Model With Down Syndrome Appears In Walmart Commercial

CLEARWATER, FL — Ethan Holt has always wanted to be on television.

His mother, Phoy Holt, told WTHR the Clearwater native with Down syndrome said at a young age “he was going to be famous.”

And, if he wasn’t already, he definitely is now. At age 19, Holt appears in a 30-second Walmart commercial that began airing nationally this month.

Holt has worked as a model for nearly two years now. He was first featured on the Clearwater-based Surf Style beachwear website and social media in 2019, and a year later landed his first in-store campaign with the local clothing company.

“I love being on camera. It’s a lot of fun,” Ethan Holt told WTHR this week. “I do the work. I do all of that. I listen to everybody and do all of that.”

In the Walmart commercial, Holt is shown quickly pulling something out of a basket as part of the retail giant’s “think spring” ad campaign.

The Walmart gig isn’t the teen’s first commercial appearance. He has appeared in ads for Advent Health that have aired across Florida for more than a year. He’s available for more, too.

Holt’s quick rise in the modeling world has instilled pride in those who have guided him along the way.

“If I were to think of a student who just shows outstanding leadership, that’s Ethan,” Northeast High School Principal Mike Hernandez told WTHR. “There is just an energy in him that just attracts others to want to be near him and follow him.”