He was one of the original “Fab Five” on Bravo’s groundbreaking Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. He busted a move in the ballroom on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and braved the rigors of the boardroom and beyond (once baring it all for a photo shoot on the back of a Kawasaki motorcycle) on NBC’s The New Celebrity Apprentice. He’s on a first-name basis with RuPauland Oprah—and not just because their star power has eclipsed the need for surnames. But, on a recent late-summer day, Lehigh Valley native Carson Kressley was just another guy eating a cheesesteak and taking in a show with friends at the fairgrounds at the 2018 Great Allentown Fair.
While the TV star, author, master of fashion and all-around high-energy entertainer seems to be at ease among the bright lights and big talents who carve out their livelihoods in Hollywood or the Big Apple, Kressley has never felt the inclination to put his hometown permanently in the rearview mirror. “It’s beautiful,” he says. “It’s such a hidden gem. I do love coming back here to spend time with friends and family.”
