I was in a different place in my life,” says Eklund, who was approached in 2002 by a Jet Set Studios representative who had seen his photo online. At that time, the ambitious entrepreneur was the CEO of a Swedish Internet company with nearly 50 employees.
After two-and-a-half years of building that company, I was exhausted, frustrated and felt suffocated. Everything in my whole life up until that point had been about my brain and studying and making money. So when I got the offer, I decided to take a break from everything, do something a little crazy and see where it led me. And the craziest thing I could think of was to go do porn movies in Los Angeles…
It was like research, an experiment for myself. I learned that I could do whatever I want… If I had listened to anybody else but myself, I wouldn’t have done it, but I’m glad that I did. It brought me to where I am today.”
—Million Dollar Listings New York co-star Frederik Eklund, on why he quit his job to pursue gay porn in the early 2000s as Tag Ericksson, in a 2007 interview with HX.
Price Waterhouse
Very positive and refreshing attitude.
Rick
Wow… I have so much respect for him.
jason
There’s no grace or dignity in doing porn.
Eric
@jason: theres no grace or dignity in being judgmental. Live and let live.
matt
Oh please. don’t portray a career in porn as constructive and liberating experience.
jason
Eric,
Oh, really? Aren’t you judgemental when you cross the street?
Aren’t you judgemental when you decide to do your toilet in the actual toilet and not the living room?
Face it – you make judgements all the time. Don’t deny the power and importance of judgements.
Eric Auerbach
@matt: I agree! Fredrik, your life experience does not conform to my preconceived notions of what a porn career is, and you must therefore shut up!
Rance
Just asking – why are the people who view porn (and that would be most of you) somehow superior to those who make it? And in particular to gay porn – if women are not being exploited, what is the harm?
Eric Auerbach
@Rance: Never understood that either. Just as there wouldn’t be a prostitute without a john, there wouldn’t be a porn performer without a porn consumer — we’re all two sides of the same coin.
Tyler
Honestly who cares? If he wants to become a professional cum dumpster and a professional whore since all people in porn do sex for pay on the side since you make more doing that than from videos it’s his choice but he’s just sabotaging any respect and any sort of career in the real estate biz he once had.
Mr. Robertson
@Tyler: I take it you never watch porn?
Jonathan
met the guy & he’s quite arrogant for a former porn actor
Mr. Robertson
@Jonathan: What? An arrogant real estate agent? Shocking!
No, he should totally go through life ashamed and humbled — after all, he’s tainted!
the other Greg
@Mr. Robertson: I never watch porn (seriously!) but it seems to me that being a porn actor might be more honest work and less sleazy than most real estate agents.
Mark
What difference does it make? It’s his life – he can do whatever the hell he wants to with it. His reasons are his reasons and who are we to say it’s right or wrong. Sheesh people – it’s fucking free country!!
Tyler
Actually sometimes I have watched porn. I find it very boring, faked, and I’d rather actually have sex with someone than watch other people have sex.
Cam
All I can say is…he can’t be a worse representative of the community than that nausiating guy “Madison” they have on the CA version of this show.
leo
oh my God. That Madison guy is a serious pain.. I watch the show just to see Josh Flagg.
About Erik’s porn, why do people need a reason to do it, why they need to justify? He is just bragging he didn’t need to do it but went for it anyway.
Jack J.
@jason: Judgment, not judgement.
honeybear
he was stunnning in jet set’s ‘the hole’ i can’t wait to watch his show tonight for the debut
Cam
@honeybear: said..
”
he was stunnning in jet set’s ‘the hole’ i can’t wait to watch his show tonight for the debut”
__________-
LOL, I can just imagine a buyer coming up to him at a showing and saying “Beautiful Condo, we’ll take it if you can get it for $950…oh and by the way, LOVED you in “The Hole”.
This guy would probably handle it like a pro, smile and say thanks, and yes, I can get you the Condo for that.
Ronbo
I just decided, “what the heck, crack can’t be allllll that bad. So I chucked the pumpkin chunking competition and decided to go into high-heel modeling. Never mind my gigantic bunion, I’m going for the gold…Milan, her I come.”
