It took model Ronnie Kroell three months of weighing the pros and cons of posing naked — and hard — for Playgirl. But he went ahead with it, and the first set of photos will pop up on Playgirl.com on May 15. The only way Kroell agreed to the shoot, however, was if his camp got to steer the project.
Magazines generally hate giving up editorial control; that’s why a Vogue photo shoot costs $300,000, because even the photographer’s assistant’s assistant is hand picked. Then there are tabloid mags, which commission a paparazzi agency to snap Kim Kardashian doing whatever it is she does. As Kroell tells it, Playgirl agreed to his terms.
At the time, upon initial contact, it wasn’t really something I saw myself doing. It took me about three months to get to ‘yes’ as a decision. I’m really happy and it was really a fun experience for me because Playgirl immediately saw upon meeting me the artistic vision that I had and what I really wanted to do. The Playgirl people allowed me to share creative control in the process, which allowed me to bring in a high-fashion photographer, and a full fashion team. So on May 15 on Playgirl.com the first 15-20 photos will be released then the actual print edition will come out June 15. It was quite a fun time, we shot at the Grace Hotel in New York City and it was all high fashion. There are a lot of surprises and I feel it will take Playgirl to a whole new level.
Indeed it will, if that whole new level is “actually appearing in print.”
ksu499
Yum. Just yum.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
*major yum* I can HARDly wait!! :-p
fredo777
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: Same. I’ve been a fan of his since the whole “Bronnie” showmance on Make Me A Supermodel. Cannot wait.
Nathaniel R
he’s one of the only celebrities i’ve ever met by complete chance and he was ridiculously nice. As sweet as he is cute.
scott ny'er
I’m confused. I thought the print edition of Playgirl was now defunkt. True?
lookyloo
Wait. So is Playgirl finally admitting that gay guys are their primary audience?
EdWoody
@lookyloo: They’ve admitted they were in the mix long since. It would be foolish not to. And after hiring DN as a publicist, they’ve made it more obvious than ever. I still say they should hired Tim Urban off AI to get em off aswell.
DEREK WASHINGTON
Good move, now maybe they won’t neuter his sex appeal like they did with Levi Johnston.
ousslander
loving me some ronnie. now if thery could have done a double spread with him and Ben.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
Could someone tell me who this kid is?
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: I could. But I won’t.
Google him.
Dave
Someone is trying to restart their 15 minutes…if he even had that in the first place.
Devon
We better get full frontal from this one. If they pull another Levi Johnston I’ll be piiiiiissed.
fredo777
@Dave: If you don’t know whether he “had it in the first place”, perhaps you should keep your snark to yourself.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
In the time it took you to write that little bit of bitchiness, you could have told me who this guy is. Clearly he’s far more important to you, than he is to me.
Please enjoy living vicariously though him–who ever he may be.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@Dave:
…if he even had it in the first place.
Considering that posing for a stroke magazine is the next rung on his career ladder, I think you’ve proven your own statment.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Your initial “who is this?” comment was just a bitchy way of saying he wasn’t important enough for you to know who he is. Fight bitchy with bitchy.
Also, in the time you’ve spent throwing shade on him, you could’ve already looked him up in Google. Run along.
afrolito
A. He’s not a celebrity, and never was.
b. Posing nude and hard is not gonna change that.
c. He looks like he has a small dick.
d. He is cute tho.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
Your initial “who is this?” comment
Sweetheart, my initial comment was:
Could someone tell me who this kid is?
Clearly it wasn’t the “who is this” part of my question that got your shorts in a knot. Clearly it was the “kid” part. What this tells me is that one of us needs to grow up. Since I’m taking the adult approach towards your reproach, I’ll leave you to figure out whom in this thread needs to mature.
was just a bitchy way of saying he wasn’t important enough for you to know who he is.
And what if googling rendered nothing? What if I thought this guy wasn’t interesting enough to spend time searching out his bio? What if I was merely looking a a few words as to who he is–TV star; actor; Hollywood dochebag?
So I’ll ask again; what makes this kid important enough to google?
Fight bitchy with bitchy.
I’ll check my intellect at the door and meet you on the field.
Also, in the time you’ve spent throwing shade on him, you could’ve already looked him up in Google.
In the time it took you to bang out this childish harangue, you could have answered my initial query.
Run along.
Good idea. I don’t wanna be around when the house drops on you.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@afrolito:
A. He’s not a celebrity, and never was.
b. Posing nude and hard is not gonna change that.
c. He looks like he has a small dick.
d. He is cute tho.
