Getty Images
Stephen McGee’s Love Life Is Finally Flourishing — Get to Know the Handsome ‘Summer House’ Star! (EXCLUSIVE)
Fans quickly fell in love with Stephen McGee and his hilarious antics on Season 1 of Bravo's Summer House, where he joined pals Ashley and Lauren Wirkus, Kyle Cooke, Carl Radke, and more for fun summer weekends in Montauk. Ahead of Season 2, we're learning more about the event planner — and his love life. Keep scrolling for all the deets!
He hails from the south.
Stephen grew up in Alabama, but now lives in NYC. He was brought up by a conservative family — and we'll see on Season 2 of Summer House how they sometimes butt heads. (He came out as gay when he was 22 years old.) During the premiere party on Jan. 22 at NYC's Fishbowl at Dream Midtown, he exclusively opened up to Life & Style about how his sexuality effects conversations with his parents.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeEApuNB2gw/
"Filming a show like this, it's kind of like being put in a pressure cooker. You really have to examine your life, so this was something that happened this summer and I was happy to let the cameras follow through that journey for me — because it's a story that I think doesn't get told on TV a lot, and it's a story I think a lot of people will relate to," he said of navigating life outside the closet. "It's a very real journey for me and it's a journey that's still going on now, even after."
He continued, "You see a lot on TV of parents who accept their kids and are amazing when someone comes out, or some that may be terrible. While my parents love me a lot, this is a journey for them and they have to figure out how to deal with it. You don't see a lot of stories of those mixed feelings. They're from Alabama and they're religious. We don't really talk about it. It definitely makes it difficult to leave that part out of my life. That is a lot of me, it's my friends and relationships — so pretty much we just talk about work."
He's luckier when it comes to love in Season 2.
"I met somebody, but I have to censor myself around my family," he said in a trailer for Season 2. "Since I came out, I never talked to them about it again." When asked about his dating life today, Stephen shared, "You get a glimpse of my dating life. It's much more successful than last year. I think it has improved. I think a lot of it goes back to dealing with the stuff with my family. It's like they always say, you have to work on yourself and be ready."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ1hX0DAh3P/
He's more relaxed in front of the camera now.
"I definitely feel more comfortable, one because I have developed relationships with all these people now, when last year I was just getting to know them and just meeting them. You get used to the cameras, you get used to the logistics of making a show, and then it stops affecting your life as much and we're able to live our lives normally, as normal as that can be in the Summer House," he explained.
He was a bit of a trouble maker last season.
Stephen infamously stirred the pot when it came to Lindsay Hubbard and Everett Weston's former relationship (he told the PR guru that her then-boyfriend spent the night sleeping in a bed with FOUR women). This time around, Linds is single and ready to mingle — and Stephen is HERE. FOR. IT.
"You're gonna see a different Lindsay this summer. She's super fun — it's like the Lindsay that I met originally. We are back to our old ways, we have a lot of fun this summer, and she does know me very well," he explained. "We're a lot alike, which is probably also why last summer we did kind of butt heads a little bit, but we're back to our old ways."
Summer House airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. on Bravo. For more exclusive content, sign up for Life & Style's newsletter!
