The Untold Truth Of Gigi Gorgeous
Born in the Canadian city of Montreal in 1992, Giselle Loren Lazzarato Getty became a breakout star on YouTube under her nom de video, Gigi Gorgeous. Since posting her first video back in 2008, her legions of fans have witnessed the YouTuber become a bona fide celebrity. A few years after she made her internet debut, Gorgeous came out as transgender, and in 2018, Them called her "one of the most public-facing trans women in the world."
Gorgeous has won awards, teamed up with Ipsy for a makeup collection, and built a full-on empire that includes a feature-length movie about her story and a memoir. In 2017, TIME included her on their "The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet" list. And, of course, her YouTube channel continues to thrive.
Despite her fame and the success of her hit YouTube content, how much do her fans really know about this multitalented, entrepreneurial and always fascinating trans icon? Read on to discover the untold truth of Gigi Gorgeous.
Gigi Gorgeous was a nationally ranked diving champion
Long before she dove into the world where the phrase "like and subscribe" reigns supreme, Gigi Gorgeous was literally diving into swimming pools— and she was good at it. As The New York Times wrote, "Around 9, she 'got obsessed' with diving after spending a summer at gymnastics camp." For the next few years, diving became a passion; entering competitions, she rose to the top of the sport in her age class, becoming a nationally ranked champion in the process.
"I loved how graceful it was, how strong everyone looked," she told Refinery29 of her attraction to diving. "Everyone's bodies were perfect." When she took first-place honors at a national competition in her native Canada, she found herself on a competitive path that, had she pursued it, could have taken her to the Olympics. Yet she decided to quit the sport when she was 15.
"I didn't know how to socialize," she told The New York Times of how competitive diving had taken over her life. "I wasn't able to date, I felt like I was missing out on life. When I stopped diving, I started living."
A 'traditional upbringing' shaped Gigi Gorgeous
Gigi Gorgeous opened up about all aspects of her life in her 2019 memoir, He Said, She Said: Lessons, Stories, and Mistakes From My Transgender Journey. Her upbringing, she wrote (via ABC News), was "very traditional," with family placed at the forefront. "Ever since I was really young, I'd always wanted a husband or a partner," she divulged, adding, "Now I realize it's about having the right person as your partner instead of looking like the image of "husband and wife" I'd always had in my head. And I always wanted a family with kids." She went on to call the institution of marriage "important" and "the ultimate symbolic step in love."
"I've always wanted to be married. It's very traditional and romantic," Gorgeous wrote. "It shows passion, and it shows the world you want to be with this person forever. But it's not only for the world, it's for the two people to know for themselves also."
YouTube has been good to Gigi Gorgeous's bank account
In 2008, Gigi Gorgeous posted her first video on YouTube: a makeup tutorial. In the years that passed, she accumulated legions of fans, who followed her as she embarked on her journey to superstardom. In fact, as of early 2021, she boasted more than 2.8 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, which features a ton of videos.
Gigi Gorgeous got her start on YouTube sharing beauty content, and she continues to share beauty content. That being said, the topics explored in her videos run the gamut. She's participated in a "corset challenge" with drag queen Violet Chachki, attended a Washington, DC event hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, and attempted a "hot sauce challenge." She also gives viewers a glimpse into her personal life, be it talking about her dental surgery, introducing fans to her mother-in-law, or answering viewers' questions about her wedding.
Those YouTube videos have also made her a good chunk of change. According to an estimate of her wealth found on the Celebrity Net Worth website, she's worth a cool $3 million.
Gigi Gorgeous's mother inspired her to be 'the most authentic'
Gigi Gorgeous's mother died from cancer in 2012, and the YouTube star came out as transgender the following year. "I never got to say it to her face," Gorgeous said of her late mother to People in 2016. "[Her death] made me realize, 'Life is too short to not do what you want to do. Let's become the most authentic you that you can be.'"
Gorgeous expressed a similar sentiment when she sat down with BUILD Series in 2019. "A lot of the time, when I think back on those days before my mom passed, I just regret not telling her, but I don't regret the person I was," she said. "I just wish I had more strength. My one key motto that I live by is. 'Live every day like it's your last.'"
