So.Gay’s latest The Hottest Ever cover star, Art Bezrukavenko, is a businessman who’s taken the Internet by storm. We go behind-the-scenes with Art to uncover his story, his entrepreneurial passions and the freedom it brings, and how he’s created one of the Internet’s most bustling gay communities
Art Bezrukavenko left Ukraine at 17, fleeing the war and a land riddled with homophobia. He studied in Poland for three years before arriving in the US in 2017 with just $500 and a dream—or, more accurately, a hunger for gay culture. But then again, what gay man wouldn’t crave it after living deep in the closet?
Unfortunately, gaining American residency didn’t give him the courage to come out. He drifted between cities, taking whatever work he could find—waiting tables, working in call centers, and even dancing on laps.
Ironically, the person he was hiding from would become the key to his success: himself.
Amid a packed travel schedule, balancing work and pleasure, Bezrukavenko takes a break from influencing during a visit to Miami to chat with So.Gay about his rise as one of the most recognizable faces on gay social media. While there’s no formula for going viral, Bezrukavenko seems to know something the rest of us don’t.
So where were we? Pre-pandemic, our hero, Bezrukavenko, was lost in an identity crisis and a lack of meaningful employment opportunities. Then, 2020 rolled around, and the rest of society joined him. Luckily, TikTok gained in popularity, and Bezrukavenko became part of the first wave of people to throw caution to the wind and expose their silliness to the internet.
As the months passed, Bezrukavenko says more and more people followed him. It all came to a head when he decided to absolve himself of shame completely and posted a coming-out video of himself walking shirtless with a Pride flag in front of Bank of America.
Why the bank? Stupid questions get gay answers, as Bezrukavenko says it was because of good lighting — remember, Art is an expert at creating content.
Ah, the magic of lights and shadows hitting all the right (chiseled) spots! Bezrukavenko’s post went viral—the first of many—and his follower count skyrocketed from 30,000 to 130,000 in just five days.
The overwhelming online support changed the course of his career. Bezrukavenko moved to New York and became a spokesperson for gay culture, most notably interviewing gay strangers on the street.
Perhaps he was a journalist in a past life, as his questions were sharp and relentless.
“How would you rate me from 1 to 10?” he’d ask while doing a cute little spin.
“Are you top, bottom, or verse? Do you think someone could guess it from looking at you?” he’d ask, then proceed to snap a photo, ask the next, and continue the train.
Of course, Bezrukavenko touched on various topics in his dialogues, but what resonated most with gay men was the space he created online for the community to be themselves and have fun.
And he grew his empire to include YouTube, an Onlyfans account (notably nudes — only photos of his body), a Patreon, and whatever other online tools were available to sell his comedy and cuteness.
However, Bezrukavenko exclusively shares a secret with So.Gay: He is a businessman disguised as an influencer. His ambition is dollar bills, not stardom, and he’s working on other ventures to capitalize on online culture to keep the checks flowing.
Most recently, he took us behind the scenes of his AI influencer clone, dubbed his “hot brother,” and released a silent short film of two twinks that made the gays believe in love again.
“I’d rather be in control of the money than being a star,” he says, so he hasn’t outsourced his public persona. “I think I do what I do because it’s the best I can offer right now.”
There could be many factors that have propelled Bezrukavenko to success, but if you ask us, it’s his knack for not taking himself too seriously on camera while being a serious strategist behind the scenes.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world for influencers, and maintaining high numbers means you can’t take your foot off the pedal regarding content creation.
“Every single day, someone is creating better videos than you, and you have to come up with millions of ideas,” Bezrukavenko says. “If you don’t keep generating fresh content, you risk falling off, and the algorithm will forget you.”
It’s worth it for him, though, because he loves money and visiting hotspot destinations.
“I can travel, film videos, and meet people because of what I do. I think it’s important, even though I don’t really like going out that much—I just enjoy traveling,” he says.
“I’ve made 20 trips to different cities this year, so it’s been pretty intense. I’m working on travel blogs and interviews while trying to meet more creators who live in these various places.”
Collaboration is an art that Bezrukavenko has mastered, even if it differs from how many in the community use it as slang for passionate affairs on film.
Art continues to evolve his persons — he says he’s been hitting the gym, already morphing into a twunk. He looks forward to one day becoming a zaddy, and so do his hundreds of thousands of followers, us included, who can’t wait to see what business ventures he explores, and conquers, next.