LittleKiwi
better to be a porn performer than a gay republican. at least porn performers have balls 😀
http://youtu.be/56Fn8ayqSxE
Brand
I think that porn can be liberating or it can be oppressive; it can be recreational or it can be addictive; it can be a “marital aid” or it can ruin or even preclude a relationship. It can be a valuable education with the occasional refresher course, or it can be an ugly streak of vice.
In fact, the more oppressive and disenfranchising the world, it can even be spiritually authentic, to a point—in a world that wants to kill your heart and soul and call you ugly and sick, and where the media was constantly establishing and reinforcing normative social and cultural precedents and gay people were relegated to background comedy or tragedy, and told they can’t be open, they can’t date, they can’t fall in love, they can’t marry, they can’t live happily ever after, they can’t leave a bad relationship because there’s no clue there’s anybody else out there for you. In that way, it can liberate you from the shame and negative associations and empower you to have faith in finding a person you truly want to share a beautiful social, romantic, and yes, erotic relationship with. Starved for some image of a gay person who’s comfortable expressing their sexuality, it can be corrective therapy. In a world of STDs and users, it can be a healthy surrogate for unsafe encounters.
Or it can be evil, corruptive, pushing you beyond healthy relationship into destructive behavior, alone or with others.
And it can be all of these things at different times to the same person, particularly depending upon what stage in their lives they’re at.
But what I’m really posting here for is to take issue with his excuse.
“I decided to take a break from everything, do something a little crazy and see where it led me. And the craziest thing I could think of was to go do porn movies in Los Angeles… It was like research, an experiment for myself. I learned that I could do whatever I want…”
Firstly, doing the craziest thing you can think of is, for most people, not just a really bad idea but abject tragedy. Most people who accomplish anything in life have to push against or through the borders of your comfort zone here and there, because most of us aren’t born on the path with the silver spoon and the life all laid out for us. But “the craziest thing you can think of” is not an ’80s teen comedy, it’s a morgue statistic.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, “I learned that I could do whatever I want” is just about the worst lesson someone could “learn”. Learning that the things you truly in your heart of hearts want can wind up being good for you, is a lovely thing if that’s so, and we should all have the courage to “follow our bliss” and pursue what makes us a happier, healthier, more well-adjusted, loving, productive person. But saying that you can do whatever craziest thing occurs to you whenever you want sounds sociopathic. That ideology, absent values and perspective and respect for others, is at the root of all evil in the world.
I hope this is just the inarticulateness of a previously repressed person who found a way to break out of his shell, and that his sheltered life makes him think what “the craziest thing I could think of” could ever be, would be all in good, harmless fun. I know it would be for me. But I also know several people who, indulging in things far short of “the craziest thing they could ever think of”, have made major mistakes and done themselves and others irreparable harm. That doesn’t mean they can’t make better choices thereafter, it just means that Fredrik Eklund’s justifications for his porn career are not words to live by.
RLS
Ex porn star or not, I was shocked at how boring the show was after being relentlessly pimped on gay blogs for weeks on end. I won’t be returning.
But man, he made like $200k in commission that first episode alone. Must be nice.
BubbasBack
Oh please boys, porn or no porn, he’s another media whore! Burp.
TK
From gay porn to REAL ESTATE SALES?
WHAT A STEP DOWN!!!
Jess
Porn films are often shot in vacant houses that are currently on the market, so he can “dual team” both jobs at once…
Spread your ass cheeks open house Sunday at 1:00! Bring Lube!
Belize
@jason: That’s stupid. And who are you to say what is the source of grace and dignity for other people? The circumstances you go through and the way you behave and think after such circumstances are not the same as that of others.
“Oh, really? Aren’t you judgemental when you cross the street?
Aren’t you judgemental when you decide to do your toilet in the actual toilet and not the living room?
Face it – you make judgements all the time. Don’t deny the power and importance of judgements.”
Yes. People make judgments all the time. The difference is, some people are not presumptuous pricks who think that they’re judgment or theories about other people’s ways of living can be easily considered as fact given the limited basis of such judgments. Translation: not everyone is an idiot like you.