Thank you, afrolito.
fredo777
I didn’t read that whole diatribe, but suffice it to say that half of the effort spent in writing it could have been used to look ronnie up + this whole thing would’ve been avoided.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
I didn’t read that whole diatribe, but suffice it to say that half of the effort spent in writing it could have been used to look ronnie up + this whole thing would’ve been avoided.
Your first response to my question is longer than it would have taken to answer the question, in a civilized manner.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: My response had nothing to do with the effort that explaining Ronnie would take + everything to do with why you likely asked in the first place. You can feign harmless curiosity if you’d like, but I think your subsequent “stroke mag” post has proven my point that your aim was to be snarky.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
but I think your subsequent “stroke mag” post has proven my point that your aim was to be snarky.
What? He isn’t doing Men’s Vogue. The mag is what it is–masturbation material. Don’t try to make it out to be Numéro.
D'oh, The Magnificent
@fredo777: I agree with you. As my friend would say, “I hate when someone is trying to be a snarky bitch,” and, then, when “they get schooled,” they are all “batty-eyed innocent.” “Its like no, you just got schooled. Now take your medicine like a man.”
D'oh, The Magnificent
Or course, I am normally on the receiving end of his diatribe so its nice to see that exchange here.
fredo777
@D’oh, The Magnificent: Truth.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: To be honest, I don’t really care if it’s Harper’s Bazaar or Hung. My only beef was with the cliche “who is this person + why should i care?” attitude that’s all-too-common recently.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
My only beef was with the cliche “who is this person + why should i care?” attitude that’s all-too-common recently.
For whatever reason you got your knickers in a knot because I asked who this kid was. There was nothing snarky, nor bitchy about my question, other than what you read into it. You’ve acted like a pompous ass throughout this entire absurd situation.
Inquiring Mind
@fredo777:
So who IS he and why SHOULD we care?
Daniel
Ummm, it’s May 15th. Where are the photos? That said (or asked), I think he made a mistake with posing for Playgirl. He seems like a smart guy with a good head on his shoulders, though who knows how much he got paid and if he was getting modeling work before the offer. He seemed kind of above porn though. An artsy nude photo shoot in V or something would have been great, but it probably wouldn’t have brought in any money which was clearly the deciding factor.
Tylertime
Can’t these ex-reality stars just enjoy the time they had on TV and go out and get a real job once there time in the spotlight is over? Does this Ronnie character really think that posing for a skin magazine is going to help him have a modeling or acting career? Is he that stupid? Is he looking for a career in porn or prostitution? That’s the next logical step after this “career” move.
fredo777
@Daniel: I don’t think it’ll hurt him, to be honest.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Pipe down.
jeff r
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: “Playgirl” isn’t”Numero” nor is it “L’Uomo Vogue,” any of the foreign editions of “GQ” or “Vogue Homme” but “Men’s Vogue?!?” Please! The pictorial was shot by a reputable photographer and hopefully Ronnie is getting paid a lot of money for his efforts. Ronnie was a popular contestant on “Make Me A Supermodel.” He almost won the competition and garnered an impressive fanbase as a result of his appearance on the show. I believe that he’s active in various lgbt charities, models and attends school. He and his roommate contributed the term “bromance” to the vernacular.
@Tylertime & Daniel: Appearing in “Playgirl” is not necessarily a step down in one’s career and certainly does not hint at a career in porn or escorting. That’s an erroneous assumption. A number of former “Playgirl” centerfolds/Man of the Year winners have gone on to have interesting, productive lives and careers. “Playgirl” isn’t porn.
@Tylertime: A number of acclaimed, successful actresses (Catherine Denueve, Kim Basinger, Nastassia Kinski, etc) have posed for “Playboy” during their respective careers. Why can’t men?
@Daniel & Tylertime: I believe that Ronnie is putting himself through school. Tuition is expensive. So is the cost of living in NYC. Modeling is a very competitive industry and there are very few successful models who are out (I can think of two, and only one came out voluntarily.) I think that there is not a single successful model who has appeared on a reality show like “Make Me A Supermodel” who has gone on to have a brilliant career in the US modeling industry during the past decade. So Ronnie has two strikes against him starting out. He also has a very commercial look (lifestyle, catalogues, etc.) and in light of his being out, I am sure that it has hurt him with the mainstream conservative clients in the US. It’s all about corporate branding. Why do you think that only two top male models are out?!? Modeling is probably as bad as Hollywood in terms of encouraging its talent to remain in the closet.
