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Antoni Porowski: ‘Queer Eye’ STAR on Emmy win, sexual health and STD’s prevention campaign
- Markos Papadatos
- 4 days ago
- 10 min read
#Powerjournalist Markos Papadatos interviewed canadian TV personality Antoni Porowski about being a part of “Queer Eye” on Netflix, his Emmy win, the digital age, and HIV prevention campaign that raises awareness on sexual health.
Byron Pulsifer once said: “Imagine, dream, and believe in yourself. With determination and belief, you will be surprised at what you accomplish.” This quote applies to Antoni Porowski.
Porowski is a New York Times bestselling author, an Emmy award-winning producer and a culinary expert. He is known for being the food and wine expert on “Queer Eye” on Netflix.
On his experience in “Queer Eye,” Porowski exclaimed, “It has been going really well. We wrapped our last season, which is mostly bitter. The only sweet part is the sense of accomplishment and all the memories that I’ve made, as a result.”
“I’m a nostalgic person,” he admitted. “So, there’s no shortage of those throughout the past 10 seasons.”
“We filmed in DC, which, where we had the same sitting president in Season 1 as we have Season 10 now. It’s a reminder of how much the world has changed, but how much progress isn’t linear,” he elaborated.
“The fact that we make steps forward, and then we make steps back, which is sort of how the world operates,” he observed.
“It’s a very sobering reminder of that. So, I feel the timing is certainly right. I’m really happy about the location that they chose to have these conversations with an added character and all of it,” he explained.
“Selfishly, DC is beautiful and has so many incredible museums and running paths,” he noted. “I had a really nice time filming there.”
The show won the 2023 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Structured Reality Program.”
On his Emmy win, Porowski remarked, “I’m not going to lie, it was a complete shock. We’ve had a really beautiful winning streak since the show came out, and there was a lull last year.”
“To be recognized by the Academy and by fans and voters for what we’re producing, is a beautiful thing. The Emmy statue is literally right behind the laptop,” he said.
“The plaque arrived several weeks later,” he said. “So, before I put it up on the shelf with the first one, I want to make sure that it has its plaque for this season so that I can put it up there.”
“It was beautiful to have Jeremiah Brent, who joined us more on the tail end of this iteration of ‘Queer Eye’ because I am confident that in some way, shape or form, the show has to continue, right? And I really hope that it does because so many important conversations were had,” he elaborated.
“In many ways, I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of the diversity of our cast, the storytelling, the heroes that we were helping, the locations we went to, and to the food I got to prepare on all fronts,” he recalled.
“So, it was nice to have Jeremiah be able to enjoy that because he has worked so hard and really has put his entire heart and resources into this that it was really beautiful to watch him enjoy it for the first time and the ceremony and all the rituals involved in getting ready and the photos and all of it,” he explained.
“Also, the excitement of jumping up on that stage and having our show creator share his gratitude and thanks to everybody. It was really emotional in a really beautiful way,” he admitted.
“There were a lot of tears,” he added.
On raising awareness on sexual health, he said, “I’m super grateful to be part of any narrative and culture.”
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with friends, and even though I was raised in a family of physicians, and it was something that we talked about at a very early age, and it was sort of normalized,” he explained.
“Not to say that we didn’t have any stigmas in my family, it certainly wasn’t a perfect upbringing, but in terms of sexual health, and in a lot of ways, mental health, it was something that we talked about a lot,” he elaborated.
“What I’ve realized is that I’m very privileged, and that is not necessarily the case for a lot of people,” he noted.
“Within the LGBTQIA+ community, I think communication in any single relationship with yourself, with your mental health care provider, with your friends, your board of directors, your partner or your family, communication and education are so paramount,” he underscored.
“I think it’s important to have those talks, because the more that we talk about it, the more that we lean into it, the less precious it becomes, the less desensitized it becomes, and the more information we gain so that we can make decisions as to what we want to do with our bodies,” he elaborated.
Porowski defined “Healthysexual” as simply “being proactive about protecting your sexual health—including understanding HIV prevention options, such as PrEP.”
“Talk to your doctor about HIV prevention options and visit the Healthysexual website to learn more about sexual health and PrEP,” he added.
Porowski opened up about his partnership with Gilead on this HIV prevention campaign.
“Health and self-care have always been really important to me — whether that’s through eating healthy, exercising, or mental well-being,” he said. “Partnering with Gilead felt like a natural extension of that because sexual health is part of self-care too.”
“I come from a family of doctors, so I’ve always turned to doctors for guidance and preventative care,” he admitted.
“Health was always discussed openly, and I want to use my platform to help others feel comfortable having those same conversations about HIV prevention and PrEP,” he added.
Porowski discussed the stigma when it comes to sexual health. “There is still a lot of stigma and misunderstanding when it comes to PrEP and sexual health,” he said.
He continued, “Taking PrEP means you’re being thoughtful, caring, and responsible. Using my platform to talk about HIV prevention options like PrEP is about normalizing these conversations and encouraging people to make informed choices for themselves and their partners.”
“I want people to feel empowered to talk to their doctors because those conversations are where prevention starts,” he noted.
On his daily motivations, he shared, “These days, I am motivated by a hope for a better future!”
“When I hit 40, I had this awareness that there are parts of me that I feel were half-baked, like the cake is in the oven. All that’s left is like the frosting and the decorations, but there’s still frosting and decorations,” he said.
“Also, it’s this awareness of appreciating and embracing who I am and the journey that I’ve come on, but I am also hopeful for what is to come,” he foreshadowed.
“I think my sense of community has been No. 1 right now and I’m leaning into friends,” he noted.
