Queer Eye Star Opens Up About Hitting Rock Bottom: Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness traces his journey from a queer, effeminate child in rural Illinois through sexual abuse, bullying, drug addiction, sex work and an HIV diagnosis to becoming a leader in his industry. He opens up about sexual compulsivity, hitting rock bottom, and the healing role of therapy, sobriety, animals and his marriage. The conversation turns to the recent surge in transphobia, which he attributes to conservative think tanks, corporate greed and fear-mongering rather than genuine concern for children. He explains intersex biology and argues biological sex is a spectrum, urging listeners to interrogate their beliefs. He also shares his passion for building affordable, high-functioning hair products.

• Jonathan reveals he is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
  00:09:18
• He describes turning to sex work at university to fund a cocaine and drug habit after his mother cut him off.
  00:18:03
• He says someone pulled a gun on him during the dangerous situations he faced as a teenage sex worker.
  00:19:35
• His stepfather's cancer, the breakup with his first love, and an HIV diagnosis converged as his most self-destructive era.
  00:24:43
• He reveals he had been to rehab twice and addressed sexual compulsivity before contracting HIV.
  00:28:51
• Steven Bartlett delivers a Huel protein sponsor read praising the Salted Caramel flavor.
  00:51:34
• Jonathan shares that his sister-in-law Leslie died of strep throat in four days, two months before the interview.
  00:54:39

• Jonathan was in therapy from age five, which he credits with keeping him alive.
  00:13:25
• Finding a stray kitten in the hood of a car became a turning point that gave him purpose; he now has multiple cats and dogs.
  00:20:38
• His TV career began by ad-libbing a Game of Thrones recap while doing a client's hair, becoming the web series Gay of Thrones.
  00:39:45
• He booked Queer Eye in 2017, four years after Gay of Thrones started in 2013, after many setbacks.
  00:44:54
• He argues trans rights and bathrooms became political wedge issues that worked for Republicans in Virginia elections.
  01:01:54
• He explains intersex is the 'I' in LGBTQIA and cites that up to two percent of the population is intersex.
  01:03:59
• He describes how doctors often perform genital surgery on intersex babies, saying 'it's easier to dig a hole than build a pole.'
  01:05:00
• He recounts a Utah girls' soccer team accused of having transgender players simply because they won.
  01:07:35

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