In the aforementioned People interview, the YouTube superstar also credited her mother with the success she's experienced. "The fact I get to do what I do is definitely God's gift to me — and that's how I know my mom is looking out for me," she added. "I truly believe my mom is watching over me and knows that I'm Gigi now."
The Gigi Gorgeous documentary was a 'really special' experience
Gigi Gorgeous became a celebrity by opening up her life to others. In 2017, she took that even further when her life journey formed the basis of a documentary film, Gigi Gorgeous: This Is Everything.
The film, noted its official synopsis, was directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, and "provides a raw and revealing look into a life that never compromises happiness, and spotlights a family's unwavering and unconditional love for a child." As the film's subject told DuJour, coming up with footage for Kopple to utilize was not an issue, given that Gorgeous had been filming herself since age 19. "So I had years and years of footage and when YouTube Red and Barbara Kopple got involved, I said, 'Have it all,'" she explained.
Watching the finished film alongside her father, she admitted, was a "really special" experience. "Barbara likes to say that my father and I 'transitioned together,' which we totally did," she added. "He had to totally alter the way he thought about his child; the name, the pronouns, and all that, which you see in the film. I think the message got across and I was so happy about that."
Why Gigi Gorgeous was ready to share her story with the world
The internet isn't always the most positive place, but it does have its moments. As Gigi Gorgeous told The Hollywood Reporter, "YouTube really did help me flourish, express myself and find a community where I felt safe to do so." The support of her online community, plus her IRL community, played a significant role in her coming out story.
"At the beginning, a lot of my friends and a lot of my family knew I was transgender and that I was going to take steps to become the woman that I felt I was and that I felt inside," she shared with The Canadian Press (via CTV News). "But the reason that I made it so public was because of all the comments and stories I'd heard prior. I was online for years before that, and when I came out I was just like, you know what, I know these people have my back."
However, that's not to say the process was by any means an easy one. "The hard side of it all is when you feel pressure like you have to share when you're not necessarily ready," she added.
Gigi Gorgeous came out as lesbian
Of all her myriad videos, one of Gigi Gorgeous's most popular is the 2016 clip where she came out as lesbian. "I would not have seen falling in love with a girl coming from a mile away, but now that I'm here ... I feel so happy," she shared in the video.
Gorgeous came out after she started dating designer and activist Nats Getty. In 2018, Gorgeous took to Instagram to announce that they got engaged. "I'm not attracted to men anymore," she told The Advocate in 2019. "I don't think I ever really was." The two tied the knot in July 2019, with Gorgeous sharing footage of their wedding on YouTube. "Marrying the love of my life was more of a fairytale than I could've ever imagined and I'm so excited I get to share this moment with you all," she wrote in the caption.
In January 2021, Getty came out as transgender and non-binary. In a video for Gorgeous's YouTube channel, Getty shared, "I'm allowing myself time with my new body to decide what pronouns best suit me. During this time, some people refer to me as she/her and I don't find it insulting because I am still on my journey of figuring out what pronouns work for me."
The reason Gigi Gorgeous backed out of sex reassignment surgery
In 2019, Gigi Gorgeous shared another memorable video in which she revealed that she had planned to undergo sex reassignment surgery but then decided against it. Telling viewers she was finally "feeling comfortable" with the idea of the operation, she admitted she'd "always had this kind of love-hate with the surgery. Like that will, kind of, in my mind, complete me." As she explained, many trans people "feel like they're not 'done' until they get the bottom surgery."
However, after booking an appointment with a surgeon she had researched, she ended up having second thoughts. "After you get it, obviously, there's no going back, which is why it's kind of such a mind f**k," she said.
Ultimately, she decided not to do it, and was "really, really happy" with her decision. "I don't know what my reassignment surgery story looks like," she added. "I'm just taking it day by day and what feels right to me because this is my body. I have to live with this every single day, and when that moment comes, I want it to be perfect."
Gigi Gorgeous's 'very scary' experience at an airport
When Gigi Gorgeous appears in headlines, it's usually because of something she says or does in a YouTube video or on social media. That was not the case in 2016 when she made news because of something that was done to her.
As she wrote in an emotional Instagram post, she was "detained and held at the Dubai airport for over five hours," describing the experience as "one of the scariest moments of my entire life and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. How you can be denied entry somewhere just because of who you are is seriously disgusting and also very scary. This further proves the need for CHANGE."
