Back to his roots! Brad Goreski is making his return to reality TV with his latest show, The Real Friends of WeHo.
“I thought it would be nice to welcome people back into my life with my husband, Gary Janetti, and see me getting to know all of these guys,” the stylist, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, January 19, ahead of the show’s premiere. “I also think right now it’s really important to be out and about as a gay man and representing [the community]. There’s a lot going on in the U.S. and worldwide — a lot of anti-LGBTQ+ bills — and I just thought it would be a great time to be a part of an all-gay cast and celebrate being gay and having a good time.”
Goreski got his start on The Rachel Zoe Project in 2008 while working as Rachel Zoe’s assistant. He left the Bravo show two years later and went on to star in his own reality series titled It’s A Brad, Brad World, which aired for two seasons. The 2012 spinoff show followed the Canada native as he continued to grow his own styling business, which he started 10 years prior.
Now, the Fashion Police alum is returning to reality TV with The Real Friends of WeHo. The MTV show follows a group of LGBTQ+ celebrities and entrepreneurs as they navigate their careers and personal lives in West Hollywood, California. In addition to Goreski, the series features Todrick Hall, Jaymes Vaughan, Curtis Hamilton, Dorion Renaud and Joey Zaurig.
According to Goreski, Hamilton, 37, was on the fence about getting involved with the project at first. The Canada’s Drag Race judge admitted that he also felt some “natural hesitation” in the early stages of the show’s development — but Goreski ultimately felt like he was in “good hands” with a “great group of guys.”
Goreski confessed to Us that he was advised not to participate in the series before filming began because of Hall’s involvement. The YouTuber, 37, made headlines in early 2022 after receiving backlash from how he treated his fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestants on season 3 and for comments he made on the live feeds. In March of that year, the American Idol alum was also sued by his landlords for owing back rent.
Despite Hall’s past controversies, Goreski was glad to get to know his costar on a deeper level. “I was very surprised at how candid he was about everything,” he told Us. “We talked for two hours, he got it all out. I asked him everything. And I really appreciated that.”
While Goreski prepared to get back in front of the camera, longtime friend Lisa Rinna shared some words of wisdom about joining an ensemble reality show. (The former soap star, 59, appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for eight seasons before announcing her exit earlier this month.)
“She basically just said to me, ‘Have fun with it. Be authentic, be genuine,’” he revealed on Thursday. “She was like, ‘If anything comes up, you’ve got my number.’”
The Real Friends of WeHo premieres on MTV Friday, January 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT following an all-new episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
