Mike Jones__________
Although everyone's life involves a series of changes, few turn out to have the personal and even possible national impact of Mike Jones's revelation regarding the Rev. Ted Haggard, the now-former leader of Colorado's 14,000-member New Life Church as well as the ex-head of the 30 million-member National Associaton of Evangelicals.
Earlier this month, in a series of interviews with the Denver media, Jones, 49, alleged that Haggard, a married father of five who spoke out against gays, had hired him for sexual services on a regular basis for more than three years. He also asserted that Haggard used meth during many of their later encounters. Haggard, 50, after initially denying even knowing Jones, eventually relented and admitted that he was 'guilty of sexual immorality'—and stepped down from his posts.
Needless to day, Jones's life has changed; whether it has done so for the better is open to conjecture. In addition, some say that the Jones-Haggard development permanently changed the political landscape and helped play a role in the seemingly ubiquitous Democratic wins that occurred Nov. 7.
Recently, Jones—who no longer works as an escort—talked with Windy City Times and discussed Haggard, his own future and the escorts' 'code of silence.'
Windy City Times: Now, how crazy has your life been?
Mike Jones: It hasn't stopped. I just can't believe how many phone calls and e-mails are still coming in.
WCT: Well, I guess we should start with Rev. Haggard. How did he initially get in contact with you?
MJ: Frankly, I can't tell you where he found me at; I never asked people where they heard about me.
WCT: What would typically happen when he came over?
MJ: What I can tell you is that it was pretty much sex. The only thing that really changed a lot was that he asked me about meth after the first year. Once I hooked him up with an individual to get his bump, the only thing that changed is that he would do drugs before we had sex; it made him a little more intense. I won't discuss what type of sex we had [ because of personal constraints ] , but inhibitions certainly went down when he was high.
Also, let me say that it was strictly business on my part. I never got emotionally involved with any of my clients.
WCT: Why do you think he was so emotionally attached to you?
MJ: I'm not sure. Who knows why people fall in love with different people or have feeling towards others? I had a lot of repeat clients when I used to [ be an escort ] .
One of the things is that they developed a trust in me—to the point where they could act out their fantasies. I think that he liked me because he could act out whatever fantasy he kept inside. And I know that people ask, 'How can you have trust when you outed him?'—but people need to remember that this was such a unique circumstance. I could've ruined a lot of careers over the years, but that wasn't my bag. It's just that this one really affected me. I know that there's a code or 'escort ethics,' but I had to break it.
WCT: Did Rev. Haggard ever seem guilty to you?
MJ: The only thing I can say is that, generally, he got quiet after sex.
WCT: You mentioned a code earlier.
MJ: It's not written anywhere. [ Chuckles ] It's a common-sense code, but this situation differed. I didn't see any other client spouting off against homosexuality. This guy had millions of followers and a direct line to the White House. I couldn't take it anymore.
WCT: When did you first realize who Rev. Haggard was?
MJ: About six or seven months ago. I was watching the History Channel and there was a show on the Antichrist and, lo and behold, there was his face. I didn't know who he was, still; they flashed his name too quickly.
However, the ironic thing is that the very next morning at the gym, someone had turned a television set onto a religious channel. There he was again—and his name was there for a long time, so I wrote it down. I still didn't know anything [ at this point ] ; I was curious. So, when I got home I went on the Internet and said, 'Oh, shit ... This guy's huge.'
WCT: And the situation became huge. Some people even suggested that it had national ramifications ...
MJ: Can I just tell you that I've received [ hundreds ] of e-mails and phone calls in which people said that it did change the election results nationwide? It just blows me away. People are calling me a hero and come up and hug me. It's really affected people personally; it's emotional for some people.
WCT: Do you feel like you're a hero?
MJ: No. I'm very uncomfortable when someone uses that word. People have asked for my autograph. I think I'm just an average Joe who needed to do the right thing.
I just got back from New York. I was flown in by the producer of a Broadway play called The Little Dog Laughed, which is about a male escort. I was, honest to God, put on the red carpet next to Nathan Lane and Lisa Kudrow. Cameras were flashing everywhere and people came up to me in droves. They made me out to be a celebrity, but I was really uncomfortable with the cameras.
I didn't [ expose Haggard ] for this reason. I could've blackmailed the guy.
WCT: Before you decided to come forward, how long did you debate what would happen to Haggard's wife and children?
MJ: I went through fucking hell with that decision; it was agonizing. I feel sick about his wife and children. People try to throw that in my face and I [ respond ] , 'Did he go to his wife and say 'Honey, I'm going to have a gay affair. Is this going to bother you and the children?'' So, I tell people to not put the blame on me. He initiated it.
WCT: Legally, you put yourself at risk because of the confessions concerning escorting and meth. Has there been any legal fallout?
MJ: All I can tell you is that I've been approached by law enforcement.
WCT: Fair enough. You're no longer an escort. Why is that?
