Editing Jai Rodriguez

{{short description|American actor}}
{{Distinguish|Jay Rodriguez}}
<span class="plainlinks"></span>{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jai Rodriguez
| image = Jai Rodriguez 2010.jpg
| image_size =  
| caption = Rodriguez in 2010
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = <!-- Valid citation required for date of birth for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) -->
| birth_place = 
| occupation = {{csv|Actor|musician}}
| years_active = 1993–present 
| website =
}}
'''Jai Rodriguez''' <!-- Valid citation required for date of birth for BLP. (WP:BLPPRIVACY) --> is an American actor and musician best known as the culture guide on the Bravo network's [[Emmy Award|Emmy-winning]] American reality television program ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye for the Straight Guy]]''. He also co-wrote a book with the other ''Queer Eye'' hosts. Rodriguez starred as Geoffrey in the sitcom ''[[Malibu Country]]'' from 2012 to 2013.

==Personal life==
Rodriguez is of Puerto Rican and Italian descent,<ref name=wct>{{cite news | last=Nunn | first=Jerry | title=Jai Rodriguez: From Queer Eye To Queer Ear | work=Windy City Times | date=October 31, 2007 | url=http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=16498 | access-date=2010-03-23 | archive-date=January 4, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104202313/http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=16498 | url-status=dead }}</ref> He performed with gospel choirs from the age of eleven, and studied musical theater at the Boces Cultural Art Center in Syosset, New York (now called Long Island High School for the Arts).<ref name="speakers" /> He also attended [[Smithtown Christian School]] and [[Smithtown High School]] (now Smithtown West), where he performed in various plays.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}} He is openly gay.

==Career==
===Acting===
Rodriguez is a stage actor and singer best known for his roles in the Toronto cast of Broadway stage musical ''[[Rent (musical)|Rent]]'', as Angel, and the [[Off-Broadway]] musical ''[[Zanna, Don't!]]'', as Zanna.<ref name="speakers">{{cite web|title=All American Speakers|work=Biography of Jai Rodriguez|url=http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/sportspeakers/printerbio.php?speaker_id=1450|access-date=March 1, 2010}}</ref> He has acted in several plays, including ''[[Spinning into Butter]]'' at the [[Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts|Lincoln Center]].<ref name=wct /> In 2005, he created and performed his stage show ''Jai Rodriguez: xPosed''.<ref name="playbill">{{cite web |website=Playbill |title=Zanna and Queer Eye Star Jai Rodriguez is xPosed at January 31 Concert |url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/90115-Zanna-and-Queer-Eye-Star-Jai-Rodriguez-is-Xposed-at-Jan-31-Concert |access-date=May 3, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604234626/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/90115-Zanna-and-Queer-Eye-Star-Jai-Rodriguez-is-Xposed-at-Jan-31-Concert |archive-date=June 4, 2011}}</ref> xPosed told the story of Rodriguez's life and struggle to come out to his religious family as well as his career on stage and in ''Queer Eye.'' His ''Queer Eye'' co-stars [[Ted Allen]] and [[Carson Kressley]] appeared as themselves.

In November 1993, at age 14, Rodriguez appeared in one episode of the daytime drama ''[[All My Children]]''. In August 2005, he made a two-day guest appearance on the daytime drama ''[[One Life to Live]]''.<ref name="speakers" />

In November 2005, while ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye]]'' was on filming hiatus, he joined the cast of ''[[The Producers (musical)|The Producers]]'' on Broadway for three months, playing the role of Carmen Ghia. He played a different role, that of Sabu, in [[The Producers (2005 film)|the 2005 ''Producers'']] movie.

In August 2007, Rodriguez filmed a guest-starring role in drama series ''[[Nip/Tuck]]'', playing the character of Chaz Darling. The episode (also titled "Chaz Darling") aired in November 2007.

In March 2010, Rodriguez appeared as a newscaster in the music video for "[[Telephone (song)#Music video|Telephone]]", with [[Lady Gaga]] and [[Beyoncé Knowles|Beyoncé]].

In February 2011, Rodriguez appeared in an episode of the ABC series ''[[Detroit 1-8-7]]'' titled "Legacy; Drag City", playing a drag queen.

In March 2011, Rodriguez made an appearance in an episode of NBC's ''[[Harry's Law]]'', titled "Send in the Clowns", as a transgender woman fired after an affair with a club owner was exposed.