ChristopherM
@jason: I’m judging you for your lack of spelling ability. Dumbass.
twiterosG
@jason:
um that’s decision making
Doris
So he has this burgeoning internet company, suddenly gets sick of the work and the profits, and decided to try his hand at getting railed on camera?
Then, once he’s done, he just goes into real estate?
Something doesn’t add up. I’ve never heard of any lawyers, brain-surgeons, naval engineers, or, for that matter, other successful CEOs who just try porn on a lark. I think he’s leaving out a major part of the story.
nachobusiness
@Tyler:
“Honestly who cares?”
It’s pretty evident YOU do.
“If he wants to become a professional cum dumpster and a professional whore since all people in porn do sex for pay on the side since you make more doing that than from videos it’s his choice but he’s just sabotaging any respect and any sort of career in the real estate biz he once had.”
Really?!? . . . when’s the last time YOU sold a billion dollars worth of real estate?
Lexi
Nice & why not?! Good for him, sexy beast
Steveooo
people who do porn are trash and i have never met a porn star that isn’t seriously messed up
it is sad really.
i love watching it though!
Steveooo
and btw, his porn isn’t hot and he is boring on the show.
NEXT!
Milli
But is he gay or not? He seems gay to me, but you never know…maybe it’s a Swedish thing…
Dan
When I first saw him, my first thought was: “He is obviously from Stockholm, and he probably went to ‘Handels’ (school of business), because he’s a complete douche, and he can’t even bother to learn basic skills like pronouncing ‘cheap'”.
Guess what, I was right…
Richie
Well now, another reality star who has an angle…… If we all did not watch there would not be a story.
Or at least one that brings so many to the conversation.
He is uniquely him. And does exemplify how we all can transition and reinvent ourselves.
At least he does not seeme embarrassed and his choices seem to fuel his directives.
If we saw everyone’s true choices…..how would they hold up to the reality show exposure?
Anyway……have enjoyed watching. And really…..some of these properties!
Amazing.
Why has no one commented on the askew values of real estate in ny?
Now that’s a story …..
Apartments in a meat packing district for four million?
Wow
Storm
It’s amazing how puritanical America has become. Even gay people have succumbed. So Frederick Eklund has made porn movies. So what? Making porn is not shameful and it doesn’t automatically make you trash. So, Eklund made a few porn films, had a good time doing it, and then got on with his life. We all watch porn from time to time. Porn is a major industry in this country, as American as apple pie. Thanks to digital cameras a lot of us have even made our own porn movies. Of course, those are only for our own use, wink-wink. A lot of people posting here sound like little old school marms. Or worse, street preachers.
Storm
Speaking of little old school marms, for the grammarian running amok around here, please check your dictionary. Webster’s New American will teach you that “Judgment” and “judgement” are both acceptable. Random House College Dictionary also shows both as acceptable spellings while indicating that “judgement” with the “e” is more typical of Brits. Brittanica World Language Dictionary shows that … well, take a clue, dude.
Peter Fitz
I would love to see him and Ryan doing it
Alexi3
Two minor observations:
No.15 Mark; “it’s a fucking free country”, really? have you noticed the States of Alaska’s, Missouri’s and N. Carolina’s latest proposed versions of freedom.
No.40 Storm; “it’s amazing how puritanical America has become”, really? Has Become? when did you first notice this siesmic shift to puritanism? and by the way there is nothing worse than street preachers; no I take that back, closeted gay politicians who vote to repress people and turn their backs on the old and poor; they’re worse, much worse. One can ignore the former with some practice. One has to fight to bring down the latter.
Kenover
I don’t know what all the fuss is about. It’s a logical career move…the two fields are quite similar, really. But porn stars have higher ethical standards than realtors. And they’re often smarter too.
