Jonathan Van Ness
Van Ness in April 2018
Born	Jonathan McDonald Van Ness (1987-03-28)March 28, 1987 (age 38) Quincy, Illinois, U.S.
Education	University of Arizona (dropped out)
Occupations	TV personality podcast host hairdresser author comedian
Years active	2013–present
Television	Queer Eye
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mark Peacock ​ (m. 2020)​

Jonathan McDonald Van Ness (born March 28, 1987),^[1] also commonly referred to by his^[a] initialsJ.V.N., is an American hairstylist, podcast host and television personality. He is best known as the grooming expert on theNetflix seriesQueer Eye,^[2] for his work on the web series parodyGay of Thrones, and for hosting theGetting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness podcast. He is also known for comedy tours, the 2023 tour entitledFun & Slutty with Jonathan Van Ness.^[3][4]

Jonathan Van Ness was born March 28, 1987, to parents Mary Winters and Jonathan Lyle Van Ness, and raised inQuincy, Illinois.^[1][5] He said he comes "from a family of journalists", being the sixth generation of his family-owned newspaper.^[6] This refers to broadcast and newspaper conglomerateQuincy Media and the company's local flagship newspaper, theHerald-Whig; Van Ness's mother is the vice president of Quincy Media, and he is a descendant of the Oakley family, which has controlled the company since the 1890s.^[7] Van Ness's 9th great-grandmother, Patience Bacon Miller, was one of the founders ofNorthampton, Massachusetts, and was the first female surgeon in America.^[8]

When Van Ness was younger, he was sexually abused by an older boy at church, which laid the foundation forself-destructive behaviors.^[9] In his early teens, he used online chat to socialize with older men, and sometimes meet with them for sex.^[9]

Openlygay throughout his life,^[10] Van Ness experiencedbullying for his femininity and natural flamboyance. He "endured years of judgment, ridicule, and trauma". Of the time, Van Ness said, "Growing up I definitely put on every nail polish, every heel, every scarf – I definitely had my mom's knockoffHermès scarves in my hair and around my waist – those were my skirts, and I loved it. ... But when I was really young, I had reallyfemme-shamey, gender-shamey [reactions] when I would dress like that. When I would play with those things, I knew it needed to be ... behind closed doors."^[11] Although always comfortable in his gender expression and sexuality, he says it took time to navigate other people's reactions.^[11] In response to the bullying, he used humor as a coping mechanism and relied on a small group of close friends for support.^[12] Years later, in the late 2010s, he realized he wasgender non-conforming and came out asnon-binary.^[11][13] He usesthey/them,he/him, andshe/her pronouns.^{[14][non-primary source needed]}

Van Ness was the first male cheerleader atQuincy Senior High School and continued cheerleading in college at theUniversity of Arizona, where he majored inpolitical science.^[10][15] One month in his initial semester at college, he used his monthly allowance oncocaine and, too embarrassed to ask his parents for funds, turned to sex work.^[9] His addictions to sex and drugs increased to also includemethamphetamine.^[9] His grades fell, and he lost his cheerleading scholarship; he dropped out after one semester to pursue hairstyling.^[12][16]

Van Ness trained at theAveda Institute inMinneapolis.^[17] After graduating,^[18] he worked in Arizona for five years,^[19] before moving to Los Angeles in 2009.^[10]

In Los Angeles, Van Ness found a job as a personal assistant atSally Hershberger Salon.^[10][18] One day in 2012, at age 25, he fainted in the salon while doinghighlights for a client's hair.^[9] Later at a clinic, he found out he wasHIV-positive.^[7] He used the revelation to get clean from drug use and publicly shared his story, saying, "I want people to realize you're never too broken to be fixed."^{[9][citation not found]}

He worked at MoJoHair and Stile Salon, both in Los Angeles, which he co-founded with Monique Northrop of Arte Salon in New York City.^{[18][citation not found]}

In 2013, while dressing the hair of friend Erin Gibson, who worked for the comedy syndicateFunny or Die,^[10] Gibson asked Van Ness to perform his recap of aGame of Thrones episode forFunny or Die, which became theGay of Thrones web series.^[20] In 2018, Van Ness was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for the series.^[21][22]

Since 2015, Van Ness has hosted the weekly podcastGetting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.^[23] His podcast took off upon the airing of the firstQueer Eye episode.^[24]

Beginning in 2018, Van Ness has starred as the grooming expert on theNetflix revival ofQueer Eye.^[25]

Van Ness's memoir,Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love,^[26] was published in October 2019. His memoir discusses his past and how it helped sculpt his future.

In 2020, Van Ness released a picture book titledPeanut Goes for the Gold, which tells the story of anonbinary guinea pig named Peanut and their adventures as arhythmic gymnastics prodigy. Peanut is inspired by Van Ness's own childhood pet.^[27]

In 2022 Van Ness released a collection of essays in a book titledLove That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life.^[28]

Van Ness isnon-binary.^[13][29] Although he has stated a preference for using the pronounshe/him, he has also usedshe/her andthey/them interchangeably.^[30][31] He explained his gender in an interview withOut, saying, "Some days I feel like a man, but then other days I feel like a woman. I don't really — I think my energies are really all over the place. Any opportunity I have to break down stereotypes of the binary, I am down for it, I'm here for it."^[13] However, on his Instagram account, the pronouns displayed by order of preferences are they/he/she.^[14]

Van Ness lives and works inAustin, Texas andNew York City. He haspsoriasis, a chronic skin condition, and advises clients on skin care.^[32] In 2019, he revealed that he is HIVpositive.^[33]

On April 4, 2019, Van Ness,Bobby Berk,Tan France, andAntoni Porowski visitedNancy Pelosi andAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez to discuss theEquality Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classes protected in theCivil Rights Act of 1964.^[34] On September 25, Van Ness announced his endorsement ofElizabeth Warren for president in 2020 based uponhealthcare being a human right.^[35]

On June 23, 2020, Van Ness andQueer Eye costarBobby Berk praised recentU.S. Supreme Court decisions that ruled thatLGBT employment discrimination was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.^[36] Van Ness described the ruling as "a great step in the right direction".^[36] However, both of them still urged theUnited States Congress to pass the proposed Equality Act,^[36] which passed the House but ultimately stalled in theSenate following a filibuster.

In December 2020, Van Ness revealed that he had married his partner, Mark Peacock, earlier that year.^[37]

• Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love (2019)
• Peanut Goes for the Gold (2020)
• Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life (2022)

• LGBTQ culture in New York City
• List of LGBTQ people from New York City

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