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TV host Justin Sylvester dishes on celeb run-ins, sugar daddies & making E! gayer than ever
The E! News host tells us all about his "gay awakening" and what singer he's "low-key beefing with" in his head.
From “ladysitter” to trend-setter, Justin Sylvester is a modern-day TV success story.
Longtime Real Housewives fans will likely recognize him as an assistant, nanny, and friend to Beverly Hills mainstay Kyle Richards (lovingly dubbed her “ladysitter”), popping up regularly in earlier seasons.
But with a smile that bright, Sylvester was destined to breakout beyond supporting player status, eventually co-starring on the ABC Family reality series, Beverly Hills Nannies.
Since then, the pop culture aficionado has helmed E!’s daytime talk show Daily Pop, made regular appearances on The Today Show with his regular trending stories segment “The Scoop,” and more recently stepped into his biggest role yet: as co-host of the revived E! News opposite Adrienne Bailon-Houghton.
(You may have also caught him playing himself in movies like the J.Lo rom-com Marry Me, or queer comedy favorite The Other Two.)
Yup, Sylvester’s living his best life, working at his dream job, and looking darn good while doing it.
In between shoots, we welcomed Sylvester as the latest guest of our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It. The TV personality told us all about the show that inspired his “gay awakening,” shares what it means for him to rep for the community every weeknight on E! News, and reveals which singer he’s “low-key beefing with” in his head.
Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, games, etc…—that you consider a big part of your own coming-out journey, or that has played an important part in exploring your own queerness? Why does it stand out to you?
Stumbling on an episode of Queer As Folk while in my dorm room at LSU was quite the awakening! Sparked an idea that gay men can/do live freely… and I needed to find Babylon ASAP!
You’ve been killing it on E! News, and it’s especially incredible to see an out gay man hosting the show. In that respect, what makes you most proud about being able to rep for the community on E!?
Being able to be out and visible daily means that someone has 30 minutes of queerness on their screen. Now that doesn’t sound like a lot… but when you’re 15, living in a small town—that 30 minutes can turn into a lifetime of self-acceptance!
Since so much of your career is about ingesting and commenting on pop culture, what’s something you like to watch or enjoy when you want to just turn your brain off and relax?
DATELINE! I know…I know! But there’s something about it that reminds me of my childhood and watching Unsolved Mysteries. I also love listening to non-fiction audiobooks about rich people’s messy ass lives! I’m nosey A-F.
What’s something ridiculous you believed to be true when you were a kid? (i.e. the classic example: Santa Claus) How did you react when you found out the truth?
I believed that having a “sugar daddy” was fun and easy. But looking at my friends who do—they are working harder than the scientists that discovered the COVID-19 vaccine! I mean! I’m like “d*mn girl, you’re clocking in 90 hours a week—you gotta call your union rep!”
You cross paths with plenty of famous people in your line of work—who’s one celebrity that surprised you the most about how cool/funny/strange they were IRL? Any fun stories you can share?
Running into Kim Kardashian is always a doozy! She ALWAYS, ALWAYS remembers who you are and the last time you ran into her. Insane because the woman meets 100 people a week! I can’t even remember where I left my keys.
Also finding out that Angela Basset is actually shy, timid and vulnerable was a total mind flip. I’ve always created this image of the complete opposite and I love it!
As many people know, you’ve dabbled in Real Housewives as Kyle Richards’ “lady sitter,” so we have to ask… What’s your Housewives tagline and why?
My Housewives tagline doesn’t exist because I could never do the show. I am not strong enough emotionally to take that kind of social commentary on Twitter! Seriously—being a housewife is the equivalent of getting a facelift every week without anesthesia! You have to have thick skin. Now… I’ll be your lit best friend who shows up for the free food, booze, stir some sh*t up and leave with a goodie bag! We don’t get a tagline.
Speaking of, if you could be part of any reality/competition/game show—other than Real Housewives—what would it be? Why do think you’d be a great fit for said show?
I would love to host Top Chef now that Padma is saying goodbye! I think the show needs just a normal queen, with a normal pallet asking the chefs to explain shit in a normal way. Can you imagine? “Bish, this is goood! I know you married—but you got a cousin who can cook like this?”
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
I don’t get jealous of people very often… but there is an artist name Vincint who’s putting the “purr” in performance! He lights up a stage like no one else! (I’m low-key beefing with him in my head, so don’t use a photo that is “that cute” of him, okay? Thanks!)
Scroll down below for more of our favorite shots from Sylvester’s Instagram page:
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