'Real Friends of Weho' Star Joey Zauzig Is Ready to Be America's 'Gay Best Friend'

Everyone knows Joey Zauzig as the internet's "gay best friend." With nearly half a million Instagram followers, Zauzig has curated a loyal following with a big personality and queer-centered advice that is quick, snappy and unfiltered fun. And the fact that the message is coming from someone as hunky and handsome as him doesn't hurt either.

After making the pivot to reality TV on MTV's "The Real Friends of WeHo"–which was lukewarmly received by the LGBTQ community, and critically panned by others–Zauzig hints that he is only just getting started with the silver screen. And he is even more committed to inspiring others to build themselves up against the haters that want to tear them down.

In this exclusive interview with EDGE Media, Zauzig does what he does best and bares it all with unfiltered takes on the "Real Housewives," making good TV, and how he would have casted "The Real Friends of WeHo" in a different way.

EDGE: When would you say you made the transition from social media user to social media influencer?

Joey Zauzig: Well I worked in fashion for five years and public relations, and this one photo just blew up because people were like really interested in these one pair of sunglasses. It was a selfie. And that was when you could really grow an Instagram from just a photo, way before reels, before stories. And I was like, "Maybe I should start posting more outfit stuff?"

At the time, I was working at Tommy Hilfiger, so I really put effort into it while I was working there. Every day after work, I would get a photographer, like my best friend, to shoot street style photos of me. From there it just kind of grew.

EDGE: Then you started to get brand deals?

Joey Zauzig: Then I got my first brand deal, which is so funny. It was actually with JUUL, the smoking device. And that was like my first brand deal. And I was like, "Wait, I can make money doing this?" And like I really enjoyed shooting content, and, you know, just giving people a glimpse into my life. But also further inspiring them for their looks; also just to live their best life in a way. It just made me feel good, and I was like if I can make this a career let's do it.

But I started getting brand deals, and it just became a full-fledged business where I was able to leave my nine-to-five. And now here we are.

EDGE: At that moment of leaving your nine-to-five, do you call yourself an influencer? I don't know, is that something that's bad to say now?

Joey Zauzig: You know what? People don't like the word, but at the end of the day it is what it is. I am an influencer. But now, I was on a reality TV show. I am doing more like radio show stuff, so I think as with everybody their title changes as they evolve. Right now, I'm an influencer. But more into the entrepreneurial space in the near future, I would say. I'm excited for that. But yea, I'm an influencer at the end of the day, and I am proud to call myself that.

A lot of people cringe at it, but you know what that's what I am, and I am proud of that. I own it.

EDGE: Of course, what we love so much about your social media presence is your advice. Have you always been one to give advice?

Joey Zauzig: I think the first video I ever made, I was having a hard day. I give very quick things that you just might need to hear, that might just build you up or make you go into the day just feeling a little bit better. No matter who you are, we all wake up with the same mentality: some days we just don't want to do it. We are like, "Why am I here? Why am I doing what I am doing?" You have to snap yourself out of it.

Going from being someone who was never really confident, having zero self-esteem, zero confidence, to building up and having confidence–which is still a work in progress obviously, as we all are–I think sharing that with other people in hopes that it could make people feel good is what makes me feel good. I think it's grown to such a magnitude now where every day someone comes up to me, and there is something about one of my videos that has touched them. That's what fulfills me and that's kind of where I am going with my career to continue the journey.

EDGE: Are you a 'Real Housewives' fan?

Joey Zauzig: Of course I am, honey.

EDGE: Who is your favorite housewife?
That is so ... I mean, I love Erika Jayne. Lisa Rinna is like, for me, the end-all, be-all for me– even though she's not there this season. But she'll be back. We know she will be back.

Lisa Rinna actually gave me advice before going on the show, because I sat next to her at Sally Hersh while getting my hair done, which is be yourself, and don't be afraid to say things out loud. Obviously, she is not.

I also love Meredith Marks because she's a friend of mine, and I think the new "The Real Housewives of New York," I know some of those girls. Brynn (Whitfield), I've known her for years, and she's one of my favorites on the show, on and off of the show.

EDGE: Knowing what you do about reality TV, and bringing your personality from social media to reality TV, there is always the risk that you won't come off the way you want on TV because of editing and producers. What made you want to take that risk with 'The Real Friends of WeHo'?

Joey Zauzig: It was obviously a risk. I think when you are out of control, it's a scary thing. Luckily, I have a really great team behind me, and there were lots of conversations that went into whether I wanted to do it or not. But I've always wanted to do reality TV, and I'm proud of that. That was one of my goals and a bucket list thing. So when I decided to do it, it was more so for myself.

Watching yourself back on TV, it's really easy to pick yourself apart. I have my bad days, and my skin being one of my biggest insecurities, I had to prepare for you there's no filters. Some of the lighting isn't always going to be good, and you have to prepare yourself for people's critiques of yourself. So I did a lot of self-work before signing on and doing the TV show because I didn't want it to break down the self-esteem that I have worked so hard to build up. And I think a lot of people can get that, and I think watching yourself on TV is scary–especially when you read Twitter and everybody has opinions.

I was just who I was on the show. Take it or leave it. I think when people try to go on reality TV and try to create a narrative about themselves or try to paint themselves into a picture they want, it always backfires. So I think the only thing you can do is go on and be yourself, and I did that. And I think I did it well.