Ronnie was required, like all of the contestants, to sign an agreement with the producers when he appeared on the show and was subsequently signed with New York Models for a year or so. It is unlikely that he had the option to go with another agency that might have facilitated his modeling career. NYMM is a very high fashion oriented agency – another strike against him. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he decided to take “Playgirl’s” offer to make as much money as possible and continue on with his life. I doubt that it will effect his career one way or another.
According to everything that I have read regarding Ronnie, he is regarded as a nice, eloquent, intelligent, down to earth young man involved in his community who also happens to be handsome. He obviously has a fanbase in certain segments of the gay community. I would assume one also exists in the straight community since he almost won the competition. If one is not interested in reading about Ronnie, don’t. Snarky comments – and some were snarky – aren’t necessary. Instead of wasting your time complaining about his alleged attempts to extend his “15 minutes of fame,” the possibility that he has a small dick or that he’s going to become an escort or a pornstar, etc., email a letter to your Congressmen and Senators demanding that they vote to repeal “DADT.” Go online and look into some lgbt charities that you can support. What has Ronnie done to merit such venom?
Best,
Jeff R
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
Grow up.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@jeff r:
any of the foreign editions of “GQ”
GQ? Seriously? Any edition, maybe 20 years ago, but today it’s just a straighter version of Details.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Full-grown, sweetheart. Full-grown.
jeff r
@Mr EJ: Yes, seriously. I referrred to “foreign editions” of “GQ” not the American edition. They use top notch models, photographers, stylists, etc., and have fashion forward, edgier content unlike their tired American counterpart, so editorial work for a model in said foreign editions is a coup. I was referring to the quality of the photography, editorial content, etc., when I referenced the same. You are obviously aware of good editorial photography since you referenced “Numero.” I don’t think that “Men’s Vogue” is being published anymore. “Details” is a joke in terms of editorial content and it’s beyond straight. I agree with you on that point. There are countless other great magazines with praiseworthy fashion editorial content but very few, if any, are American. The same goes for women’s magazines. “Vogue” is a joke. “Vogue Italia” and “French Vogue” rock.
The point of my lengthy email regarding Ronnie was that he appears to be a nice guy and he did himself a disservice vis a vis his modeling career when he appeared on “MMASM” and was so publicly out. I think that it’s pathetic that no gay designers have used him, no gay brands have used him, that he hasn’t been promoted for even niche campaigns. I am not suggesting that he is a Jon Kortajarena or a Noah Mills, just that our community often fails to support its own – akin to casting directors, agents, managers, producers and directors in Hollywood, etc. It’s a business and I find no fault with Ronnie’s attempt to make some money off of his semi – celebrity. He hasn’t remained closeted like a lot of celebrities or come out bitching that he’s been mistreated by the lgbt community, he doesn’t appear to be a self serving famewhore like certain other reality tv personalities, etc. He’s out, he’s proud, he’s involved with lgbt charities, so why give him so much grief if he poses for “Playgirl.” He’s not a Levi Johnston or Heidi Montag. He should be supported until he proves himself unworthy of our community’s support.
In terms of nudity and semi-nudity, most of the major NYC agencies have been pimping their boys out for a while for suggestive nude/semi-nude shoots that appear on all of the blogs, including fashion blogs, and even in gay mags like “Pref” and “Tetu.” Little is left to the imagination – one can tell if they are cut or uncut, etc. So if Ronnie decides to show off his body and gay men can enjoy it, knowing that he’s intelligent, out and proud, not surgically enhanced, not necessarily an asshole or a pornstar, why not?
Best,
Jeff R
Daniel
@jeff r: woah, he did a disservice to himself by being out?! No, he did a disservice to himself by competing on a lame reality TV show; no one wants to hire ANYONE who has been on those kind of shows. Being an out model is NO BIG DEAL, there are so many. I used to work in the fashion industry (which is primarily run by gay men) and I think being gay would actually help one’s modeling career!
fredo777
@Daniel: That’s a completely off-the-mark assessment. Competing on a “lame” reality show doesn’t mean the death of one’s career. Mark Kanemura starred on that “lame” SYTYCD + now he tours with Lady Gaga, as well as Michael Silas (who didn’t even make it to the finals of Bravo’s far-less-popular Step It Up + Dance). Guess what Michael also did? Posed nude (+ erect) for LatinBoyz. Hasn’t seemed to stop him from getting work. America’s Best Dance Crew made the Jabbawockeez a household name + they’re getting their own Vegas show.
