When the Fab Five met Joey Greene on Queer Eye he was working at a summer camp with a huge beard and long hair. His episode is called "Lost Boy" both because he'd been reticent to grow up, but also because he was a little lost in his life. The Fab Five helped make his cabin a home, trimmed up his beard, and encouraged him to make lasting memories with his son Isaac who was visiting for the summer. Now, after Queer Eye, Joey is working away and leaning into what his makeover taught him.
Joey tells Refinery29 of his journey: "There are many things I have taken away from the experience. The way I interact with people, the way I see myself, but probably the biggest and easiest to articulate, is the reminder hanging on my wall. It's the oar my son painted that says,'Today not someday.' It reminds me to do it today instead of waiting for someday."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
On the show, he'd recently been promoted to program manager of Camp Wildwood, but he wasn't quite portraying the image of someone who was in charge. Enter the Fab Five. They helped give him the tools and confidence to enter this next stage of his life as an adult who can be in charge but still knows how to have fun. Joey seems to love what they did, because his made over look is what's featured in his Camp Wildwood headshot. He's wearing the new glasses Tan picked out and sporting a shorter, groomed beard. His smile is infectious.
His Camp Wildwood bio says that he's been working at the camp since 2016, but has camp experience dating back to 1991. He wants to help others realize that you can play at any age and thinks the world should "be more like camp." The bio also says that Joey has an interest in performing arts, which his LinkedIn confirms. Viewers just got to know the camp side of Joey, but he's also big in the improv and comedy scene in Kansas City. His LinkedIn says he's an artist and coach for Comedy City, KC and he founded the improv company SmartyPants Theater in 2006.
All these facets of his life have come together to make his 2018 great and his 2019 on the path to success as well. Joey says, "My life since we met with the Fab Five has been a pretty steady ascent. I have traveled to so many interesting places... Paris, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, St. Louis, Los Angeles."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
He adds that he's now in a better place with his son's mother and busy planning for the 2019 camp season. "I am currently in the process of assembling our summer staff for 2019 and then on to designing my first summer program, something I have dreamed about since my first camp job."
Joey has posted some promotional content for Queer Eye on his Instagram, but he hasn't directly commented on what the show meant to him. But he did recently post an Instagram photo of him cooking something with apples — so it seems Antoni's encouragement to get Joey cooking again on the show translated into his real life.
He may be interested in comedy and improv, but Joey was a pretty quiet hero on Queer Eye. He was open to the process and shifted his attitude a lot by the end of the show, but it's not surprising that most of his social media posts are about his camp and his improv work rather than just about his makeover on the show. Still, it speaks volumes that he's kept the look — down to the glasses — all these months after filming.
Overall, the Fab Five transformed his home and his wardrobe, and they also helped give him a renewed sense of confidence about his new leadership job at this camp he loves. Now you can catch him on the camp's Instagram leading knot-tying seminars or over on his own Instagram enjoying the great outdoors. He's still the same Joey fans got to know, but just a little more proud to show off his new beard, glasses, and smile while stepping up in this new leadership role.