Jonathan McDonald Van Ness (born March 28, 1987),[1] also commonly referred to by his[a] initials J.V.N., is an American hairstylist, podcast host and television personality.

[7] Van Ness's 9th Great-Grandmother, Patience Bacon, was one of the founders of Northampton, Massachusetts, and was the first female surgeon in America.

[8] When Van Ness was younger, he was sexually abused by an older boy at church, which laid the foundation for self-destructive behaviors.

Of the time, Van Ness said, "Growing up I definitely put on every nail polish, every heel, every scarf – I definitely had my mom's knockoff Hermès scarves in my hair and around my waist – those were my skirts, and I loved it.

[11] In response to the bullying, he used humor as a coping mechanism and relied on a small group of close friends for support.

[10] In Los Angeles, Van Ness found a job as a personal assistant at Sally Hershberger Salon.

[18][citation not found] In 2013, while dressing the hair of friend Erin Gibson, who worked for the comedy syndicate Funny or Die,[10] Gibson asked Van Ness to perform his recap of a Game of Thrones episode for Funny or Die, which became the Gay of Thrones web series.

[27] In 2022 Van Ness released a collection of essays in a book titled Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life.

[33] On April 4, 2019, Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Tan France, and Antoni Porowski visited Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to discuss the Equality Act, a bill that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of classes protected in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[34] On September 25, Van Ness announced his endorsement of Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020 based upon healthcare being a human right.

[35] On June 23, 2020, Van Ness and Queer Eye costar Bobby Berk praised recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that ruled that LGBT employment discrimination was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.