Fast Links
Best known as the beauty expert on Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Jonathan Van Ness recently granted an interview detailing his life, career, and how putting himself out there has helped him advance. The TV personality, who is one of the infamous “fab five” on the Netflix series, has kept busy with a handful of ventures outside the reality show, from his career as a stylist and grooming expert to his outstanding gymnastic escapades, which have caught public eyes in recent times.
Sitting down with hosts of the Network 10 chat show, The Project, the star touched on his career adventures so far, including his rarely-discussed past as a cheerleader and comedian.
Putting Himself Out There Helped JVN Navigate Multiple Careers
The star left little out during his appearance on Network 10’s The Project on Tuesday, September 27. At the start of the interview, co-host Katherine Langbroek asked Jonathan Van Ness how he went from being a grooming expert on Queer Eye to displaying his gymnastic and comic talents on social media. In response, the icon explained that his career in comedy began long before his stint on reality TV.
According to him, he did a bit of open mic and comedy early in his career but intensified his effort after appearing on the Network 10 show. He began small but soon made a big career out of it, spending the last three years on various tours. The 35-year-old admitted performing on stage made him feel like the most authentic version of himself, as he got a chance to put it all out there.
Katherine also brought up Jonathan’s antics on stage, particularly adding backflips to his routines. At this, Jonathan dropped the shocking revelation that he used to be a cheerleader. Explaining further, he pointed out that as a former cheerleader, he felt the urge to do backflips occasionally, just to confirm if he still had it in him. Seeing people’s reactions to his gymnastic routines onstage made him adopt it officially as part of his routine. He explained,
“It’s like my love letter to gymnastics. It’s like my love letter to like… just kind of see what could happen with life. I think it’s really exciting to just like put yourself out there in that way and people just like really love it. Now it’s like part of the show, so I just love it.”
Grooming On Queer Eye Was More Than Just A Passion For Jonathan Van Ness
Elsewhere in the interview, Jonathan Van Ness dissected his career as a stylist and grooming expert, which landed him his spot on Queer Eye. Asked if he had unsatisfied customers, or perhaps those anticipating his return to the profession, the icon admitted he had no idea. However, he confirmed that most of his customers were excited for him as he continued making headway on stage at the expense of his styling career.
Notwithstanding, he sometimes missed his grooming career and former customers. To work around this, Jonathan tries to reach out to them randomly to ask about their well-being. Despite missing his past as a pro hairstylist, the Gay Of Thrones star remained firm in his decision to keep that part of his life on the sidelines and focus on his comedy sketches. So far, this new venture has paid off for Jonathan Van Ness, who stole hearts on Queer Eye for years as part of the fab five.