MJ: I just got tired of it. I did it for 20 years. I really stopped two years ago, but he was a holdover. I didn't know who he was. However, my massage business was still doing well. It's about time for me to get out of the business. [ Laughs ] I'm fucking 49, OK? I'm ready for retirement.
WCT: Apparently, though, you're a well-built 49.
MJ: Thank you. You know what I hope? I want people to say that they don't have to give up on their bodies. It takes work, but if I can look like this at 49, I hope that men in their 40s will have hope.
I'm still active and young at heart, even though I've gone through a lot of stress in the last year because of my mother's [ recent ] death, which was horrible. I ended up in financial trouble because I flew a lot to see my mom and tried to help out my family.
WCT: Speaking of family, how has yours reacted to this whole development?
MJ: They don't have a whole lot to say, but they're OK. They knew I was gay, but they didn't know what I was doing. It was a shock to them.
When the story broke, I literally got a two-minute warning. I had no time to warn anybody, so I had to talk to them after everyone heard. That made things more difficult.
WCT: How have other escorts responded?
MJ: I've received some nasty e-mails that I assume are from other escorts. They're pissed off, and I see what they're saying. But they have to understand that this was such a unique situation. How can I be with someone who doesn't like me? The whole thing just [ stank ] . I did the best I could with the situation. I can't take anything back.
WCT: I'm curious. How did you get started in the escort business?
MJ: You know, I cannot honestly say why or when it happened [ as in a specific date ] , but as I was getting older ( 18-plus ) and hanging out with other older men, I was being offered money for sex. After a while, I thought, 'Shit, I can really make money at this!' The rest is history.
WCT: Is it true that some members of Haggard's church invited you to attend?
MJ: Let me clarify that. On the radio, I put out an invitation, of sorts. I said that if the leaders want to invite me to the service and could provide security, I would attend. A lot of members would call up and say, 'You don't need to be invited. Just come on down,' and one guy said, 'Ninety percent of us would open our arms to you,' and I said, 'I'm worried about the other 10 percent.' I never got the invitation. It would be interesting, though. [ Laughs ]
WCT: Rev. Haggard is about to undergo 'restoration' to help him. What's your reaction to that?
MJ: It takes three to five years. What the hell are they doing? [ Laughs ]
You know what? Whatever. He's a gay man. What's going to happen is that, during those three years, he's going to write a book—and he'll make millions again when he comes out.
WCT: What about you? Are you going to write a book?
MJ: Possibly. Again, people have to remember that I could've blackmailed him. If I were offered a book deal, I'd take it—but that's not why I did it.
WCT: I read that you were politically motivated in exposing Haggard, but your morals seemed to have played a role.
MJ: Oh, morals definitely played a role but I made no bones about it: I wanted this [ information ] out before the election. Absolutely.
WCT: Have you heard about or read the Dan Savage article that was in The New York Times [ 'The Code of the Callboy' ] ? At one point in the item—where he defended what you did—he wrote that you revealed Haggard 'because today it is arguably more shameful and damaging to be a hypocritical closet case than it is to be a sex worker.'
MJ: Interesting. I just heard a little bit about the article, but people thought it was pretty positive. However, people are sending me so many things that it's hard to keep up.
By the way, here's a scoop: I went on Dr. Keith Ablow's show when I was in New York ( because it's one of the few shows that pay ) . They said that they wanted to hear my story—but it was a freakin' set-up. I went out on the stage and answered questions for about 10 minutes. Then, at the break, they had this Christian minister sit by me [ unbeknownst to me ] , but I just sat there while he rambled on; I was [ determined ] not to take this bait. I think they got pissed and took me off the stage. They wanted a Jerry Springer moment, and I wasn't going to do it.
It's funny; it's almost like I'm this huge story, but people are afraid of me. I had been a part-time model for art schools for years; now, they've all dismissed me. A couple of other places have decided against hiring me because I'm tainted. It's really difficult for me to accept that. I've had a few people send me contributions to help me out, and that's nice. I can't even do massages because I can't trust anybody; I'm afraid of a set-up. If you know someone who is looking for me to speak or appear at an event, I'm available.
WCT: How much longer do you think you're going to be, as you put it, tainted?
MJ: I think it's going to be some time. I'm amazed that people are still really interested in this story. It'll die out for a while but, once he comes back, it'll all be right back in the news.
WCT: Do you think you may have to move?
MJ: Possibly. I'm a fourth-generation Coloradan, but if things don't change I might have to.
WCT: If you saw Rev. Haggard today, what would you say to him?
MJ: I would tell him, 'Be honest with yourself. You can be a gay man preaching the gospel, that's fine—but just say you're a gay man.'
WCT: What have you learned about yourself from all this?
MJ: What I've learned—and even Ted Haggard needs to understand this—is that we're all humans with emotions, and [ the emotions are ] hard to control. It's liberating to be honest. It's refreshing to get it out. I don't have it hanging over my head anymore.
