Last week AJ McLean was in Montreal to promote The Fashion Hero: A New Kind of Beauty, a competition and reality show that he hosts. As part of a meeting with 7 daysHe was particularly generous and surprising. In short, we knew little about the real AJ, who first appeared to us 30 years ago with his colleagues from the legendary Backstreet Boys.
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AJ, why did you agree to host? The Fashion Hero: A New Kind of Beauty?
When Caroline Bernier, the show’s creator and producer, explained her concept to me, I immediately replied: “I accept!”
How did she introduce it to you?
As a show that anyone from all walks of life can take part in. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight, black or white, thin or plus size, young or old. We are all beautiful just the way we are. It also allows participants to become brand ambassadors, making this environment more inclusive. It tells the world: We are all beautiful, perfectly imperfect. All of this touches me very much, in today’s world where there is a lot of toxicity, intimidation, racism, sexism on social networks, among other things.
Are you completely imperfect yourself?
Absolutely, and today I try to be as authentic as possible, more than ever. Until this summer, I had spent most of my life struggling with self-esteem issues. I just spent 10 weeks in Scottsdale, Arizona completing intensive training in the areas of mental health, trauma, depression and anxiety. I was able to understand who I am, how my inner self works, and realized that my profession is just a job and does not define me. These 10 weeks will help me for the rest of my life. It was quite an experience and all the tears and laughter I experienced there were worth it.
What defines you?
My real life: being a husband and father. That’s the most important thing to me. But don’t get me wrong, I love my job, I’ve been doing it for 30 years and we have the greatest career.
By the way: I wish you and the other members of the Backstreet Boys a happy 30th birthday, because the group was founded three decades ago!
THANKS. A good balance between work and private life is the key to happiness. I’m not perfect, I’ll still have my good days and my bad days. But if I’m honest with myself, the good ones might be more numerous.
You are 45 years old. Would you even say it took you 45 years to gain confidence in yourself?
Essentially yes. When you pursue a career in show business, you end up getting a little lost, especially when you’re part of a group. Then, when I think back to the show I host, I can see myself in almost all of the wonderful contestants on season two. I got to know them all personally. I really took the time to discover everyone’s lives, stories and battles by talking to them outside of my filming.
What have been your other struggles, aside from your confidence issue?
My confidence problem remains the biggest and has led to me having problems with alcohol and drugs. Yesterday I celebrated two years of sobriety.
All the best for the second birthday!
Thank you very much, and this time it’s different. I take everything that comes with my sobriety very seriously. In the last two years I have lost 12 friends to fentanyl. I know what to expect when I start drinking again…
Photo: Patrick Seguin
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Wasn’t Lyric, the youngest of your two daughters, instrumental in the changes you made in your life when she was just three years old?
Yes. Before I got sober, I came home one day and smelled like alcohol and she wouldn’t hug me. Then she said to me, “You don’t smell like my dad.” It broke my heart. At least my children have never seen me drunk. What I learned above all from Alcoholics Anonymous and its treatment: I choose sobriety primarily for myself and not for others. I do it for myself. I’m an open book, just like the contestants on the show.
This December you will celebrate your 12th wedding anniversary…
My wife! She was my rock. If I had been in his place, I can’t count how many times I would have left. She stayed by my side. But we parted briefly.
How long were you separated?
We broke up last December and are currently trying to work things out. We will give ourselves a new life that we have never experienced before.
Do you think you’ll get back together?
Yes, 100%. I would say that we are currently communicating and are happy as ever. My plan is for us to be together again during the Christmas holidays. I see my children very regularly and my wife and I go out together regularly. Last week she told me that she had noticed a beautiful change. She told me that I am more present at every opportunity, without distractions, and that our daughters want to be with me even more.
Would you both go so far as to get married again?
Seriously, we’ve actually talked about renewing our vows. Life is good at the moment. I want to be the best father, the best husband and the best friend possible.
From April 18th to 21st you will meet your colleagues from the Backstreet Boys, who you call your brothers, in Cancún, Mexico. All The world can book a trip to see and hear you. What are your other new projects?
I will be releasing a solo album and a clothing line in 2024.
Photo: Patrick Seguin
THE QUÉBÉCOISE AS THE ORIGIN OF THIS PLANETARY SUCCESS
Quebecois Caroline Bernier has long thrived in the world of beauty pageants and fashion and founded The Fashion Hero: A New Kind of Beautiful seven years ago. This reality TV show, which challenges the fashion industry’s unattainable beauty standards and encourages people to accept themselves as they are, has aired in more than 160 countries and counts 35 million fans around the world. “AJ McLean, the host, feels good now, the way he is and after everything he’s been through. I think he is a great role model for the participants and for young people in general who have great difficulty identifying with someone. We all have something special. I love it. “He’s a wonderful person,” emphasizes Caroline. In 2024, a third season of The Fashion Hero: A New Kind of Beautiful will be filmed in Croatia and will again be hosted by AJ McLean. Season 2, filmed in South Africa, can be seen on Paramount+ Canada.