Carson Kressley first rose to fame while appearing as an original actor Bravo‘S Queer Eye for the heterowhich debuted in 2003.
Kressley recalled being unprepared for the whirlwind that followed those early episodes – so unprepared that he literally forgot some of the more iconic moments in the show.
Carson Kressley remembers the Queer Eye pilot, but not much afterward
“In July it will actually be 20 years when the show airs. Queer Eye for The Straight Guybut we actually did it 20 years ago, we did a pilot in Boston,” he recalled Behind the velvet rope with David Yontef podcast.
“I remember all the things that led up to the show. And I remember quitting my job at Ralph Lauren,” he continued. “I remember the show. I remember we got our first plane ticket to LA. I believe the show aired on a Wednesday. And like this Friday we did it Tonight show with Jay Leno, which was stunning. And we will ellen.”
“Well I remember Bravo sent us a pair of sunglasses say you’re going to need these,” he joked. “And we stayed at the Beverly Hilton and got little tiny Mercedes hatchback rentals. I remember all that stuff. Then when the show started, she was so crazy and insane. I don’t remember that part because there was just so much good stuff.”
He can’t remember when Queer Eye went to the White House
Recalling snippets from the time, Kressley regrets not having a vivid recollection of some of the memorable moments. “Literally someone would say, remember the time we went to the White House and you did it…. And I was like, no, I don’t have a memory because I’m so busy,” he said.
“I regret the day they didn’t invent Instagram back then because it really is like my journal,” he added. “If I’m not doing something fun, or I go to a nice place, or visit a beautiful home, or see an amazing outfit, I’ll capture it on Instagram. And this is something like my digital diary. I wish I had had that then, like when I first met Ellen or when I did that Country Music Awards with Dolly Parton. I remember little things because they’re suppressed photos, but I don’t remember that much because it was crazy.”
‘Queer Eye”s fame was fairly instantaneous
said Kressley strange eye was not a slow burn, but a sudden success, which is perhaps why he has a hard time pinpointing important moments. “It was overnight,” he said of the show’s success.
“It was a good show and we were very proud of it,” he said. “And it was quite groundbreaking I think for its time. But back then I guess people still watched a lot like live TV and it just seemed like we were broadcasting like on a Tuesday night. And on Thursday we were famous or something.
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“Well I guess at different times,” he shared. “But yes, it was very overnight. Neither of us had a clue. Neither of us had done television. And neither of us, I think, had seen any of the episodes after we made them. So we had no idea it was going to be successful and kudos to Bravo for running a really big marketing campaign.”
“They teamed up with new owner NBC and actually shot a few episodes on NBC prime time in the summer of 2003,” he added. “And I think it was the first time that a network, a big, huge company, bought some small networks and promoted them to each other in a really effective way. So I’m sure Harvard has some kind of marketing course on Bravo and how they rebranded and really changed their fortunes by greenlighting shows strange eye.”
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https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/carson-kressley-queer-eye-remember-including-white-house-visit.html/ “I don’t remember much,” including the White House visit
