Jonathan Van Ness does not perform makeovers. The candid, charismatic grooming and self-care expert does not transform Queer Eye "heroes" into better versions of themselves; Van Ness illuminates the beauty already flickering inside. The magic is in the exploration, acceptance, and celebration.
"Beauty is about seeing how you want to show up in the world – taking little risks, taking big risks," says Van Ness, 39. "It's meant to be fun. Can we play? Can we remove shame?"
In a way, these questions have defined the life and career of Van Ness, who endured bullying and abuse as a child growing up in the small Midwestern town that they left at age 17. Since then, the nonbinary stylist has worked with celebrity clients at an L.A. salon, starred in the hit series Queer Eye, founded the JVN line of hair products, launched the popular podcast Getting Better, written a memoir and children's books, and, most recently, embarked on an international stand-up comedy tour, Hot and Healed.
Can we play? Clearly, the answer is Yes.
Can we remove the shame? Van Ness is working on it – in part, by sharing very personal and sometimes painful parts of their story, including experiences with binge eating, childhood abuse, substance use disorder, and living with HIV. These conversations are healing and healthy, they say, but not always heavy.
This is because Van Ness bridges binaries of many kinds, including the distinction between comedy and tragedy, joy and pain. Of their stand-up show, they say: "It is fun and raucous, but we're taking on ageism, misogyny, xenophobia, transphobia, racism. Honey, we're taking on all of it, but we're doing it with joy – with queer joy – and so many Julia Roberts references."
Growing Out the Roots
Van Ness did not blend in as a child.
A die-hard lover of women's gymnastics and figure skating, little Jack wanted to watch the Miss America pageant, not race paper airplanes with the Boy Scouts. Their energy and exuberance was largely rewarded with ridicule, until Van Ness joined the high school cheerleading team and finally found a sense of community and belonging.
After a brief stint in college, Van Ness completed training at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, then began styling hair in Phoenix, where they built a loyal clientele. But when the 2009 financial crisis shook the city's economy, Van Ness saw the disruption as an opportunity to level up in Los Angeles.
"None of it was very fast," says Van Ness of their professional journey from 2006 to 2012. But hard work doesn't deter Van Ness, provided it's powered by genuine interest – evidence, they say, of their neurodivergence. "If I'm not interested in the subject, you really can't make me want to do it," they explain. "But if I'm naturally interested in it, you better watch out, 'cause this freight train is coming through."
Highlights and Lowlights
Throughout adolescence and early adulthood, Van Ness struggled with compulsive eating, drug use, and other kinds of addiction – all unhealthy coping mechanisms tied to their complex trauma from childhood. Then Van Ness learned they were HIV positive.
"The one thing that really saved me was the salon, the passion for doing hair," Van Ness says. "I always had that North Star."
The salon in L.A. opened a new world of opportunity. "Because I had the most amazing clients – lawyers, doctors, actors, celebrities, so many different people – I got to learn about aspects of their lives," Van Ness says, prompting the revelation: "'If you could heal, you could do some of these things.'"
One of those clients collaborated with Van Ness on "Gay of Thrones," an Emmy-nominated parody series that debuted in 2013. "Before her, I never thought I could be an actor or writer or comedian," Van Ness says. "It was totally outside my world of possibility."
On the heels of that success, Van Ness got a call regarding the reboot of Queer Eye, the show that would change their life.
Adding Some Body
Queer Eye, now in its tenth and final season, was an education for Van Ness.
"I learned to try not to impart my idea of beauty onto someone else, because you might be unloading your shame without even realizing it," they say. "I had internalized fat phobia, and I didn't even know."
Van Ness found that each time they worked with a hero, a unique approach was needed: "Every single time really was different," they say. "Part of the magic of my nonbinary-ness is that I am able to pivot."
And pivot they did. In the early years of Queer Eye, as Van Ness's fame grew, they tackled health and healing, both emotional and physical. Van Ness leaned into vulnerability, writing the memoir Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love. They started working with a nutritionist, building healthy eating and exercise habits, teaching yoga three times a week, tumbling, even ice skating with their hero, Michelle Kwan. Through caloric deficit, exercise, and macro-tracking, they lost 50 pounds.
"I was on such a meteoric rise," Van Ness says now. "I think I thought that because I'd achieved financial stability, all my maladaptive coping strategies would go away."
But 2023 brought the tragic loss of a young family member, and 2024 ushered in professional stress at JVN Hair and Queer Eye. The stress knocked Van Ness's healthy habits out of whack. "My binge eating disorder came back with such a vengeance. I was eating in secret, doing things I regretted all the time. I gained 80 pounds," says Van Ness, who calls their addiction a gopher. Though often hidden from sight, it's always under the surface, ready to pop up and cause havoc in different arenas like eating, sex, drugs, or shopping.
Repair Treatments
In 2024, a medical issue associated with their weight fluctuations prompted Van Ness to start using a GLP-1 medication.
"I had it in my mind that it was a cheat. I thought, 'I should be able to willpower my way out of this,'" Van Ness says. Then the food noise stopped for the first time ever, and Van Ness says they were able to gain control over their eating. "Sometimes, I still have that feeling of, 'Oh, that was a long day; I really could use a little cinnamon roll or a cookie,'" they say. "But now I eat one serving, not 15 servings. And GLP-1s unlocked that for me."
Next came power walking. The ensuing endorphin rush reminded Van Ness of the joys they had found in group fitness, whether on the gymnastics team as a kid, as a cheerleader in college, or teaching yoga in their 20s. So they enrolled in a Pilates class.
"I went and met all these really nice people. And when I got in the shower after, and the water hit my back, I just started hyperventilate-sobbing," they recall. "All that grief of losing my family member, what I went through with my health and my career – it came spilling out and I was like, 'Co-regulation, queen! It's group fitness – that's what it is!'"
Strong and Healthy
Today, Van Ness reports feeling healthy, balanced, and strong.
"My knees, ankles, hips, and hamstrings feel a lot less like they're going to break into pieces," says Van Ness, who is reaching new heights in their gymnastics journey. "At 39 years old, to be cranking a two-and-a-half twisting layout for the first time? It's kind of cool."
Physical, personal, and professional strength are intertwined for Van Ness.
While on their Hot and Healed comedy tour, Van Ness is also recording two new podcast episodes a week and working on an adult novel and a scripted project. Fans can expect new product launches and expansions at JVN Hair and a slew of guest appearances in the upcoming months.
"I could get things done so much faster if I would just do one thing at a time, but I can't," Van Ness says. "I'm passionate about so many different things."
And these passions are gifts, even when they come wrapped in heartache. The tenacity that rises from passion has guided Van Ness through some remarkable (and remarkably hard) times. Their message to young people, especially those who feel out of place or misunderstood?
"Whatever it is that you're passionate about – celebrate that," Van Ness urges. "Learn more about the things you love … and watch Erin Brockovich!"
