Carson Kressley has a very different tone when he sat down with me last night compared to almost a week prior. Back then, he was remorseful and a little crushed. Though he had enjoyed his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house, when he found out about Todrick Hall and Miesha Tate deceiving him to backdoor Shanna Moakler, he felt incredibly guilt about turning on a friend. But in the days since, he’s been able to reconnect with her and apologize on multiple accounts. So the Emmy winner got to flash a smile and give his trademark one-liners as he returned to the stage to cast one of many jury votes for Miesha to win. And he ended the night with an even bigger grin, winning this season’s America’s Favorite Houseguest prize over Shanna and Lamar Odom. After the finale, Carson talked again with Parade.com about his fan-favorite win, the tense mood in the room with the final two, and reconnecting with the rest of the cast this past week. Hi, Carson! Mike, I’ve missed you! (Laughs.) We have to stop meeting like this. Are we dating now? It’s a long-distance relationship. That’s basically the only way you can do relationships nowadays. (Laughs.) True, it’s all on Zoom. So it’s clear to see you’re in better spirits than when we last talked. What’s your mood at the moment? I’m so much better than I was when I first talked to you. Then, you’re out of that house. You’re like the weird walking zombie person who’s getting back to normal life and processing all of the things and watching everything and being surprised—feeling taken advantage of and being regretful about your decisions after being duped. But now that I’ve seen everything, and I’ve also had some professional hair and makeup, I feel 1,000% better. Let’s start with where things finished. How surprised were you at getting the fan-favorite prize over Shanna and Lamar? I was very thrilled about that. I was kind of surprised. I didn’t know if people would still be mad at me after the Shanna debacle. But I cleared that up with her personally. And that’s all that mattered to me. I’m delighted to know I have great fans. I think just being your authentic self and being funny, being self-deprecating, and not taking yourself for the game too seriously worked in my favor for this award. And I’m very grateful I’m in a position where I can give some of that money to my charity. It’s a good thing, any way you slice it. Stepping back further, you were one of the many votes for Miesha to win. I know when we talked last, you had said you were disappointed with how Todrick had been playing. Was there anything in the past few days that cemented your vote? No shade on Todrick, but things that were said on the live feeds, things that may have been a little ungracious. I do think that Misha was very prepared. I think she was a fierce competitor. She won four HoHs; Todrick won one. She won two veto competitions; Todrick won one. She was just a very successful player in this game. So I went with that person who seemed to really be fierce, focused, and was a winner. It’s safe to say you were one of the more positive messages from the jurors, who understandably had things to say to Todrick for what he said about them in the house. What was your reaction to what they were saying? Oh, if my face moves, it would have been like…(Raises eyebrows and opens mouth in shock.) I was just like, “Wow, we’re going there. And I thought, “We’re not supposed to really announce who we’re voting for. We’ve got to keep the mystery alive until the end.” But they were not taking that note, and they were just putting it all out there. Listen, it’s just a game. But I think after they were voted out, some unkind things were said after, and they really didn’t need to be by Todrick. I think that really buttered their biscuits, if you will. And that’s why they were a little bit saltier with their voting comments. From our perspective, you could cut the tension with a cake knife when Miesha and Todrick walked out. To the point where Julie actually beckoned you out of your chairs to go and hug them. What was the mood in the room? Okay, I’m going to try to explain what went on in the room. So we have been filming this show under the strictest of COVID protocols. We have not seen anybody without a full-on hazmat suit for basically a month. And I think part of that reaction was like, “Are we allowed to get up and hug people?” That protocol is always in the back of your mind now, especially on set. When I got voted off, and I had to go out, Julie was like, “Don’t forget it’s COVID protocol! No hugging so for me.” That was in the back of my mind. And then when she said, “You can get up and hug them now,” I was like, “Okay.” These people played a fierce game. We may or may not like how they did it. But they deserve a congratulatory moment, and that’s what I wanted to do. You got the time on the finale to apologize to Shanna in person for backdooring her. And prior to that, you posted an apology on your Instagram. What was it like to reconnect with her, given how you felt coming out of the house? I saw the jury members that lived out of town before. And Shanna does not live out of town. She lives here in L.A. But those of us who live in New York or wherever stayed at the same hotel. We had a drink in the bar and did our selfie. And that’s what you saw on social media. But I hadn’t seen Shanna. And I got a message back from her on social media saying, “It’s fine and all good.” But I was still very nervous about running into her in person. And thank god for the reunion! Because I probably would have avoided her for the rest of my life. Like, “No, I can’t do the Miss Nevada pageant. I’m busy that day. I’m washing my hair.” So I got to see her here as we were walking to the stage at the very last minute. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I know, you probably hate me.” She’s like, “I don’t hate you. It’s all part of the game.” And, I was very thankful that she was so gracious, and she was equally gracious on the telecast. That was the only part of the show that I really regretted. I hurt somebody that I didn’t want to, And I wanted to make it right. And I think that’s a great lesson for people at home to judge people by their actions, not by what people are telling you or what people are saying on social media or whatever. Actions speak louder than words. So I just wanted to reiterate that. You mentioned getting together with some jurors before the finale. What was it like to have you reunite outside of the competition inside the house? I think we’ve all had conversations since our moments of leaving the show. We’re all professionals, and we all know that it was just a game. For me personally, I had some things that really put things into perspective about what’s important. Holding onto animosity or disappointment after you finish a show like this is a waste of time and mental energy. We’re all healthy and alive, and we should just count our blessings. So you admitted you weren’t a Big Brother fan coming onto the show. Did your time in the house make you want to check out future seasons? No more Big Brother for this guy! I think it’s Celebrity Basket Weaving.com for me next. It’s streaming on Dropbox! Next, check out interview with Celebrity Big Brother 3 third-placer Cynthia Bailey.