In November 2011, Rodriguez appeared in an episode of ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' titled "[[The Rebound Girl]]", playing the husband of [[Barney Stinson]]'s brother. He appeared again in March 2014 in the episode "[[Gary Blauman]]".

Rodriguez regularly guest performs in ''Cookin' with Gas '', a long-running all improv show, at [[The Groundlings]] Theatre in Los Angeles.

In April 2012, he appeared in an episode of ''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]'' as a murdering hairdresser.

On ''[[Malibu Country]]'', Rodriguez was a regular cast member, playing record industry executive, Geoffrey.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/malibu-country |title=Malibu Country |website=ABC |access-date=May 3, 2021}}</ref>

In November 2014, Rodriguez appeared as Diego Diaz in ''[[Kingdom (American TV series)|Kingdom]]'' as a physical therapist.

From August 2014, Rodriguez appeared as "Ritchie Valentine" in ''[[The Horizon (web series)|The Horizon]]''.

===Television hosting===
In 2003, Rodriguez became ''Queer Eye''{{'s}} resident "Culture Vulture", functioning as the show's expert on the topic of culture, and the show's success brought him increased exposure. He was a replacement host for the show's culture host who was originally cast, but has been part of Queer Eye since the third episode. This show includes five men who respectively are a grooming guru, food and wine connoisseur, fashion savant, a fashion stylist, and a culture vulture.

In April 2004, Rodriguez hosted ''Bravo on with the Show.'' This was a contest on Bravo in which 50 actors and actresses won a trip to New York City to work with Broadway professionals. This three-day workshop helped these teens develop their acting skills.<ref>{{cite web|last=Teusink|first=Laura|title=Jai-Walking|publisher=Academic Search Complete}}</ref>

In May 2007, Rodriguez announced he would be appearing as a regular judge on two new reality shows: MTV's ''Shower Power'' (an American Idol-type singing contest) and Court TV's ''The Jury,'' (a Judge Judy-type show where cases are decided by a panel of celebrity judges).<ref name="may07shows">{{cite web | title=Jai Rodriguez MySpace | work=Gnight update on my life | url=http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2029102374 | access-date=2007-07-17 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

On November 3, 2007, Rodriguez started co-hosting ''Ultimate Style'', with [[Daisy Fuentes]], on the Style Network. The weekly series covered celebrities, fashion, beauty, home and all things related to style. Also in 2007, Rodriguez hosted one season of travel/style show Styleyes on Sí TV.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sitv.com/programs/styleyes/index.htm |title=Styleyes Miami |website=Si TV |access-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312223547/http://www.sitv.com/programs/styleyes/index.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2008}}</ref>

Rodriguez also hosted the TV show ''[[Groomer Has It]]'', which premiered April 12, 2008 on Animal Planet. He also appears on ''[[GSN Live]]'' as a sub host.

===Music===
As a singer, Rodriguez has performed on stage and as a recording artist. In 2002, he created his own musical cabaret show, titled ''Monday Night Twisted Cabaret,'' which ran at New York gay club xl for a year.<ref name="speakers" /> Rodriguez continued to perform ''Twisted Cabaret'' on a sporadic basis from 2004 to 2006.

Rodriguez released his first single, "Love Is Good", on the indie record label [[Arrive at Eleven Productions]] in March 2003.<ref name="speakers" /> He then recorded his debut album for [[Airgo Records]]. "Broken", the first single from the album, was released on October 4, 2007.

Rodriguez appeared as one of the celebrity singers on the TV show ''[[Celebrity Duets]]'', which premiered August 29. He was eliminated on September 22, 2006.

===Writing===
Rodriguez is also a co-author of the ''New York Times'' bestselling book<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news | title= Paperback Best Sellers | work=The New York Times | date=February 29, 2004 }}</ref><ref name="publisher">{{cite web |website=Simon and Schuster |title=Carson Kressley Official Publisher Page |url=http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Carson-Kressley/28256781 |access-date=May 3, 2021}}</ref> ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: The Fab Five's Guide to Looking Better, Cooking Better, Dressing Better, Behaving Better, and Living Better'' (Published by Clarkson Potter, 2004).

