In a couple of weeks, the cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye will descend on DC, guiding a handful of lucky locals through a series of life renovations, gently prodding them to upgrade their fashion, grooming, home décor, cooking, and emotional literacy. Jonathan Van Ness—the show’s warmhearted and bubbly hair-care guru—called us on Friday for a brief chat. This was ostensibly to promote an event at the Dupont Circle Hotel this coming Sunday, where the TV star will do live styling demos with products from JVN Hair. We spoke about that—but mostly about politics. Our interview was nine minutes long, but Van Ness talks fast, so we packed a lot in.
Hi, Jonathan.
Sorry I was late, I was feverishly trying to get my laptop to cooperate, but it was not having it on this hotel WiFi. I’m in Ohio.
What are you doing there?
I’m at a comedy club tonight and tomorrow night. I had my first special come out last year, and when you have a special come out, you have to kind of retire that material. So “Hot & Healed” is my whole new hour, and I have been workshopping it in comedy clubs in pretty red and purple states. I’ve been having so much fun.
Why red and purple states?
I’ve been in, like, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas—not even purple, actually, just fucking red. Or stinking red, excuse my French. I think it’s partly because I grew up in Illinois, which is a blue state, but I’m from really rural Illinois, and there are huge communities of queer people in these places that want to be seen, they want to be entertained. And so I just feel like we need community, we need hope, we need safe spaces to come together. I mean, I was just in Oklahoma City last week for the No Kings March, and I could not believe the turnout. It was gigantic. Like, I feel like there were more people in Oklahoma City protesting than came to the military parade. So that was pretty inspiring to see. And then I think the other part of it is that when you’re workshopping a new set, those people are really excited that you’re there, so if there’s some parts that aren’t working yet, it’s, like, a little softer.
In a few weeks, you’re coming to DC to film the new season of Queer Eye. How did you decide on DC?
I think it’s visually such an amazing place. There’s so much eye candy for the screen. And in this iteration of Queer Eye, the logline was “turning red states pink, one makeover at a time.” I very much believe in DC statehood—especially considering this country was founded on “no taxation without representation,” and DC doesn’t have a voting member of Congress or the Senate, which is pretty crazy. But I think that there’s really no better place to explore the polarization of our political climate than Washington, DC. So I think that’s part of why Netflix came to the decision to have us go there.
Are you thinking about it as winning over the new administration one makeover at a time?
I don’t think it’s the administration so much. That was the logline when the show came back [in 2018], but I think [this season] is really about exploring the people that are in Washington, DC. People in DC have had such an intense few years, so I’m excited to meet them and see what they’re going through.
Queer Eye has been, historically, about having dialogue with people you disagree with. What do you think the show has to offer this political moment?
I spend a lot of time wondering about, is it better for us to spend our time trying to convince people that are diametrically opposed to our views—you know, hard right conservatives—or is it better to try to get the millions and millions of people who didn’t vote and who aren’t actively engaged in the political process to get involved and to be aware of their power? Hopefully, Queer Eye can deal with both of these issues. Part of Queer Eye’s goal is to sit with people that have diametrically different viewpoints—and I’m not gonna lie, that’s been incredibly mentally challenging to do over the last eight years. But I do think that that’s an important muscle to exercise.
Sarah McBride, our first trans Congresswoman, recently said that the left has shrunk its tent by failing to extend grace to imperfect allies. In a sense, that’s what Queer Eye is about—extending grace to people who are potentially open to changing their minds but aren’t there yet.
First of all, I’m a huge fan of Congresswoman McBride. And I do think that, yes, we need to be more graceful with people as they are learning about issues. I myself, when I first heard the term “white privilege”—I think it was like 2014—I bristled. It wasn’t until, like, 2016 when I was like, “Oh, yeah, white people have not had to deal with the same things that BIPOC people have dealt with, and we do not have the same starting point, and it is not fair.” It took a couple years of slow exposure for me to internalize it.
But I think we also need to do a better job of making sure that people are aware of their voice, because conservatives are really good at that. Conservatives are really good about getting people engaged by making them think that they are under attack by trans people and immigrants, when really it’s billionaires holding untold amounts of wealth. And like I say in my stand-up tour, when I realized that a billion was not a hundred million, it’s a thousand million—that’s crazy. No one needs a thousand million dollars. No one does. Like, I’ve made a couple million in my career, and I have been wanting for nothing. So let’s get it together.
Wow, you’re on your comedy tour and the Fighting Oligarchy tour.
It’s both, honey. I’m nonbinary.
Where can fans meet you in DC?
Okay, this is a vibe shift, but in addition to being a comedian and a hairdresser, I’m also a founder of JVN hair, which is my biggest baby of my life. I don’t know if my phone will flip while I’m on this—oh yeah. [The camera flips to show Van Ness’s hotel windowsill, which is cluttered with brushes and bottles and sprays, plus a coffee cup.] Our air dry cream is back in stock right now, so I was just filming on this window, making content, doing my little curls.
But we’re really excited to partner with the Dupont Circle Hotel for a hair care masterclass. I’m going to do live demos. One thing in my career that I’m so grateful for is that I’ve gotten to write books, I’ve gotten to tour comedy, I’ve gotten to do hair on telly. There’s my podcasting—I’m obsessed with it. But I have always known that I love to do hair, and I love to talk to people about their hair and teach people how to do their hair, and if all I had ever done was be in a salon for my entire career, I would have been so happy and fulfilled. So getting to do things like this where I get to connect with people about their hair—this is just very much my wheelhouse. I can’t wait to meet people and get into their hair in DC.
