People We Love: No TV Tour Is Complete Without a Stop at Cheyenne Jackson

They took risks, defied expectations, spoke out, redefined cool and made us proud to call them members and allies of our community.

Cheyenne Jackson

For all his fame, Cheyenne Jackson is one humble guy. He says he’s “very honored” to be on our 2017 list of People We Love, and explains that he’s finally experiencing some real joy and satisfaction in his career and his home life with the husband and kids.“Right now, there’s just lots of momentum. I’m in a different space personally, and finally really comfortable in my own skin. I still have my own insecurities, but I finally feel worthy.”

Not attending college, Jackson often felt that he’d somehow slipped into the circus of showbiz by sneaking under the tent. “Especially with my first season on American Horror Story, I felt like I was faking it or just getting by,” the actor admits. “I kept thinking, ‘How am I supposed to do these scenes with Kathy Bates?’ Getting sober, getting married and having kids — then getting to 40 had a lot to do with it, honestly.” Before the series came calling, Jackson was best known as an actor who could sing and dance with the best. “I’m generally more comfortable in more comedic settings than high drama fantasy — but I came to realize that was my own stuff. Once I got past that, I had way more fun in the second season. It’s become like a family; almost like a summer rep, where every year you can’t wait to see who’s gonna play who, and you go, ‘Ooh, what’s her hair gonna be like?’ And I have so many scenes with Sarah Paulson, who comes out guns blazing and is absolutely remarkable from the very first take.”

Check out our last honoree

Want more inspiration? Check out our People We Love section to learn about past year’s People We Love. Also from our archives, read Looking Back on the Heroes of Marriage Equality.

More about Cheyenne Jackson.