Gerber opened up about her writing during an appearance on Jake Shane’s ‘Therapuss’ podcast on Thursday, Aug. 6
Credit: Tristar Media/WireImage
NEED TO KNOW
- Kaia Gerber writes fan fiction, but keeps it private and says its subject is “not a human”
- Gerber made the comment during an Aug. 6 appearance on Therapuss while discussing her role in FX’s The Shards, based on Bret Easton Ellis’ 2023 novel about a serial killer in 1980s Los Angeles
- She co-founded the book club Library Science in 2020, showcasing her passion for literature and literary discussions
Kaia Gerber has also been secretly writing her own work.
“I write fan fiction,” Gerber, 24, revealed on the Aug. 6 episode of Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast. “It’s so fun to write something even if you don’t put it — like, I write fan fiction and I don’t put it anywhere, I just like it.”
The Bottoms actress did not reveal the subject of her fan fiction, and played coy when Shane, 26, questioned her about it.
“You know what I’ll say,” she quipped. “It’s not a human. There you go, next question.”
Gerber made the admission after speaking about her appreciation for the source material behind The Shards, in which she stars as Susan Reynolds. The new FX show is an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ acclaimed 2023 novel of the same name, which sees a group of high school seniors at an elite Los Angeles prep school hunted by a serial killer in 1981. Ellis’ other works include Less Than Zero and American Psycho.
This was not the first time Gerber has mentioned fan fiction.
While playing a game with British media brand VT in a clip shared on Instagram two days earlier, Gerber and her The Shards costar Graham Campbell discussed whether they would judge adult fan fiction writers.
“Adults who write erotic fan fiction, is it fine or do we judge?” the interviewer asked. Campbell, 24, said it’s “better than kids” writing erotic stories.
“That literally wasn’t the question,” Gerber responded with a laugh. “You know I write fan fiction?”
“What kind of fan fiction?” Campbell asked.
“It’s not Shards fan fiction, but I, honestly, should start writing Shards fanfic,” she replied. “I don’t know if I’ve ever spoken about it publicly, but I do write it. It’s not under my name but I do write fan fiction.”
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Gerber said it’s “not important” what kind of fan fiction she writes, and humorously silenced Campbell when he had further questions, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s move on.”
Credit: Frank Micelotta/FX via Getty
Gerber has long been open about her literary inspirations. She started her book club, Library Science, in 2020, officially launching in 2024 alongside Alyssa Reeder. In 2026, picks have included Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and I Want To Show You More by Jamie Quatro.
Campbell recently spoke to PEOPLE exclusively about his appreciation for Gerber’s bookish background.
“Kaia has a wild intelligence that I think the world knows quite a bit about, especially through her work with her company Library Science,” Campbell says of her book club. “But she’s incredibly intelligent, and she’s incredibly empathetic.”
New episodes of The Shards are released on Wednesdays on Hulu.
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