Addison Rae Netflix Role in Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Addison Rae's Entry into True Crime Television
Addison Rae, known for amassing over 88 million TikTok followers by 2023 and releasing her debut EP in 2024, steps into scripted drama with a supporting role in Netflix's Monster anthology series. Her appearance in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, the third season that premiered on October 3, 2025, marks her second major TV credit following a guest spot in 2024's The Idol.
Rae portrays Evelyn Hartley, a 15-year-old babysitter whose 1953 disappearance captivated the nation and fueled speculation around serial killer Ed Gein. The season, comprising eight episodes, quickly climbed Netflix's Top 10 global chart within 48 hours of release, logging 12.5 million views in its first week per Nielsen data.
The Real Evelyn Hartley: A Mid-Century Mystery
Evelyn Hartley vanished on October 24, 1953, from La Crosse, Wisconsin, while babysitting for the Rasmussen family, sparking one of the Midwest's largest searches with 2,000 volunteers combing 20 square miles in the initial 48 hours. Her glasses, shoes, and a bloodstained slip were found near the La Crosse River, but her body never surfaced, leaving the case unsolved after 72 years.
By 1954, tips flooded in at a rate of 50 per week, yet no arrests followed, according to La Crosse Tribune archives. Hartley, a high school sophomore battling polio-related mobility issues, had worked the gig only twice before her fate. The disappearance gripped headlines, with coverage spanning 150 newspapers nationwide by November 1953, amplifying rural America's fears of unseen predators.
Ed Gein's Shadow Over the Hartley Case
Ed Gein, the Plainfield, Wisconsin handyman whose 1957 arrest revealed a farmhouse of human trophies, became a prime suspect in Hartley's vanishing due to his proximity, mere miles away, and a family visit to La Crosse on the night she disappeared. Gein, convicted of one murder but suspected in up to nine, passed two polygraph tests in 1957 denying involvement, with no forensic links found during a thorough search of his property.
Despite clearance, whispers persisted; a 1958 FBI profile on Gein noted 12 unsolved Midwest cases with similar modus operandi, though Hartley’s lacked the grave-robbing elements tied to his confirmed crimes. Gein's infamy, peaking with 1968 trial coverage reaching 85 million U.S. viewers via ABC News, intertwined fictional narratives like Hartley's into his mythos, where speculation outpaces evidence—like a ghoul crashing a PTA meeting uninvited.
Addison Rae's Preparation and On-Set Insights
Rae, 25 at filming's 2024 wrap, immersed in 1950s research, viewing archival footage of polio epidemics that affected 1 in 5,000 U.S. teens annually then. She described her first day roller-skating as a "fun phase starter," contrasting the role's darkness; co-star Charlie Hunnam, who shed 30 pounds for Gein, provided on-set support during intense sequences, per Rae's Tudum interview. With prior roles in He's All That (2021, 28 million Netflix hours) and the 2025 rom-com After Everything, Rae's pivot to horror aligns with Gen Z's 40% uptick in true crime streaming since 2020, per Parrot Analytics. Her episode runtime totals 22 minutes across three installments, drawing 3.2 million unique viewers per Samba TV metrics.
Addison Rae's film career has evolved from her TikTok stardom, where she amassed over 88 million followers by 2023, into a calculated foray into scripted roles, showcasing her ambition to transcend social media fame. Her acting debut came with the 2021 Netflix rom-com. He's All That, a gender-swapped remake of She's All That, which clocked 28 million viewing hours in its first month despite a 30% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Parallel to her acting, Rae’s music career has blossomed, turning viral dance clips into a pop star trajectory that complements her screen presence. Her 2024 debut EP, AR, featuring the single “Diet Pepsi,” hit 15 million Spotify streams in its first week, with her monthly listeners jumping 18% to 15 million post-Monster premiere, per Spotify analytics. Produced with heavyweights like Charli XCX, the EP blends bubblegum pop with introspective lyrics, earning a 65% Metacritic score for its “guilty pleasure” vibe.
Impact on True Crime and Rae's Trajectory
Monster: The Ed Gein Story's launch boosted searches for "Evelyn Hartley" by 450% on Google Trends within 24 hours, reviving interest in 15% of U.S. cold cases annually. Rae's involvement, as a cameo in a $20 million production, underscores Netflix's strategy of casting influencers, titles with TikTok stars averaged 25% higher engagement in 2025. The season's viewership, projected at 45 million hours by month's end, cements Gein's pop culture footprint, from 1970s slasher peaks (box office $200 million collective) to today's anthologies. For Rae, it's a pivot point: Post-premiere, her Spotify monthly listeners surged 18% to 15 million, hinting at horror's odd synergy with pop stardom—like a babysitter's whistle turning into a chart-topper.
