So firstly Jack, how are you going and how is life treating you at the moment?
Life is pretty awesome right now. OnlyFans and JustForFans came along at the perfect time for me. They alleviate any financial issues and I’m also forced to be social (I’m a text book introvert) and as a result I’ve met some amazing new friends.
Let’s go right back to the beginning – Project Runway, you were a contestant on Season 4, and made the heartbreaking decision to leave during Episode 5 to focus on your health.
Thank you. Well, let me clarify, I left because I had a staph infection in my face which was completely unrelated to my HIV status. Just a bummer coincidence.
As a fan of the show I have to ask, how did you find the whole experience during your time on the show? (and I’m pretty jealous you got to meet Sarah Jessica Parker)
Doing the show was amazing. There is SO MUCH the viewers never see. We film 14 weeks of the show in 32 days with no days off. We sleep about 4-5 hours a night and during the day we are literally working non-stop. They bring in food but no one has time to eat. I lost 10 pounds in the 13 days I was there.
I often say I would do the show over but I would not do it again. It was an amazing, and gruelling experience but knowing what I know now I would not go back to do All-Stars. The show really does nothing to boost your design career – unless you are Christian Siriano who is a fucking genius and would have been a superstar anyway.
The best part of the whole experience was meeting the other contestants. We were ONLY allowed to talk to each other. So we bonded (or hated each other) very quickly. I’m still very close friends with some of the designers from my season. And meeting SJP was amazing. My reaction was written up on a blog as “the gayest moment on television this year”. Coincidentally, I was in the opening scene of the Sex and the City movie a month later. I sat in the make up trailer with her for 2 hours. She’s kick ass.
You opened up about your HIV status on the show, was that something you had planned to do or even wanted to do?
Yes. I planned it. The producers know EVERYTHING about you before you go on the show and they asked me if I would talk about it. I don’t believe in shame and I don’t give a shit what other people think so I didn’t hesitate. I knew there would be a ton of viewers who would benefit from seeing someone who was HIV+ (for 19 years at that point) and living a healthy successful life. There had not been an openly HIV+ person on TV since Pedro Zamora from The Real World: San Francisco in 1994.
At the time what was the response like?
Well our season (4) was the most highly rated season ever. The response was insane. I remember the Head of PR telling me that I was getting more press requests than Christian (the winner). I was on the cover of practically every HIV/LGBTQ magazine and total strangers would come up to me on the street and hug me. It was awesome but quiet overwhelming.
Social media was just beginning and not like it is today. Do you think talking about your status on a National TV show was easier back then or harder?
I don’t think it would have made any different. It probably would’ve gone more viral now (pun intended). I have been positive since I was 19 and I watched tons of friends and one boyfriend die horrible deaths. Once you’ve been thru something like that, anything else is pretty easy by comparison. One amazing thing that the immediate public scrutiny taught me was to not read anything about myself on the internet. I was very well liked on the show, and 99% of my comments were positive and supportive but there are always internet trolls who live sad angry lives who called me an AIDS WHORE and scrutinised my bad plastic surgery (I haven’t had any aside form botox) and on and on. I think it wouldn’t have been worse if Facebook was what it is today. That’s right around the time I stopped reading that crap and stopped giving a fuck about other people’s opinions of me.
As someone who has been living with HIV for nearly 30 years, what are some of the challenges you have faced and still face today?
None really. Like I mentioned, I don’t care what others think of me. I just take my meds and I’ve been undetectable since 1995 (when they first started testing for it). Now we know that if you are undetectable you absolutely CAN NOT transmit HIV (Preventionaccess.org)
I do still get a TON of message from around the world, mainly from young men who have just seroconverted. They are always freaking out so I do my best to help them. Some guys don’t listen or don’t believe you and that can be disappointing but all I can do is impart my experience. Generally, it’s incredibly rewarding.
There is still so much stigma associated with HIV/Aid, what do you think it would take to break down these barriers?
Well the stigma will always exist. I just choose not to believe it. PrEP has been amazing for stigma because it has brought many HIV- men into care and educated them about HIV. Typically people only really educate themselves when they find out they are positive. In cities like New York, the high risk populations are very HIV savvy. Generally HIV is a non-issue.