“I know it might sound a little emotional but what has been a driving force in the past two years is really forging friendships, and just working on trying to set up a life where I can be in the city and in the country so my dog can run around,” he elaborated.
“My dog is also a big motivator as well. I want to make sure she has the best life possible,” he added.
Porowski also addressed the significance of mental health in the digital age.
“Mental health in the digital age is definitely an ongoing struggle,” he noted. “I’m not an expert. I don’t have a perfect blueprint on how to navigate, but I like to put on my curiosity hat with a lot of my behaviors.”
“One thing I have learned is when I’m working a lot, whether I’m filming a project or I’m traveling, I spend a lot less time on my phone and granted work really fills my cup as do experiences and being exposed to different cultures and going to countries I’ve never been to before,” he elaborated.
“As much as I enjoy all of that, I realize that not being on my phone as much does bring me a lot more sense of peace and gratitude,” he acknowledged. “I think it’s important sometimes shut the phone off and just focus on the things that I can actually control.”
“That’s how I live my life, that’s how I treat other people, the time I spend with my dog and the friends that I spend time with as well that I allow into my life that I give that energy towards and that focus on,” he expanded.
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Porowski revealed, “The Reawakening.”
“When I was in college, I had a really big and strong foundational group of board of director friends that I studied with, wrote projects, studied for finals, went out and partied with and went to concerts with,” he recalled.
“I’m finding myself more in this chapter, leaning into being social and really forming my own sense of community,” he said.
“I’m really nurturing friendships with people who challenge me, people who are more ambitious than me, and I am leaning into mentors. So, I would say it’s kind of a reawakening,” he explained.
“So, I’m going back to a lot of the things that worked for me in my 20s. When I was a young Padawan (Star Wars reference), I leaned into friendships and community. I think community is a big one now,” he stressed.
On his favorite motto to live by, he shared, “I think a good motto is: ‘You don’t have to have everything figured out today.’ The way that you feel right now isn’t the way that you’re going to feel forever.”
Porowski continued, “A good reminder, no matter what I’m going through is that I’m not terminally unique. Whatever it is that I’m experiencing, it’s probably not the first person in the history of the world to go through it… probably millions before me have, and they’ve been able to live really big, bountiful lives.”
“So, I’m not that special, in a good way. I take any opportunity to right size myself and realize that I’m part of a community,” he added.
Regarding his career-defining moments, he said, “I think just walking on the set of ‘Queer Eye’ on the first day. I walked in with the intention of only wanting to teach people how to cook.”
“I didn’t want to talk about my sexuality,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to talk about my personal life. Those were things that I wasn’t ashamed of, but they were personal to me, and they were sacred and they still are.”
“What I realized is connection, community, and conversations have to be a two-way street. We can’t just ask someone questions and demand answers and not be able to share or reciprocate in some way, shape or form or manner,” he said.
“It’s that sort of like symbiosis of being able to share together and relate and not relate and be curious about things and asking questions that allows us to feel connected,” he expressed.
“That’s what I’ve learned,” he admitted. “You know, I never wanted to talk about sexuality when I was on the show because I identified as fluid. And now case in point, what happens when you start asking questions? I have this wonderful partnership with Gilead and PrEP to be able to encourage people to speak to physicians.”
“If you would have asked me seven or eight years ago, I would have been like, ‘nope, there’s no way.’ I think when we’re not stubborn and when we put on our curiosity hat on and we’re open minded and ask questions, I think people will be shocked to know what they can learn about themselves,” he elaborated.
Porowski had great words about Canadian actor Tim Rozon (“Schitt’s Creek” and “Wynonna Earp”).
“I love Tim! We were servers together in Montreal a very long time ago,” he admitted. “His restaurant, Garde Manger, is great! The Lobster Poutine was incredible, and the same is true for the deep-fried Mars bar with vanilla ice cream.”
When asked about his superpower of choice, he responded, I think it would be ‘teleportation’ because there are so many places in the world that I haven’t gone to, even though I’ve traveled quite a bit. For instance, I’ve never been to Easter Island.”
“There are a lot of places that I want to go to that are really hard to get to, even though I’m not a big fan of flying,” he admitted.
On his definition of the word success, Porowski said, “I think success means being content with the life that you’ve built for yourself, and in a position where you are constantly learning something.”
“Whether it’s a technique in a kitchen, whether it’s a communication style with your family, your partner, and maintaining a certain sense of curiosity on all fronts, because I think you never stop learning,” he elaborated.
“I remember my dad, who is a retired physician, and he had this patient who was into her early 100s in Vermont. She came in one day and she always had new hobbies that she was picking up.”
Porowski continued, “When she was over 100, she picked up learning a new language, and she was born and raised American. She just randomly decided she wanted to learn some new language, which had nothing to do with her heritage or anything. She just wanted to learn it.”
“I think people who learn are the ones that have the most interesting lives, because when we stay curious (like about our sexual health and leaning into a physician and learning about our options), I think curiosity is really the key,” he acknowledged.
For his fans and supporters, he said, “For anybody right now who is experiencing any type of fear on any front or any anxiety about the state of the world, there are a lot of things that we can’t control, but I think this is an opportunity to lean into the things that we can control such as learning more about sexual health.”
“If you are worried about feeling alone like you’re the only one feeling these feelings, lean into your community and listen to your friends and you will learn that they have their own anxieties,” he noted.
“Lean into community, lean into your friends, and find that chosen or biological family,” he said.
“If you are blessed to have one that you get along with and just have people around you that you can check in with so that you’re not alone with whatever it is that you’re experiencing, and you realize that we’re actually all connected. We really are,” he concluded.