Also known by his alias “Foodgod”, Jonathan Cheban is an American internet and reality TV personality who was also an entrepreneur and a former publicist. He first came into the limelight by appearing on “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and its spinoffs. He was known as Kim Kardashian’s BFF.
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This 49-year-old Soviet Union-born entrepreneur owns a clothing line named Kritik, a Miami-based restaurant named Sushi MiKasa, and a New York-based fast food restaurant named Burger Bandit. He also runs a podcast titled “Foodgod: OMFG!”.
The reality TV personality’s constant appearance on the Kardashian’s reality TV series made him a public figure. He has gained a following on social media through the years. He now has 21.3k subscribers on YouTube, 642.5k followers on Twitter, and 3.9M followers on Instagram.
He was also a former publicist and that’s how he became close with paparazzi magnets like Paris Hilton, Kelly Osbourne, Nicole Richie, and the Olsen twins.
Jonathan Cheban had always wanted to be in the spotlight and he had the Kardashians to thank that for.
Thank God reality TV happened. Oh my God, it gave me a chance. I thought, ‘I need to be on MTV, but I have no idea how, working in p.r.’ To achieve that lifestyle, you had to be a musician or an actor [back then] — I’m neither.”
Jonathan Cheban told New York Post
He admitted that he owes his fame to the Kardashians. However, he also believes he has helped Kim along the way, as well.
I helped Kim along the way — big time — but I created my own identity.”
he said
As expected, because of his newfound fame, the public becomes interested in him and his personal life. That’s when rumors about his sexuality started to surface on the internet. People were starting to get curious if he was into men. Well, is he? Is Jonathan Cheban gay? Let’s find out.
VOTE: What is Jonathan Cheban’s Sexuality?
On Getting His Sexuality Questioned on National TV
It looks like it’s not only fans who were intrigued by Jonathan’s sexuality, but even the people he had closely interacted with. In one of the episodes of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” back in 2011, Kim Kardashian’s then-husband, Kris Humphries, brought Jonathan’s sexuality into question. In the said episode, Kris suggested that Kim’s BFF might not be straight but is gay.
When HollywoodCIA asked Jonathan for his reaction to what Kris had said, Jonathan fired back by saying, “I don’t know, maybe he is gay.”
The fact that he didn’t really directly address the issue fueled the rumors about his sexuality even more. Fans see it as being defensive, thus, some insist that there is no way he is straight.
One comment on the YouTube channel where the video of the interview was uploaded even said, “Kris wasn’t being homophobic. If anyone is, it’s Jonathan. The queen should just come out. He’s the only one who thinks it’s a secret.”
Jonathan Cheban remained tight-lipped about the issue. He never, not even once, directly answers the questions pertaining to his sexual preference. This makes the fans even more curious about the subject.
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Jonathan Cheban’s Relationships
In spite of all those rumors surrounding his sexuality, Jonathan Cheban’s only relationship was actually open to the public. He had a few flings, too, but none of them were confirmed.
He used to date stylist Anat Popovsky from 2012 to 2016. The two met while filming “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami”. They dated for a while before taking a break in early 2015. They got back together in November of that year only to call it quits for good in August 2016.
Jonathan was linked to a hot blonde model right after he broke up with Anat Popovsky, but there was no confirmation about the rumored romance.
In 2019, Jonathan Cheban was spotted hanging out with a Kardashian clone mystery woman in London. There was, however, no information on who the woman was.
Kim Kardashian once asked Jonathan about his preference for a partner. And he replied with, “Light-skinned, big ass,” without specifying the gender.
Is Jonathan Cheban Gay?
Although aware of the gay rumors that had been hovering around his name since he started gaining popularity, Jonathan Cheban never directly addressed the questions about his sexuality. This fuels the rumors even more and leads fans to believe that he is, indeed, not straight. And the fact that he lacks a dating history that proves he’s into women makes the rumors somehow believable. Okay, he had one relationship and a few flings, but still, that doesn’t really prove anything. He could be bisexual, for all we know. So yes, Jonathan Cheban’s sexuality remains a question. A question that only he, himself, can answer.