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AE: How did the show find Miles?
JR: At the beginning of each year, we have conceptual meetings. How are we going to challenge ourselves this year? So we suggested a transsexual or transgender. And to be honest, I am shocked they let us do it.

Everyone loved Miles. Not everyone is nice and good to work with or grateful for the experience. But Miles was. We really helped him. He was working at Starbucks, since it was hard for him getting a job when your license says you are female. He needed the basic things that adults need, and we helped out. I got him a computer which he didn't even have. And he was so sweet.

AE: Miles hosts a party for his friends and family at the end of the show. How did that go? I assume all his friends and families knew he was transitioning. Were they supportive? Was this the first time some had seen him since the transition?
JR: It was an awesome party. We got DJ Brenda Black who you can't really get because she's always booked. And we had great organizations there that honored the family. I wish I'd been at the reveal. I would have cried when I shook hands with his parents. I understand what it's like to feel rejection as a gay youth. And that's not necessary.

Miles' parents are proof that you could love a child who is different. They are great role models for the Christian church. Aside from them, everyone else was shocked and genuinely happy for Miles. There were some major reactions.

AE: Does Miles now identify as straight? Does he have a girlfriend?
JR: He identifies as a transman. We didn't go into sexuality. He knows he's sexually attracted to guys and girls. We can't really put people into a category. He's a healthy fun person who contributes to society.

AE: Was it difficult for you being a Born Again Christian and gay?
JR: Yes. Frankly, in my senior year in high school, I was rejected by my church based on rumors that had been circulating. I hadn't even held hands with a guy yet! And it's this huge church with over 3,000 people. I was the star of the choir.

I had said to some pastor that I was having thoughts, and the church turned on me. They went to my mom and said “So sorry about your son.” To have them all turn their back on me...

Then I got the role of Angel in Rent on Broadway. I had to tell my mom I was leaving school to play a gay role, and she thought that meant the same thing as saying I was gay. And I've lost two relatives to AIDS. So she thought me being gay was a death sentence. Over time, she adjusted.

And when Queer Eye hit, the rumors were solidified for everyone. The church told my mom they were praying for me. She said, “Just so you know, God loves him too. And I support him 100 percent”. And as the universe accepted our show, more people began to accept me. My mom doesn't get the whole gay thing, but she loves me. And she loves Carson and the show.

AE: How will Queer Eye continue to break new ground?
JR: Well, we haven't been asked back for 2007. Maybe this is how we are going out with a bang. Everyone has big new projects. I'm working on a TV show and a movie in the fall. We just had a tour of the Philippines. We are huge there. Like Michael Jackson in 1983.

[Editor's Update, August 2, 2006: Although Jai was not misquoted here, a Bravo spokesperson contacted AfterElton to say that a whole new season of Queer Eye is slated for 2007, and that Queer Eye remains the core of their Tuesday night strategy.]

AE: How have you guys remained friends with all this attention and after so many episodes?
JR: It's only been three years, but it feels like so much due to the overexposure. I started when I was 23. In that first year, I was on Oprah's couch. I was on Ellen. People recognized me. J. Lo is a huge fan of ours. Thom just re-did her house. We went through all this together. How have we stayed friends without killing each other? Well, we're all so different and we respect our differences. We're VERY different. Music tastes. Anything. Not one of us likes the same anything. So, it's a good thing because we represent a vast amount of gay culture.

AE: Do you ever fight?
JR: I'm Switzerland. I never fight. I can't speak for the other boys. I'm like Raymond--Everyone likes me.

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