Jonathan Van Ness on the Queer Eye Episode That Made Him Cry

[View on the web]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Entertainment [Jonathan Van Ness Does Not Agree That Round-brushing Is High Maintenance, Henny]( [Jonathan Van Ness]( [Queer Eye]( has been the societal corrective we need lately. Netflix’s reboot of the 2003 Bravo original is now two seasons old, and is, as its tagline notes, “more than a makeover” show. While Queer Eye for the Straight Guy helped schlubby cisgender hetero men make over their lives, the new Queer Eye sneakily wants to make over society. It goes deeper than the original. The five gurus/stars of the show are as open to learning as their subjects are. As a result, after only a few months, viewers really seem to have forged a connection with them. The show’s breakout star has arguably been Jonathan Van Ness, the long-haired goofball in charge of grooming. He is charismatic. He is sunny. He prances. He radiates self-assurance. The highest compliment he can bestow on anything is “cute,” though he also knows how to turn the word into cutting political commentary, as in a recent [tweet]( where he wrote: “Omg can we do that cute unconstitutional thing again where we stall on nominees until the next election?” Van Ness has hosted a podcast called [Getting Curious]( since 2015. For each episode, he asks questions like, “What’s a menstrual cup?” and “Who is Bernie Sanders?” then finds the appropriate guest to help him answer it. He also hosts a Game of Thrones recap show call [Gay of Thrones]( on Funny or Die. So while he’s no stranger to quipping, this level of fame is new to him. He’s honed his craft on Queer Eye. And Kesha just announced a four-day [music festival cruise]( called “Kesha’s Weird & Wonderful Rainbow Ride.” Van Ness is in the lineup. Van Ness hopped on the phone with Racked to talk about fellow host and fashion expert Tan France’s awe-inspiring pompadour, cruising with Kesha, Trump’s misogyny, and who he wants to work with on Queer Eye in the future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What is the question you get asked most by fans when they meet you? I don’t get that many questions! It’s more like all-out shock and, “Oh my god!” and “Can we take a picture?” and “I love you!” then back to shock. I’m like, “It’s okay. Don’t cry! Unless you’ve really got to cry it out, then I’m here for you for that.” I feel like I’m usually just trying to get everyone calm and not make a scene. Not that I’m scared of a scene, but if someone approaches me and starts freaking out, I’ve gotten myself into a position where it’s like an impromptu meet-and-greet and I’m surrounded by 40 people and I’m like [shrieks]. I’m usually just about comforting everyone and keeping the movement of traffic on the sidewalk flowing. So how many selfies with people do you estimate you’re taking these days when you’re out in the world? It depends how late I am. If I’m really late, I go into disguise mode. It’s head down, glasses on, lightweight summer hat. I do the Princess Diana treatment. But if I get spotted, my heart still is too big to not stop and chat and have a full conversation and take pictures. But if it’s a day where I’m trying to do the incognito look, probably 10 to 20. If I’m lost and my head is up and out and I don’t have sunglasses on and I’m meandering, it could be like ... I don’t even know. 50? 60? It’s a lot, especially in New York. [Read the rest of the story here>>]( Ad from our sponsor News [H&M Is Leaning Into Discounts]( [H&M store]( For a while, it seemed like fast fashion was immune to the [current retail apocalypse](. Zara, for example, recently boasted [surging sales]( and opened 183 stores this year, at a time when department stores and mall brands were hit with [bankruptcies]( and [store closures](. But not all fast fashion brands are created equal: H&M, the Swedish fast fashion giant, is having trouble selling its clothes. On Thursday, in its quarterly [earnings announcement](, H&M reported that profits have declined 21 percent. It made $520 million from March to May. That’s plenty of successfully sold T-shirts and maxi dresses, but it doesn’t exactly reflect H&M’s huge footprint, seeing as it has 4,700 stores around the world. The news of its slipping sales comes three months after H&M admitted in March that it’s currently stuck with about [$4.3 billion worth of unsold clothes](. The company’s supply chain hasn’t kept up with shoppers’ migrating to the web, and so it’s left with mountains of inventory that it can’t sell. “The first half of the year has been somewhat more challenging than we initially thought,” chief executive Karl-Johan Persson admitted to analysts. H&M will now be marking down its clothes, according to [Reuters](. The company believes these cuts will appeal to shoppers already looking for steep discounts, and will simultaneously help it get rid of the inventory problem. Most of the clothes that will be marked down will be from the prior season, according to [Bloomberg](. But will shoppers buy last season’s unwanted stock at a discount when they can get more current trends at any of the other fast fashion chains? H&M’s price-slashing strategy might help it get rid of a pile or two of pants and tees, but the fashion company has bigger problems. Its design and business strategy has actually slowed in comparison to competitors. [Read the rest of the story here >>]( Did a friend forward you this email? [Sign up for the Racked email newsletter](. [MORE GOOD STUFF TO READ TODAY](#) - [Another Brand Just Cut Ties With a White Lady Doing Racist Stuff on Camera]( - [How David Beckham Became the Most Marketable Man in the World]( - [Here’s Why Dust Masks and Bra Cups Look So Much Alike]( - [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Red Lipstick Is a Symbol of Change]( - [Why Nigeria’s World Cup Jerseys Aren’t Going Anywhere]( Ad from our sponsor From the Archives A selection from the editors at Racked [vintage store]( [Are Vintage Stores Harbingers of Gentrification?]( Coffee shops and art galleries aren’t the only signs a neighborhood is changing. [Read More]( [a woman putting on lipstick]( [What ‘Cult’ Means When It Comes to Beauty]( How a word about religion and devotion became our favorite adjective for popular lipsticks and serums. 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