‘Australia is full of gorgeous men’: a chat with Hey Qween’s Jonny McGovern
Image: Jonny McGovern. Image: Supplied.
Jonny McGovern – host of the popular gay web series Hey Qween – recently visited Australia for the first time. He spoke with Jesse Jones about LGBTI activism, touring with Dita Von Teese, and the men down under.
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Jonny McGovern has hosted a ton of big names in drag on Hey Qween including Detox, Alaska, and Trixie Mattel, but he says meeting RuPaul was the most intimidating.
鈥淎s a kid I was obsessed with RuPaul, so to have her as one of our first guests was really something special,鈥� he says.
鈥淚t was thrilling and a little scary. We were recording [my co-host] Lady Red鈥檚 intro in front of the live audience and she kept messing up the line. I said, 鈥楧on鈥檛 be nervous 鈥榗ause RuPaul is here!鈥�
鈥淎nd out of the crowd Ru says, 鈥楧o be nervous 鈥榗ause RuPaul is here!鈥�
鈥淲e all lost it, and Lady Red got that line perfect in the next take!鈥�
The show is a lot of fun, but McGovern has also been known to get political about LGBTI rights and other issues.
鈥�Hey Qween is a show where we love to have fun and be an escape for people,鈥� he explains.
鈥淏ut in the times we are in, it鈥檚 important for all of us to speak out, so I鈥檓 not afraid to take time to activate our audience.
鈥淲e鈥攁nd I mean all of us in the LGBTI rainbow鈥攁ll need to be active and awake.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a time in which our [US] government is actively trying to erase us from the records and legitimise hatred against us, not to mention poison our water and sell our kids鈥� lives for gun money.
鈥淭he time in which we could have the luxury of staying in our bubble is over. We need to fight with our votes and put the people who care about who we are in power.
鈥淲e also need to remember to fight the real enemy and not waste time with infighting. We have to build each other up, not tear each other down.鈥�
McGovern recently toured Australia with , emceeing her live burlesque show The Art of the Teese.
鈥淲orking with Dita has been incredible,鈥� he says.
鈥淲e met when she came on Hey Qween as a guest last season and was so charming, gorgeous, and candid that we really hit it off. When she asked me to be the emcee on her tour I was thrilled.
鈥淭he show is burlesque at its highest, most glamorous level, and I鈥檝e been having a blast with the entire cast and crew.鈥�
Glamour icon Von Teese doesn鈥檛 seem to do casual, even on her days off. 聽
鈥淢y favourite memory is skipping through a field of kangaroos with Dita in her perfect outfit and Louboutins and feeding them out of our hands at the Lone Pine Sanctuary in Brisbane,鈥� McGovern says.
The tour was McGovern鈥檚 first trip to Australia, and he had the time of his life checking out the attractions in our cities and being recognised by fans.
鈥淓very city has been gorgeous, and more importantly full of gorgeous men,鈥� he says.
鈥淭he short shorts and thick calves have been a delight.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always exciting to get stopped in the street by Hey Qween fans. The fun part is how surprised they are to see me in Australia. It鈥檚 like, 鈥榃hat are you doing here?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 halfway around the world and to have people shouting out 鈥淗aaaaay Qween!鈥� feels pretty great, and lets me know we are doing something right.鈥�
