Reality Star Shares Why He Had To Come Out Before He Was Ready
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Israeli reality star and clothing designer, On Mekahel, tells Newsweek why he had to come out before he was ready… and how his family got him through it.
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Mekahel, who was the central character of the 2018 reality show Putting On, and the founder of underwear company Mounderwear says while making a documentary series about his company, he and his boyfriend broke up. He says:
I didn’t even know if I wanted to continue with the brand or the show, but a lot of money was already invested into it and a producer said: “Besides this specific story your life is more reality show than a documentary, there is always drama in your life. Let’s just film it and transform it into a reality show.”
I have always loved reality shows, Kim Kardashian is my idol, so I agreed. My family supported that decision and said: “Just film, do what you know how to do.” That is how it came about. It ended up being a reality series following my business and personal life, instead of a documentary.
The break-up had caused me to come out to my mom, who told the rest of my family, but I knew all my friends back home would see the show, which was now only a little bit about the underwear brand and mostly about my break up.
I knew this series was going to be public. It was going to be everywhere and would force me to say that I am gay to the rest of the world. I wasn’t ready, I was thrown out of the closet, but it was for the best.
What he found was that his family was “amazing.”
If I could go back in time, I would keep everything the way it is. Although I wish I hadn’t felt as broken as I did when my relationship ended, I don’t think I would have had the nerve to come out otherwise, so I believe it was God’s plan. I could have wasted so many years hiding my true self.
This is my story and I am happy with that. It was difficult, but at the same time it was a beautiful experience—because I found out how amazing my family is.
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Mekahel is an Israeli actor, model, business owner and social media influencer based in Los Angeles. He is the founder of underwear company Mounderwear and the central character in 2018 reality show Putting On. You can follow his Instagram page at @iamonmekahel.