Suzette
This guy has no scupples AND is very well known for his lack of class, he has no friends in NYC. People just go for the ride of doing business with him, but he has no personal respect. I know this as my very best friend is a real estate broker in Manhattan. Yes they laugh behind his back, gays, straights, they all think he is mental.
built
Just watched Million Dollar Listing New York for the first time today and immediately after watching Fredrik in action thought, “That nelly old queen looks familiar.” I remember seeing this diva working out at Crunch in Hollywood alongside me when he was making movies. I recognized him from porn ads but frankly this guy is a erection killer,…especially the way he pranced around the gym I can see that nothing has changed with this douchebag.
built
@Suzette: @Suzette: Somebody PLEASE send Fredeik back to Stockholm ASAP. New York will be a better place for it.
jack512
Love me some TAG!!!
mpwaite
That is the biggest load of **** I’ve ever heard!! OMG!! Just another guy with self esteem issues needing attention.. Don’t go near the water.. you might fall in love with your reflection Narcissis
Stache1
@mpwaite: I’ve met him before and you so hit the nail on the head.
Raquel Santiago
Im sorry but i just dont see it,
1.) Its not always whats on the outside but also whats on the inside.
2.) Attitudes can make a person who is good looking on the outside not cute.
krystalkleer
open up down the hatch…gurl…please don’t let it burn yer snatch! enjoy 🙂 http://getoffmydress.blogspot.com/2013/07/doma-r-e-got-ta-go.html
hephaestion
I love Fredrick. People who are criticizing him sound a little nutty to me. Fredrick’s interactions with his parents show him to be a very kind and thoughtful man. We could use more like him.
Ryan Serhant, on the other hand, is very childish, lonely, and hateful. He was very sweet to the Chinese lady who gave him a pig, though, so maybe he is just immature and has a lot of growing up to do.
NorthTexasGuy
There is no “I” in dignity gurls…let it go …be nice to one another…
enlightenone
@Rance: No one (whether we watch porn or not) is saying they are “superior.” What about young men being “exploited?”
enlightenone
@Brand: Well said!
J.T.
All porn stars may not be whores, but all real estate agents are. I presume he was just testing the waters to see what hoedom was all about before he hit the real thing.
stanhope
I have no real judgement about his porn career. As for him, he just seems like an asshole on the show. His husband must be in it for the money as I can’t imagine living with that joker. All the porn did was confirm my thought that he is a big old bottom, which [and I’ll get in trouble for this and don’t care] mimics his personality. LOL
cchou444
I am a former Realtor who gave up on the idea of ever making a career out of it when the market collapsed in 2008. It was obvious the market is nothing more than a build to sell to people looking to drive the market up to sell the homes for a small profit or refinance to cash money out of the home once they can find a “moral” Realtor to comp the home out as if it were worth more money. It also concerned me that in a country where we are all one under federal law, we “Realtors” had to pass state exams making us able to only practice in our state then we had to join a national organization to call ourself a Realtor since that name is a trademarked name like Wal-Mart that they sell to you. In Texas being an Ex-Porn star would deny you the ability to get a license since they have a clause that says they can deny based on moral character…….yes they are that backwards…….but moral character doesn’t come in to play when it comes to running slum like rental property or destroying a neighborhood by breaking the HOA requirements making the area in to a ripe run down market perfect for tearing homes down to build town-homes on a lot that barely held one house before…….making the area over crowed and less friendly to live in………The truth is it should be a government run national license program, not a state to state screw you for money racket.
topshelf
“Everything in my whole life up until that point had been about my brain and studying”
“And the craziest thing I could think of was to go do porn movies in Los Angeles”
Really? That’s the craziest thing? Moron. It’s ridiculous that he pretends to be an intellectual. He was just a failing realtor before his TV show. Bravo is a network that eats this kind of shit up. Everything aligned for him because his porn life was an interesting backdrop for a reality show, that’s it. He wasn’t selected for the show for his brain.
derek mcgillicuddy
Since when has filming yourself having sex become so respectible? At least have the decency to feel shame!
tusgold
Ya! What a leap of faith. Sell the internet company for $50 million and go play porn boy. How much more dangerous can you get as your limo rolls you to your shoots 3 times a month. This is just bullshit rich boy plays porn star
tusgold
See I have the take that he was a bright rich boy selling his internet company on the cup of the bubble. Then went sucking dick for fun, not to pay rent. Thats why I think its bullshit. He was worth more than the owners of the company.