So.Gay made its reality TV debut as its cover shoot with fan-favorite “Southern Hospitality” star Michols Peña was featured on the latest episode of the Bravo hit’s fourth season.
“I was recently asked to do a cover shoot for a virtual magazine and of course I said yes,” Michols explained. “They have over a million subscribers, so hopefully I get more deals out of it. We’ll see! I don’t know. I’m nervous!”
The digital cover, which will be unveiled later on in season 4, represents a major opportunity for the 23-year-old, who has been open about his desire to break into the modeling industry.
“This is something that I’ve been wanting to get into,” he shared. “This is something that I’m passionate about.”
And as So.GAY’s editor-in-chief Alex Hughes noted, the feature was “going to be an amazing launch” for his career.
Michols’ other hope for this opportunity is that it will show his mother that he’s making a name for himself as they strive to repair their oftentimes fraught relationship.
“I have to call my mom and tell her about it,” he said on “SoHo.” “I haven’t told her. I texted her yesterday, and I was like, ‘I have to show you a surprise tomorrow. I’m gonna FaceTime you.’ She better frame [the cover] and put it in the living room.”
“It’s been almost five years of barely having a relationship with my mom,” Michols added. “Since last summer, I’ve actually made some progress with my mom. I’m hoping that this is something that my mom can see and be like, ‘Oh, wow! You’re really doing something for yourself.’”
The assistant general manager at Charleston’s hottest club Republic had previously opened up about his desire to share his story beyond the South Carolina city.
“I made a bunch of connections when I was out in LA,” Michols said. “And one of them happened to be a talent manager and he was like, ‘You’re a person of color and you’re living in the South and you work in hospitality, but you’re still sexy and fun and young, and we want to emphasize all of that. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, yes. Sign me up!’”
“The modeling industry in Charleston is very non-existent; it’s mainly New York and LA, so this could be a really big opportunity for me,” he added. “Modeling is definitely something that I’ve been wanting to get into for a very long time, I’ve just never had the confidence to do so. I think feeling more comfortable and secure in my sexuality, it’s given me a different level of confidence that’s really helped me.”
And, as his manager Cory Andersen of PRYSM Management explained, Michols’ So.GAY cover represented the start of even more exciting moments to come.
“We have been working for a couple of months with this brand-new LGBTQ magazine called SO.GAY, and they want to make you the cover star!” he said on the previous episode of “Southern Hospitality.” “I think this would be a great first step to establish your story and get that out in front of as many people as possible. We’ll make this a really big success and make this the launching point for something a lot bigger.”
