The Gilded Age star Ben Ahlers reacts to being dubbed the ‘clock twink’
Ben Ahlers is The Gilded Age’s “Clock Twink” (Karolina Wojtasik/HBO)
Ben Ahlers is The Gilded Age's "Clock Twink" (Karolina Wojtasik/HBO)
The Gilded Age‘s Ben Ahlers has reacted to being nicknamed “clock twink”.
Ahlers plays Jack Trotter in the period drama, which also stars by Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector and Cynthia Nixon.
In season three, which is coming to an end – a fourth is on the way – Trotter realised the American Dream, by making money selling his invention to improve alarm clocks. It’s hardly the most exciting-sounding show but fans love it.
And some of those fans have endeared Ahlers with the moniker “clock twink.”
The label could be short-lived, given Trotter’s success. As one person on Reddit put it: “Now he sold that clock design, he’s gonna be the clock daddy.”
Some people on social media are unsure what the name means, with one posting on X/Twitter: “Part of me wants to watch The Gilded Age so I can learn what exactly a clock twink is, but the other part of me is kind of enjoying the mystery.”
Someone else posted a gif of a teary-eyed dog.
Clock Twink saying he never had a home before this one, oh man #TheGildedAge pic.twitter.com/Gzwzmx7WaC
— holly 🪩✨ (@berthasghost) July 14, 2025
Responding to the name, Ahlers, who turns 29 this week, told Vulture that while, “The clock twink stuff is fun,” all the attention he is getting was, “at a certain point… a dopamine feedback loop”.
And he revealed to Interview magazine how he used the Brick hardware to cut back on his social media usage.
“Working right now really keeps the main thing the main thing” he said, “but it’s nice to check in a couple days after Sunday because you have the loyalists watching it at nine o’clock and then you have the people who are late to the party, and that’s when you start to really feel it.”
And in an interview with Variety where he was asked about the new nickname, Ahlers, who has also been seen in The Last of Us, said: “Listen, I’m a theatre kid. I studied musical theatre in Michigan, so I feel so loved by my community. If I’m in the same conversation as ‘Railroad Daddy,’ I welcome it completely.”
“Railroad Daddy” is the nickname bestowed by fans on Ahlers’ cast mate Spector, who plays railroad magnate George Russell.
The Gilded Age airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK and on HBO Max in the US.
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