Interview with Mikey Verdugo of "Design Star"

AE: Do you think that things are going to work out okay for you?
MV: I do. I’m I’m a strong believer in everything happens for a reason. Whatever happens with the PD was meant to happen. I’ve been a cop for ten years and I do love my job, but my passion is more in designing now. And being a cop in a police force, I’ve done pretty much everything I’ve wanted to do already.

AE: So if things don’t work out and you move on from police work, you have tons of design work and you’d be content with that. That’s good.
MV: I would, knock on wood, like I said, yes. Thank God, now I’ve been getting a lot of offers and I’m going to travel to Albuquerque and do homes out there.

AE: And have you been hearing from your fans? What kind of things have you been hearing from them?
MV: Oh, tons. The support is overwhelming. My MySpace page got over 8,000 hits a week in messages and hundreds of emails a day. It’s really overwhelming, the support. Nothing negative – everything is just positive. You know, for the finale, I wasn’t offended not going back. But it’s kind of one those things like when you've got a zit on your face, and you try to cover it up. Now you’re just drawing more attention to yourself.

AE: Now I really know you're gay. [Laughter]
MV: And it's not gonna happen, because they’re not alone. My MySpace page – I mean it just went crazy. It was like in one night, it had 3,000 hits of people asking why, why and why.

AE: Mikey, you were out on your police job before all this publicity, so that wasn’t an issue, right? MV: Yeah, correct.

AE: And I've read that you have a partner, someone that you live with.
MV: I do. I do. I have a domestic partner. And someone, I just found out, posted about that as well. Nowadays with the Internet, you can find out everything. [Laughter]

AE: How long have you guys been together?
MV: Going on four years now – going on four years.

AE: How’s he handling all this?
MV: Very good, very brave, very supportive.

AE: That’s great.
MV: My number one fan.

AE: Well, he should be. How did you guys meet?
MV: We met through mutual friends.

AE: I was really sorry to see you go because if you read my recaps, obviously I’ve been a big fan of your work –
MV: Yeah, thank you so much. I appreciate that.

AE: I interviewed Matt the other day, and he said that you were always completely in control of your timeline. You never let yourself get distracted from it. You were very focused.
MV: Yeah, thanks. I’m a workaholic, you could say. Once I put my mind to it, I just dive into the factors – especially in that kind of working situation. Right now, I run two businesses and time is the factor, period. And that's what it's about on a show like that: the time factor, and getting it done.

Matt Locke and Matt Verdugo
(Photo credit: Getty Images/Will Ragozzino)

AE: Do you think that all the carpentry rather than as much design hurt you a little more, the fact that you had some skills that not all the designers had? MV: No, actually I think it helped me. Because from when I got on the show, what I bring to the table is I can build a space, and after I build it, I’ll design it. The best of both worlds, which I like to do. I’m not saying an interior designer just goes in and everything’s done for him. But, he makes it pretty, you know what I mean?

AE: Yes. MV: I like to actually build a space and then design it, so I get a double kick.

AE: Have you had people approach you about doing anything else on television, or is that kind of on hold for the moment?
MV: I have, actually and I’m just playing the field right now, since I’m new to this and I’m getting a handful of offers. So I’m trying to just see what’s out there. I've also got a couple people coming up with furniture lines in my name. So, it’s flattering, but I’m just trying to figure out the whole thing.