‘Queer Eye’s’ Jonathan Van Ness Previews New Book And New Show

You are about to see a lot of Jonathan Van Ness. His newest Netflix show launches later this month, he has a new book coming out in May, and his influencer business is booming with new partnerships.  

Let’s start with the book. Like everyone else, Van Ness needed something to do when the pandemic hit, and people began hunkering in place. Van Ness, best known as one of the Fab Five on the hit Netflix show Queer Eye, couldn’t exactly keep up with his day job—going into people’s houses was against lockdown cardinal rule No. 1.

With most programs going on unintended hiatus anyway, Van Ness dove into something creative he could pursue on his own. He wrote.

The 34-year-old hairdresser and stylist had published his memoir, the bestselling Over the Top, to acclaim in 2019, opening up about addiction and his HIV status. But his pandemic writings took a different form.

“Immediately after I did the Over the Top audio, I started writing essays about other subjects I was curious about. One thing led to another, and I had all these files of essays. I figured I’d save them for a rainy day,” says Van Ness. That “rainy day” turned out to be a pandemic lockdown. His future husband had just moved to Austin to be with Van Ness, who had plenty to reflect on as he began expanding on the essays.

“I realized after a few months, ‘Hey, I think I have something here,’” he says. “So I talked to my editor and publisher about it, and we all decided there was something to share.”

In the new book, Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life, Van Ness writes about everything from imposter syndrome to what he terms the HIV social safety net. He also touches a lot on confidence, which is at the core of what Queer Eye aims to instill in its makeover subjects.

“Shifting your perspective can help you celebrate something that you are already doing that’s amazing,” he says. “A long time ago, I realized that things that may be really trendy or really popular, I was never going to have, like pin-straight hair. I always had a little frizz. I realized, I don’t need to have frizz-free hair. I just do not have the texture. That made me feel more confident. I don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. It gives you a lot of freedom.”

That’s seen on the red carpet, where Van Ness wears gorgeous gowns with confidence. It’s also played into some of his endorsement decisions. He recently became an ambassador for Smile Direct’s Confidence Council, which he says gives people an opportunity to build confidence through smiles.

“I don’t know about you, but I had braces as a kid and definitely didn’t make friends with my retainer,” he laughs. “One of my teeth decided to go on vacation up north in my gums and didn’t come back. I needed a shift. For me, I like the idea of being transparent when I do things to change my appearance. There’s an expectation for perfection and a certain ideal of beauty, but I think it’s about confidence for me.”

Love That Story will be out on April 12. In the meantime, Van Ness launches his newest venture for Netflix, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, a spinoff of his podcast, on Friday. He says the focus, finding out new things about subjects he’s curious about, dovetails with his essays. He notes that he’s ready to explore and expand his point of view at this point in his life.  

“I think I have always learned the most when I was uncomfortable,” he says. “I’m excited about the book and the show because I get to paint with more colors and create more texture while staying true to my voice. I think the thing that unifies all of us is we don’t grow when we’re comfortable.”