Since the release of its first season at the beginning of 2018, Queer Eye‘s Fab Five have become household names, but perhaps no one more than the show’s grooming expert, Jonathan Van Ness. Van Ness is known for his bubbly personality and hilarious one-liners, such as ‘Yas, Queen’, however, in in his new book, Over the Top, the reality TV star and comedian reveals that his life hasn’t always been filled with the happiness he exudes.
In an interview with the New York Times ahead of his memior’s release, Van Ness comes out as H.I.V. positive, saying that he found out after aged 25 after he fainted in a hair salon and went to get tested for his flu-like symptoms. “That day was just as devastating as you would think it would be,” he writes.
“When Queer Eye came out, it was really difficult because I was like, ‘Do I want to talk about my status?’ And then I was like, ‘The Trump administration has done everything they can do to have the stigmatization of the L.G.B.T. community thrive around me. I do feel the need to talk about this,” Van Ness, who describes himself as an out-and-proud “member of the beautiful H.I.V.-positive community,” told the NYT of his decision to include his diagnosis in his book.
Following the interview’s release, Van Ness was met with an outpouring of support from celebrities around the world, including from his Queer Eye costars. Antony Poroswki, who was rumoured to be dating Van Ness, wrote, “Love you proud of you,” while Tan France wrote “LOVE YOU, JACKI.” Bobby Berk added “Love you baby boy. So proud of you ♥️♥️♥️♥️”
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