Bravo's Million Dollar Listing is having a successful fourth season. Tuesdays raise the roof with homes presented by out realtors Madison Hildebrand and Josh Flagg. Josh is waving his pride Flagg high, coming out in a new book. He opened up about his life in this interview.
Windy City Times: Hi, Josh. Tell our readers all about your new book, Million Dollar Agent: Brokering the Dream.
Josh Flagg: I decided since I have done what I have done at such a young age that I would give back to people that are at my age. I wanted to tell them how to accomplish what I have accomplished. It starts from the beginning of my life and it basically tells the reader how to get where I do.
Windy City Times: It is about the coming-out process as well.
Josh Flagg: Yes, it does involve facets of my personal life that I have never revealed before. That is going to be interesting, also.
Windy City Times: It could open up a whole new audience for you.
Josh Flagg: I don't think it's a big surprise. You would have to be like Helen Keller to not figure it out. I don't have a sign on my forehead or anything, but it is not that shocking.
Windy City Times: Well, even in the Candace Cayne episode I didn't think you were especially gay. Have you always dated guys?
Josh Flagg: Yes, and if anyone ever asked me then I always told the truth since I was 17. It just never defines me. It just happens to be that I am gay. It doesn't define my personality. If someone asks me I will tell him or her but it is not like I flaunt it.
Windy City Times: Are you currently single?
Josh Flagg: No, I am not single. I have had a boyfriend for three years.
Windy City Times: How does your Grandma Edith feel about you being gay?
Josh Flagg: She couldn't care less. When I told her she said, "You are not the first person in our family that likes men!"
Windy City Times: She encouraged you to write the book.
Josh Flagg: She did.
Windy City Times: Did you dedicate it to her?
Josh Flagg: I dedicated it to her and a few other people.
Windy City Times: Have you been on Million Dollar Listing every season?
Josh Flagg: Season one was a different show. It was about five different realtors and completely different. I have been on since the new format of the show so since season two. So I have been on two, three, four and hopefully five. The ratings are amazing so I hope, knock on wood, that we have another season.
Windy City Times: It is entertaining to watch you all make a lot of money.
Josh Flagg: We do okay.
Windy City Times: The business looks like it is coming back [after] the recession.
Josh Flagg: Yeah, we do pretty well and we are good at what we do. We are specialists in our markets. We enjoy it foremost.
Windy City Times: Being on a reality show do you think it's hard for people to take you seriously sometimes?
Josh Flagg: I started when I was 17 years old so it was hard for them to take me seriously then. People have not taken me seriously my whole life because I was young but somehow I always succeeded.
Windy City Times: Do you have property yourself?
Josh Flagg: Sure, absolutely. My family owns a lot of commercial real estate. They own shopping centers and stuff like that. I own property myself as well.
Windy City Times: Bravo really catches you doing everything. You are writing this book even on the toilet.
Josh Flagg: Oh yeah, that's me. I don't really care. I did what I had to do and they recorded me. When I had to go to the bathroom what am I going to do?
Windy City Times: Are you doing some book signings in the future?
Josh Flagg: We have a whole plan of book signings in Los Angeles, then hopefully in Chicago as well as New York. The attention on the book has been incredible. The first week without even promoting it really we sold out of books on the first run. We had to reprint more, which is really interesting because the book has not even been released yet.
Windy City Times: You know what you are doing as far as selling things so this apparently works, too.
Josh Flagg: I guess so. It is a coming of age story also so it really fulfills a lot of different audiences, kids, gay, straight, realtors, non realtors, people that are getting into business. It is a really good story I think. It is not a housewife story talking about how to paint your toenails!
Catch Josh Flagg's celebrity reality show on Bravo by checking listings at www.bravotv.com . His new book is available for purchase at www.joshflaggbook.com .