EDGE: How did filming "The Real Friends of WeHo" differ from the way you're used to sharing your life as an influencer? Was there scripting? Did you have to do a lot of scene reshoots?

Joey Zauzig: I think it's not what people expect it to be, and you hear all these things about reality TV, and it being scripted and redoing scenes. And it truly wasn't that. I think I was lucky to have an experience where they weren't really trying to create any drama. I feel like the first episode when I got upset with Dorion (Renaud), that's just who I am. I would have confronted him. And I think people thought it was drama for the show. But I was just that pissed off. Like you can talk about me just don't talk about my friends, and that's why I got so upset.

I was actually told to not bring anything up. We just wanted it to go smooth. And segueing into that, I think that's one thing I learned from the show. When you are a part of an ensemble cast, you do need to do things to move the show along especially when certain people aren't showing up to work. You want to make sure that you are making up at the right time. You can't really hold grudges because it's got to keep moving. And in my case, I get over things very quickly. But if it wasn't me, and it was somebody else who doesn't get over things really quickly, you don't really have a choice. Because to move the show along you have to get over it.

EDGE: Another critique of 'The Real Friends of WeHo' was whether these guys are even friends. How much of the cast did you know before agreeing to the show?

Joey Zauzig: I knew everyone but Dorion. I had been friends with Todrick (Hall) for like two years. Me and Brad (Goreski) have known each other for like 15 years. And Curtis, I knew just from parties, but we got to know each other on the show and actually have become really close since filming.

Dorion, no, I don't even have any comment about him. And then obviously James, like, we're ... whatever. But all in all, we all knew of each other. We all kind of ran in similar circles, and that's how I was casted.

I think I would have chosen a different cast but, you know, you live and you learn.

EDGE: Really! Who would be in your dream cast?

Joey Zauzig: Oh girl, I don't know if I could say this, but ... first of all in general, people who want to work and people who show up to work, and people that are willing to talk about everything. When you sign up for a reality TV show, you cannot hold back. That's what you signed up for, and that's what we talked about earlier. You sign up to bare it all. You can't show up to a scene and be like, "We can't talk about that. I don't feel comfortable." Blah blah. It's like, girl, why did you sign up? So my dream cast is people who want to be there and who want to show up to not showcase how perfect their life is but to be able to showcase where they came from and why they got here and why they are successful. That was, I think, lacking.

EDGE: I read a quote from you in Interview Magazine in which you said you think the LGBTQ community didn't give the show the chance it deserved.

Joey Zauzig: You know, I can't speak to the whole community, but there was a petition to get the show canceled because of the 30 minutes it took away from "Drag Race." And from a community that's supposed to be uplifting and celebrating no matter what we do, and just seeing and having more queer representation on TV, I was surprised to see that people were taking the time to get a show canceled because 30 minutes of their TV show got taken away. Especially with all the anti-trans laws and everything going on, people were, instead of focusing on making a petition. To me, that didn't really track.

It was frustrating, and it wasn't really about the show. It was about why a community that is built on celebrating and building each other up be so pressed on bringing people down from the same community. Why was the call coming from inside the house? I don't know, but it definitely made me look at the community in a different way.

EDGE: Speaking of more queer representation on TV, I know you just got married to your partner Brian Grossman. Would you ever consider one of those married life or happily ever-after reality TV shows?

Joey Zauzig: Well ... you might be seeing that at some point ...

EDGE: Am I hitting it right on the nose?

Joey Zauzig: Yes, I am open to it. Of course. And I can leave it there. But you might see me in a different capacity on TV, in my own way.
I think if you watch back on ("The Real Friends of WeHo") you can see I did a lot of the ... I was a big part of the show. I have a bigger story to tell, and I am excited to hopefully, potentially, be telling that story. And to be able to take my message online from Instagram to a bigger audience. That's my dream, to be the gay Oprah, to put smiles on people's faces and shift the mindsets of people.
Everyone's in their head too much and the most simple lines that I put out on Instagram can really change someone's outlook. It's cool to watch and so I'm excited to get to a bigger platform.

EDGE: Speaking from a gay Oprah point of view, give us some advice on how to live in your truth and feel good in your skin.

Joey Zauzig: Let me preface by saying that sometimes the quote unquote cheesiest quotes are the ones that mean the most and the ones that help. To "be yourself," that's the most baseline quote in the world, but it's the most important thing. I think people don't realize what goes into being yourself. And that's the belief in yourself. Who are you surrounding yourself with? Who is uplifting you? Taking that inventory and just being your best self so that other people can get that from you, and socially you're just more attractive when you are yourself, when you can do the work.

And I think trying as hard as you can to not compare yourself to other people. Because you are on this earth to be exactly who you are. Not to be on anyone else's journey but your own. And the more you remind yourself of that, the easier it is to reach your goals. And I think it's hard for people not to get caught up, especially with social media, looking at what everybody else is doing.

I want to give that advice to everyone, just really focus on you. And really focus on the message. The reason why people get so caught up and tricked up is because they don't know where they are going. And I think to refocus on where you want to go, that's the key to life, honey.

Check out a few of our favorite advice posts from Joey Zauzig below and give him a follow on Instagram @joeyzauzig.