She subsequently told TMZ that an immigration officer said, "I was told you are transgender. You cannot come into the country." However, immigration officials offered a different explanation, claiming that her passport photo and identification information identified her as a male. Gorgeous, however, insisted that isn't true, and that her passport identified her as Gigi Loren. Gorgeous said she received an apology letter after the incident, but as she told DuJour, it isn't so easy to forgive and forget.
Gigi Gorgeous can keep up with the Kardashians
In a 2015 video, Gigi Gorgeous welcomed a very special guest: Kylie Jenner. The makeup mogul/Keeping Up with the Kardashians star joined Gorgeous for a game of "What's in My Mouth," in which each places a mystery food item in the other's mouth and then guess what it is they've just eaten.
As MTV News reported , around that same time, Jenner launched a new app that included a video series featuring Gorgeous. As the YouTube star explained to People, Jenner actually got in touch with her, asking if she'd be interested in collaborating on something for the app. The two "bounced ideas off each other," and it clearly worked. Gorgeous told the magazine that she admires Jenner's work ethic, before noting that she "cannot stop staring at her face" when they're together. "You're just gorgeous," the YouTube star said of Jenner. "Your makeup, your hair, your vibe, your aura, your everything."
In the aforementioned MTV News story, Gorgeous took another moment to sing Jenner's praises. "Kylie is an amazing person," she told the outlet. "She's in charge of her business and she was very passionate about the project."
The romantic way Gigi Gorgeous and Nats Getty's love story began
It would seem as though fate and fashion brought Nats Getty and Gigi Gorgeous together. Speaking with Variety in 2020, the YouTuber said they clicked when they both accompanied Nats's brother, designer August Getty, on a trip to Paris for Fashion Week.
In her memoir, He Said, She Said (via ABC News), Gorgeous wrote, "We wound up spending every day together. Not just every day, but really every moment. Which was a lot more time than we'd ever spent together before." And apparently, Nats wasn't exactly coy about expressing their attraction. "Every day in Paris, I kept saying, 'I have a crush on you. I'm obsessed with you,'" Nats told Variety. "I kept saying it until she believed it."
And their relationship has been going strong ever since they hit it off at Fashion Week in 2016. "Honestly, I feel as if it's just meeting the right person," Gorgeous shared in He Said, She Said. "At the end of the day, it's all about the connection." It probably doesn't hurt when that connection happens in one of the most romantic cities on the planet.
Halloween is a very big deal for Gigi Gorgeous
Gigi Gorgeous is into Halloween. Like, really into Halloween. As a Refinery29 profile pointed out, she loves dressing up so much that she'll typically wear multiple costumes (one year, this resulted in such looks as "sexy Catwoman" and "soldier Barbie").
The outlet went on to note that she threw a Haunted Halloween Bash at trendy West Hollywood hot spot Bootsy Bellows in 2017. That same year, she also used her obsession with the holiday in support of a charity when she attended the UNICEF Next Generation Masquerade Ball. There, she and Nats Getty each wore full denim ensembles (or, as the look is known in her homeland, the "Canadian tuxedo") to pay homage to the matching denim outfits infamously worn by Britney Spears and then-beau Justin Timberlake back when Gorgeous was still in elementary school.
Coming up with her Britney Spears double-denim look took some doing, as her fans saw in a video she posted chronicling all the work that went into creating the costume. "I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE BRITNEY!" she wrote in the caption. "FINALLLYYYY."
Yes, even Gigi Gorgeous has made beauty blunders
Gigi Gorgeous sprang to fame by sharing beauty makeovers and makeup tutorials on YouTube. However, this beauty knowledge has been hard won; she's had her missteps along the way, as she divulged in an interview with MTV News.
Asked to recall her "worst beauty mistake" after the interviewer referenced an incident in which Kylie Jenner once accidentally burned off the eyelashes of a friend, Gorgeous revealed she had a "worse" experience that could top that.
"When I was younger, I thought my eyebrows were too light," she began. "I'm a natural blonde. I dyed them and they ended up being so dark and it was so f**king embarrassing. I was humiliated. I didn't end up going to school that day. I said, 'Mom, I'm not going to school. There's no way. You can't let anybody see me like this. My eyebrows are too dark.' So I ended up bleaching them back." Talk about an eyebrow-raising experience.