom Lise Smith is also his manager and cohosts an autism-themed podcast.)
He was skeptical at first but over time, “I came to realize, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Not that I didn’t like my old job but it felt like I was going nowhere. So my brother reached out to the director Cian O’Clery with a Tweet and a link to my YouTube channel ‘Car Rides With Connor.’”
Tomlinson began taping the show in 2023 and was introduced on Season 2 in early 2024.
“To say it wasn’t difficult at times would be a lie, but as it went on, it was very character building,” Tomlinson said. “It also made me realize I was being pushed way outside my comfort zone.”
Over time, Tomlinson said he found it easier talking to women. “I wasn’t afraid to put myself out there,” he said.
Dating coach Jennifer Cook provided Tomlinson with good advice, he said, like using the acronym FORD: talk about topics like family, occupation, recreation or dreams. “It took some effort but eventually it became natural,” he said.
The show’s efforts led to his first romantic connection with artist and fellow metro Atlantan Georgie Harris during Season 3. They broke up in the summer of 2025 after a year of dating, though the news only went public when Season 4 aired earlier this year.
“We are on good terms and we both found someone new,” Tomlinson said. “I think it’s healthy to have boundaries between each other.”
Tomlinson also said the show helped him advocate for the Rio’s law, which allows individuals with developmental disabilities to obtain a voluntary, specialized license plate. This alerts law enforcement and first responders that a passenger may be neurodiverse. It also requires statewide training for first responders to better communicate with neurodivergent people.
He lobbied for the bill earlier this year at the Georgia Legislature and Rio’s ultimately passed.
“I think this helps make the state safer for the neurodiverse community and helps build community for people who are neurodiverse or autistic,” he said “I should really say on the spectrum. A bit of a mouthful but a softer touch!”
Tomlinson said talking about the law reminded him of when he was 19 and at a bake sale. “I was wearing this blanket, waving a stick around like a rapier,” he said. “I was in my own world. Two people thought I was a homeless person and called the police. That taught me a lesson that I won’t forget.”
Tomlinson’s latest venture is his new weekly “What the Fact” podcast, focused on fun facts from history. He teamed up with Carter Roy, a comic, actor and podcast host.
“Carter is the straight man and I’m the comic relief,” he said.
They shoot the podcast in Los Angeles. “I love TV and movies,” he said. “It’s great to do this in Hollywood. The dream factory!”
On the early episodes, Tomlinson tackles pirates, fairy tales and three movies that almost didn’t happen: “Jaws,” “Apocalypse Now” and “Back to the Future.”
The podcast is only partially scripted. “We do read the script but I then add some facts of my own,” he said.
During the film episode, Tomlinson hummed the foreboding theme song to “Jaws” introducing the 1975 summer blockbuster.
“Steven Spielberg was my age when he directed this?” Tomlinson said, going off script, noting they were both 27. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll be directing some day!”
He also took random forays referencing Sonic the Hedgehog, Jack Black, the T. Rex in “Jurassic Park,” horror film “Child’s Play” and Roman god Neptune while comparing lawyers to mosquitoes.
Then he imagined giving Spielberg a pep talk when “Jaws” went way over budget and the film studio threatened to shut the movie down.
“What do we do when we fall down?” Tomlinson said on the podcast. “We pick ourselves back up again. I don’t know about you, Mr. Spielberg. I’m going to pick myself up. What are you going to do?”