'Queer Eye's' Jonathan Van Ness Makes Shocking Revelation About Himself

Jonathan Van Ness, star of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” revealed that he is HIV-positive while talking about his life struggles in a recent interview.

Speaking with The New York Times, the 32-year-old TV personality revealed that he was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 25 while working at a salon. The grooming expert also shared that he went to Planned Parenthood to get himself checked and he learned about the infection there.

“That day was just as devastating as you would think It would be,” Van Ness wrote in his memoir.

Jonathan also shared that he doesn’t want to be stuck in a stereotypical world and wants to break all the perceptions associated with being HIV-positive through his memoir. Van Ness went on to describe himself as an out-and-proud member of the positive community.

The hairstylist dived deeper into his life during the interview and shared he was sexually abused by an older boy from church in his younger days. He also said that he experienced “homophobic bullying” throughout his school life ever since he became the school’s first male cheerleader.

While talking about his struggles, Van Ness admitted that he has been preparing himself all this summer to tell the world what he has gone through during his childhood.

In his memoir, Van Ness confessed that he would spend hours on AOL chat rooms and meeting up with older men for sex when he was still a teenager.

During the interview, he also noticed that his addiction to sex and drugs went from being bad to worse in his early 20s. Van Ness used methamphetamine and went to rehab twice, relapsing on both occasions. The addiction was so bad that he started to advertise sex for money on Gay.com when he was short of some cash.

“These are all difficult subjects to talk about on a makeover show about hair and makeup. That doesn’t mean “Queer Eye” is less valid, but I want people to realize you are never too broken to be fixed,” Van Ness said.

Fans praised the celebrity for finally coming out with his truth and his fans began to shower him with a lot of messages of support..

The revelation comes after former Welsh Rugby captain Gareth Thomas announced on social media that he is also HIV positive. The 45-year-old shared that keeping this information a secret was the toughest part of the diagnosis.