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 2002 || ''[[The New Guy]]'' || Jose ||
|-
| 2005 || ''[[The Producers (2005 film)|The Producers]]'' || Sabu ||
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay!!]]'' || Angelo Ferraro || 
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Kiss Me, Kill Me]]'' || Detective Santos || 
|-
| 2019 || ''[[From Zero to I Love You]]'' || Andrew || 
|-
| 2022 || ''[[Bros (film)|Bros]]'' || Jason Shepherd ||
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | TV
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role
! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes
|-
| 1993 || ''[[All My Children]]'' || Faith's Father || TV debut
|-
| 2003–2007 || ''[[Queer Eye (2003 TV series)|Queer Eye for the Straight Guy]]'' || Himself || culture expert
|-
| 2007 || ''[[Nip/Tuck]]'' || Chaz Darling || episode: "Chaz Darling"
|-
| 2008–2009 || ''[[Groomer Has It]]'' || Himself || host
|-
| 2010 || ''[[Gigantic (TV series)|Gigantic]]'' || Max Michaelson || 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011 || ''[[Detroit 1-8-7]]'' || Christina Draguilera/Joe || episode: "Legacy/Drag City" 
|-
| ''[[Harry's Law]]'' || Amanda Knott  || episode: "Send in the Clowns" 
|-
| 2011, 2014 || ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' || Tom || 2 episodes 
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2012 || ''[[Days of Our Lives]]'' || Matteo|| episode #1.11755
|-
| ''[[Are You There, Chelsea?]]'' || Sandy/Chuck || episode: "Dee Dee's Pillow" 
|-
| ''[[Bones (TV series)|Bones]]'' || Theo || episode: "The Don't in the Do" 
|-
| 2012–2013 || ''[[Malibu Country]]'' || Geoffrey || series regular
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Betas]]'' || Salazar|| episode: "One on One"
|-
| 2014 || ''[[Kingdom (American TV series)|Kingdom]]'' || Diego Diaz || 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2015 || ''[[Hell's Kitchen (U.S. TV series)|Hell's Kitchen]]'' || Himself || episode: "17 Chefs Compete"
|-
| ''[[Liv and Maddie]]'' || Jacob Michaels|| episode: "Ask Her More-A-Rooney"
|-
| 2015–2019 || ''[[EastSiders]]'' || Jimmy || 8 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2016 || ''[[Grace and Frankie]]'' || Jojo  || episode: "The Negotiation" 
|-
| ''[[Dance Moms]]'' || Himself/host  || episode: "Girl Talk, Part 3" 
|-
| ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]'' || Photographer Sax|| episode #1.7357
|-
| rowspan="7" | 2017 || ''[[The Magicians (American TV series)|The Magicians]]'' || Javier  || episode: "The Flying Forest"
|-
| ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'' || Max  || episode: "In the Air Tonight" 
|-
| ''[[Sharknado 5: Global Swarming]]'' || Peter|| TV movie
|-
| ''[[Dice (TV series)|Dice]]'' || Doug|| episode: "Fingerless"
|-
| ''[[Wisdom of the Crowd]]'' || David Silva|| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television]]'' || Roosevelt Manager|| episode: "Pilot"
|-
| ''[[Kendra on Top]]'' || Himself  || season 6
|-
| 2018 || ''[[The Resident (TV series)|The Resident]]'' || Channing Brewster|| episode: "Family Affair"
|-
| 2019 || ''[[Dollface]]'' || Mario|| episode: "Beauty Queen"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2020 || ''[[The Rookie (TV series)|The Rookie]]'' || Griffin|| episode: "The Overnight"
|- 
| ''[[Equal (TV series)|Equal]]'' || [[José Sarria]] || docuseries
|-
| ''[[The Eric Andre Show]]'' ||Himself || episode: "Bone TV"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2022 || ''[[Bosch: Legacy]]'' || Officer Scott Templin|| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Uncoupled]]'' || Jonathan #2 || 3 episodes
|-
| 2023 || ''[[Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens]]'' || Detective Johnson || 2 episodes
|-
|2023
|''[[Around the Sun (audio drama)]]''
|Andrew
|3 episodes
|-
|2024 
||''[[High Potential ]]''
|Jeff
| 1 episode 
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=1177213|name=Jai Rodriguez}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927035504/http://www.patyuen.com/event/2004/jairodriguez/index.htm Photoshoot with Jai Rodriguez]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Jai}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American television personalities]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:American gay actors]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ broadcasters]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:LGBTQ Hispanic and Latino American people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]