Jonathan Van Ness is a hairdresser by trade and widely known as a television star. Well known for featuring on the Netflix series Queer Eye, Jonathan is also widely regarded as an advocate for LGBT issues. Both gender non-conforming and non-binary, Jonathan firmly stands for the rights of LGBT individuals and pushes for a more accepting and diverse world. Bullied as a child, Jonathan has been openly gay all of his life and continually faced adversity from those around him. Confident in his individuality, Jonathan went against the crowd becoming the first male cheerleader of Quincy Senior High School and later studying hairdressing at the Aveda Institute.
Jonathan found talent in hairdressing, initially beginning as a personal assistant in a Sally Hershberger salon. Since his first role, Jonathan has built his credibility as a hairdresser and stylist, now working in the salon he co-founded- Stile Salon and MojoHair. With his credible reputation, Jonathan has been able to secure many celebrity clients such as the likes of Kit Harrington, Tess Holiday and Esme Bianco and also landed his role as a grooming expert on Queer Eye. A sufferer of the skin condition, psoriasis, Jonathan is frequently seen helping his clients who also suffer from the condition. Likewise, Jonathan has also been diagnosed as HIV positive, which he frequently covers in public addresses and interviews to raise awareness of an important cause.
Alongside featuring in Queer Eye, Jonathan has made many other television and web appearances. He has featured in the Gay of Thrones web series and I Love the 2000s. He has made cameos on countless talk shows, such as The Late Late Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and The Rachel Ray Show. Other credits include Big Mouth, Today, Nailed It! and Access Hollywood.
Also a published author, Jonathan has written several books. His titles include Over The Top: My Story, Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love and Peanut Goes for Gold. His books cover the various occurrences of his life and issues close to his heart, in particular, his book Peanut Goes for Gold which documents a non-binary Guinea Pig inspired by Jonathan’s childhood pet. Jonathan’s work has gained a plethora of approval and has also seen Jonathan receive many awards. In 2018 he was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Variety Series for his web series Gay of Thrones. A year later he was the winner of the 2019 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir and Autobiography for his book Over The Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love and winner of the 2019 Critics Choice for Male Star of the Year. He was also awarded the 2019 IHeartRadio Podcast Award for Best LGBT Podcast in reward for his podcast Getting Curious.
As a speaker, Jonathan is sought to cover his successful career as a television personality and hairdresser to the stars. Continually overcoming adversity throughout his life, Jonathan is sought as an inspirational figure to encourage others to strive against the odds. A sufferer of HIV and Psoriasis, Jonathan is able to help others suffering from such diseases as well as push the awareness of both. A passionate member of the LGBT community, Jonathan is the perfect individual to encourage diversity in an ever-changing world.
