Queer Eye’s Jonathan van Ness on developing an anal fistula: ‘I grew a second butthole’
Jonathan Van Ness. (Getty)
Queer Eye star Jonathan van Ness has revealed that he effectively “grew a second butthole” last December.
Writing in a Reel on his Instagram page, the author and grooming expert – who uses he/they/she pronouns but has previously expressed a preference for ‘he’ – said that last year he “grew a second butthole called a fistula”, possibly brought on by stress, and wanted to talk about it with a “legit butt doctor”.
Then, writing from the point of view of his December 2023 self, Van Ness said: “In two months’ time, I’ll be telling everybody at the Louisville stop of my comedy tour.
“I won’t be ready to talk publicly about it again for eight months, and when I am, it’ll be with a legit butt doctor on my podcast, to learn about buttholes and maybe help others not feel stigma about their butt health.”
On the most recent episode of his podcast Getting Curious, the non-binary reality TV star chatted to the “Robin Hood of anal”, Dr Evan Goldstein.
“We’re telling the truth, the hole truth, and nothing butt the truth this week. It’s all about anal health,” Van Ness said of the episode.
Dr Goldstein is the chief executive of Bespoke Surgical, a practice specialising in gay men’s sexual health and wellness.
Last December was a particularly difficult time for Van Ness. As he has previously revealed, that was the month the Queer Eye stars learnt of a Rolling Stone investigation into fallouts behind the scenes of the show, and his conduct in particular. The exposé included several production team members accusing him of being a “monster” with “rage issues”.
One source claimed that he would “explode at least once a week”, while others said he was emotionally “abusive” and that some cast members had to film separately.
In June, Van Ness addressed the allegations on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s Table Manners podcast, saying they were “overwhelmingly untrue” and situations had been “taken out of context”, although he did admit that “there were times where I could have been better”.
Van Ness went on to say: “I think a lot of people were like looking for a reason to hate me or looking for a reason to be like, ‘See, I always knew that they were fake… and this is the proof’,” he said.
The investigation left the star “walking on eggshells” as he waited for the article to be published.
What is an anal fistula?
According to the NHS, an anal fistula is a “small tunnel” that can appear on the skin between the opening of the anus and the bowel, close to the anal glands. Essentially, can appear like an additional hole near your anus.
There are several potential causes, including inflamed tissue owing to disease or injury. An inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s, or other illnesses, including diverticulitis, tuberculosis and cancer, can also lead to anal fistulas. They can be caused by sexually transmitted diseases, too.
They can also develop as a result of intense stress. A 2015 study found that “psychological stress can affect the immune system and inflammatory response”.
Symptoms include discharge from near your anus that has an unpleasant odour, irritated skin surrounding the anus, blood or pus being passed in your stools, swelling, anal pain, and, less commonly, a temperature.
Anyone with symptoms is advised to see their GP.
Getting Curious is available on streaming platforms.
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