Jonathan Van Ness

“I'm just waiting for the first #MeToo moment to happen from a salon because the culture of how assistants are treated, especially in salons in L.A. and New York, is, like, truly unbelievable. You're expected to clock out for lunch and never get paid. You're expected to be there an hour early, stay two hours late.”

“I'm a big proponent of all love winning and love just being fab.”

“I love changing hair color. I love doing hair shape. I love the social aspect of salons. I love clients, and because of doing hair, I've heard so many life stories.”

“If my energy was fake, then I would feel pressured, because I gotta, like, keep this up. I thank God it's just how I am. But I find myself wanting to work on being more comfortable in the silence with people.”

“Whenever anyone says I've taught them things by me being myself, I'm always like, 'Really? I just thought that was like, Wednesday for me. I was just wearing a kilt and a sleeveless top in a Rotary Club, it wasn't that big of a deal.'”

“I think that because I struggled and did get very bullied, that definitely made me learn how to be funny and let things roll off and be able to laugh, and I think that has definitely helped me when it comes to being in the public eye with 'Gay of Thrones' and 'Queer Eye.'”

“If you have body hair, I'm like, 'Have your body hair. Have it sticking up the top of your shirt.' I'm really about body positivity and self-love.”

“Please don't compare the nature and authenticity of 'Queer Eye' to 'The Bachelor.'”

“People who fundamentally disagree with you politically or socially are not bad people. I can't expect that other side to have compassion for me if I can't put myself in their shoes, too.”

“Even though I'm a hairdresser and I love doing hair, I feel like I don't look like a groomer. When I think of how a groomer would look in relation to the first version of 'Queer Eye,' I feel like I don't fit in that box.”

“I've been an Amy Winehouse fan since her first album, 'Frank.' I always listen to her music when there's a lot going on and I want to be a bit grounded. It's like my musical warm fuzzy blanket.”

“Probably the advice I could follow more is the self-love sort of advice. I think, four out of every five days, I'm good at that, but certain situations can trigger self-doubt or cloudiness around how I feel about myself.”

“Think about how your jeans would look if you washed and dried them every single day. That's like our hair, and you can't change your hair as often as your pants, so cutting down on washing cuts down on long-term damage.”

“Going to school was an absolute terror for me for, like, a decade.”

“I've had the honor of working with so many trans people as a hairdresser over my career in some way.”

“Typically, you're not gonna find me out at night; I don't go to industry parties. Like, I will go sometimes if I'm invited, but usually, I'm, like, home by 11.”

“My family was really big on college, and it was hard for them to stomach that I was going to be a hairdresser.”

“The second you're bleaching hair more than three or four levels on a consistent basis and want it long, and then you're heat styling it and living in the world - it's just impossible. You can get it there for a moment, and then you might get a couple re-touches out of it.”

“Podcasts are hard! I mean, you gotta get the microphones and all these things... there's a lot going on there. I never really realized how much goes into producing things till I did 'Gay of Thrones.'”

“To my younger self, I would say unless you're literally in danger, ask forgiveness instead of asking permission.”