As far as reality shows go, they are a great way to build a fan base + get your face recognized. In fact, had it not been for MMASM, most of us wouldn’t even be talking about Ronnie right now. Also, the claim that noone wants to hire folks who’ve appeared on such shows is disproved by any of the countless former reality contestants who’ve been afforded opportunities since (Toccara from Next Top Model doing Italian Vogue?). Elisabeth Hasselbeck (as much as I dislike her) is a host on The View + as far as I know, her only claim to fame is competing on Survivor + marrying an athlete.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
Odd, considering you’ve been acting like a child going through the terrible two’s.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@jeff r:
I referrred to “foreign editions” of “GQ” not the American edition.
Yes, Jeff, I understand that. Which is why I pointed out “any edition” in my reply to you.
They use top notch models, photographers, stylists, etc., and have fashion forward, edgier content unlike their tired American counterpart, so editorial work for a model in said foreign editions is a coup.
Clearly you never saw the British GQ from 20, or even 15 years ago. A better men’s fashion magazine could not have existed. In todays time, most of their foreign editions are nothing more than lad mags, just a step up from Stuff, or FMH.
When Mr. Kroell gets in the pages of Arena Homme +, then I’ll be impressed.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
most of us wouldn’t even be talking about Ronnie right now.
I think you meant obsessing about, Fredo.
fredo777
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Bullshit. Voicing a differing opinion is not the same as throwing a temper tantrum, no matter how much you dislike my word choice.
As for that latter comment, noone is obsessing over Ronnie. The conversation isn’t even about him anymore, but reality contestants in general.
I’d rather you didn’t say anything else to me.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@fredo777:
I’d rather you didn’t say anything else to me.
I’ll take that into consideration. Frankly, I can’t believe I’ve spent all this time debating a nobody, about a nobody.
jeff r
@Mr EJ: I collect fashion magazines so I am aware of the decline in said mag’s quality. Many of the top models were friends, clients and /or acquaintances of mine. You’re preaching to the choir. I still stand by my assessment of the editorial content of “GQ Espana,” “GQ Germany,” “GQ China,” “GQ Russia” and others. I think that you’re splitting hairs here and we’re basically on the same page regarding editorial content. I was remiss in not excluding “British GQ.” You were wrong to cite “Men’s Vogue.” Truce?
@Daniel: I still work with the fashion industry and I retain close ties with various professionals therein, including, without limitation, designers, bookers, agents, stylists, models, photographers, etc. I have news for you, things have changed drastically for gay male models! There are two successful models who are ostensibly publicly out, both with major agencies in NYC and Europe. One is a former cover boy (about 7 years ago)for an existing US gay magazine and the other was recently involved in a tabloid scandal. To the best of my knowledge there are no other publicly out top models. In their private lives, yes. Not publicly as professionals. You see Coco, Giselle, Christy, et al. often attending functions with their significant others. Have you seen any male models do the same with their bfs, partners, etc? There are actually several high profile male model couples. If you have, please educate me.
I am currently researching a magazine article that I am writing with one of the original gay male supermodels from the 70’s and early 80’s – he was the first male model to get a solo cover with “GQ” back in the day and recently came out of retirement to shoot an editorial for “Vogue Italia” with Bruce Webber and Lara Stone – regarding the presence of gay male models in the industry from the 70’s to the present. The presence of top male models in the industry has increasingly declined throughout the decades and one acclaimed fashion editor and stylist recently estimated that fewer than 5% of successful male models are gay and almost no one is publicly out. Correct me if I am wrong. We have been interviewing a score of models, bookers, etc., (here and abroad) off the record and to date it is quite apparent that the overwhelming majority of successful or rising gay male models are professionally closeted. Their bookers and agents, perhaps their co-workers may know that they are gay, but it is not something that is publicly acknowledged. They are often counseled to remain closeted publicly and they are never encouraged to publicly out themselves like some of their female counterparts or actors like Jonathan Groff, Luke MacFarlane, etc. I am referring specifically to male models.
My original point was simple: There is a great prejudice against model reality contestants in the modeling industry. Ronnie was not only a reality contestant, he was an openly gay contestant. Hence he did himself a disservice by competing on the a reality show and competing as an out gay man. It’s a double whammy. I am not condoning the fact that being openly gay can hurt a male model’s career, just stating what I believe it to be the current reality in the industry. It’s sad.
Best,
Jeff
chris
Still no pix. Did the photo shoot even happen??
Paul
@Mr. Enemabag Jones
Dude, are you seriously this big of a douche? Grow the eff up and move along. There isn’t ANYTHING else to do today??? How ’bout opening a book – no, I said a BOOK, not the pages of your magazines stuck together.
Labi Ajeti
shumm seksii
jckfmsincty
He just doesn’t look like a professional model.