However there are still A LOT of ignorant people out there. Honestly, I don’t think anything will change their minds. It’s actually ironic because statistically undetectable HIV+ guys are the safest partners. We can’t transmit HIV and we go to the doctor the most frequently to check for other STI’s. Negative guys on PrEP are pretty much the same.
With the use of PrEP how do you think we can still balance the messages between safe sex and protection (from HIV/and other sexually transmitted diseases)?
Well I think there is a problem with your question. Sex with PrEP is ‘safe sex’. It’s much more successful at preventing the spread of HIV than condoms. The rest is a personal choice. I don’t use condoms. Most other STI’s can be transmitted orally so condom crusaders should also be using them for oral sex. I don’t know anyone who does that. I’m not anti-condom. I just think we need to redefine what ‘safe sex’ really means.
You’ve had a varied career so far – athlete, model, fashion designer, TV/radio personality, so what made you make the decision to step into the world of porn at the age of 49?
Money. Plain and simple. I don’t work for studios. I only film content for my OnlyFans and JustForFans pages. I control the content and I own the rights. I also make more money than if I worked for a studio. I don’t care about exposure. I’m already overexposed. Sex work is real work. To me it’s just a job. There are parts I enjoy and parts I dislike. However I always remind myself that I didn’t love sitting in a cubicle writing quarterly reports either.
Are you enjoying it and what are your porn career goals?
Yes. I’m enjoying it. Most of the guys you meet are great. You won’t last long in this industry if you’re a douche or a drug addict. Word spreads VERY quickly.
I have NO long term porn career goals. I just want to keep growing my OnlyFans and JustForFans because that’s where the money is at. I’ll probably do it for another year or two. I’m going back to nursing school in January and I’ll be totally finished in 2.5 years (career number 5) so then I’ll leave all the adult stuff behind.
How are you finding the fan platforms – OnlyFans and JustforFans?
OnlyFans was the first site of its kind and cornered the market but the platform sucks. I have more subscribers on OF but that is changing. Most guys I know are switching to JustForFans because it’s much more user friendly and has more bells and whistles. I post the same content on both platforms but I must say that it’s a TON of work. It’s endless. It’s much like the format of a Facebook page. So imagine if you had to post something specific on your page several times a week. I rarely have sex now unless it’s on camera.
What has been your favourite video that you have filmed so far and why?
I did an amazing shoot with Adam Killian called ‘Bay of Pigs’ where we fucked outside on Fire Island by the bay and it’s awesome. Honestly there are too many to choose from. I like all of them for different reasons.
Is there anyone you would love to film with?
I’m not very well versed in porn stars. I love watching it but I rarely know their PORN names unless I know them personally. I’d love to film with Francois Sagat. But I don’t have a wish list.
What can your fans expect next from your OnlyFans/JustForFans pages, any exciting new videos coming our way?
I’m posting a hot 3-way this week and I don’t usually do big groups but I was part of a 9-way orgy where we also fucked the camera man. This should be up in about a week. HOT!
When not filming what does Jack like to do in his spare time?
I play with my puggle Ralph and I bike, swim, gym and self promote. Haha.
What is a fun fact that people may not know about Jack Mackenroth?
Hmmm. Well no one believes I’m an introvert. In a group setting I feel uncomfortable which is counterintuitive to my public image.
I also can’t tell my right from my left. Never could.
Any final words for your fans?
I’d just like to say thank you for subscribing. I try to return all serious messages and inquiries, especially those about HIV. It’s best to contact me on Twitter or Instagram. And please think twice about ripping our content off the internet. We work really hard to make quality videos and people just steal them and put them on torrent sites. My monthly subscription fee is the price of 3 latte’s. We need the money. It’s not like we are making tens of thousands of dollars a month. I’m paying for nursing school by fucking on camera. It’s much appreciated.
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Photo Credits: Header: Marklan Fleshman 1. Marklan Fleshman 2. Marklan Fleshman 3. Marklan Fleshman 4. Jack Mackenroth 5. Jack Mackenroth 6. Trevor Ott 7. Marklan Fleshman
Photo 6: (Left to Right): Teddy Bear, Pup Digger, Dylan Dukes, Ryan Carter, Archer Croft, Jack Mackenroth, Silver Steele