Carson Kressley says being part of the original 'Queer Eye' makes him feel old but is gratified by show's long-lasting legacy
Designer Carson Kressley is no stranger to the American reality television audience, having been a judge on many competitive TV shows and even participated in some.
However, we still remember him as one of the fabulous gay men who made over straight men on Bravo. When it debuted in 2003, ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ gave us a taste of what give gay men who are fully in tune with themselves and own their gifts can do for the heterosexual community. And now, the show's reboot, Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye’ is the living proof of the show's success and what it set the stage for.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) caught up with Kressley recently, and when we asked him how he felt about the OG show, he joked saying, "We are the OG... I didn't even know what OG meant... I am that old. I thought it meant 'Old Gays.'"
He added that it makes him feel old, but more importantly, it makes him feel like the original cast and the original show created something that is longlasting and could be rebooted and still be successful today.
"It is a real testament to the format of the show and the show's creators and our original cast. It is very gratifying to see five new fabulous gay men being successful and sharing their talents and skills with the world, but more importantly, it's so important that we still have a show that shows five gay men out there making the world a better place and just being authentic. That's so important for young people to see and realize that they can be happy and healthy and successful. We had that opportunity fifteen years ago and now they are carrying on that great tradition of being visible for our young LGBTQ youth and that's the most important thing I think that people watch and see that everything is going to be okay," he gushed.
Kressley celebrates just that on many more shows now, especially on 'RuPaul's Drag Race', where he is a staple judge and will be seen in the upcoming Season 12 as well.
"I'll also be back for 'Drag Race: All-Stars 5' and then the recently-announced 'Drag Race: Celebrity Edition', which is really, really fun and I cannot wait for people to see that because it's a new twist on the competition," he said.
The one show within that franchise we are yet to see him in is the recently-premiered 'RuPaul's Drag Race: UK', but he hopes to be a guest judge on the already-renewed Season 2 of the series.
"I got to meet all the queens from 'Drag Race UK' at the New York Drag Con this past fall and they are so talented, and I think it's such a great show. It's so interesting to see how drag is done a little bit differently in the UK and see the different tone of the show and the different of the queens, but I think they are immensely talented," he says, adding how all the queens on the show inspire him. "Not everyone can win the competition but just by being on the show, it's such a fantastic experience for the contestants, and also for us judges," he adds.
"As someone who is involved in design and fashion and style I am inspired all the time by the runway looks that the contestants create and their personal stories. So many of them have overcome such great odds to get where they are today. I am just very inspired by hearing their stories and seeing their artistry. I am so lucky that I get to do that and have it be my job. One of the great things about 'RuPaul's Drag Race' is that it inspires people to be their authentic self and embrace themselves and as Ru likes to say, 'Use all the different colors of crayons in the box' and ultimately it is a joyful expression of who you are and that is such a beautiful thing and we certainly need that now more than ever," he says.
The casting call for Season 12 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' was held in January 2019 and the show is scheduled to premiere in early 2020.
Meanwhile, the release dates for 'Celebrity Edition' and 'All Stars' Season 5 are yet to be announced.