Photography: Robert Simerson
Jeremy Jackson was that little kid on Baywatch. Now he’s a smokin’ hot bear – but his journey through addiction is what inspires the most.
DNA: You’re an associate producer of the documentary After Baywatch: Moment In The Sun. What are your memories of being on the show?
Jeremy Jackson: It was a huge part of my life. I always wanted to be a performer, I loved singing, dancing, and acting and I got onto the number one show in the world. I surfed every day and hung out with my Knight Rider idol, David Hasselhoff. I also recorded two albums with some top ten hits and travelled the world. Fulfilling my dream was a very cool thing.
What do you hope people will take away from the doco?
I think they’ll get a deeper look into the lives of the cast. It’s not a promotional fluff piece. It’s a humanitarian piece on how the cast is more like the viewers than they realise. People saw buffed, bronzed bodies on the beach, but the truth is we are just like everyone else.
In showbiz, you must’ve been out clubbing with gay mates, yes?
Are you kidding? I’m an attention whore! I’m like the forbidden fruit at those clubs! In LA, the club scene is very stuffy with bottle service and bullshit. It’s a big show. But then you go around the corner to West Hollywood gay clubs like The Abbey, and it’s a bunch of people laughing, singing, sweating and having fun. Gay clubs are like what clubs used to be, where everybody dances and has a great time.
And gay guys would love you because you’re a hot bear.
Oh, I have heard that term and I’ll take it!
Tell us about your involvement with the Imperfectly Perfect campaign.
A few years back, I was invited to do a photo shoot for the campaign, which was set up by Glenn Marsden. He was so cordial and kind. Normally, I don’t enjoy photo shoots, but he proposed something different. It was about people remembering the hardest times in their lives. He wanted to capture the faces of mental health. That struck a chord in my heart. In those early stages, I became the face of the campaign, which was an honour.
You have had your own mental health struggles, yes?
I’ve been in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for many years. I believe drug addiction is an issue of mental health. It’s not an issue of moral code or willpower, but rather something deep in the mind that makes people do things they don’t want to do. It’s been a pleasure to speak out on an education level about alcohol and drug addiction, body dysmorphia, depression, guilt, shame and all the things that I’ve struggled with.
How did your struggles develop?
It’s my belief that alcoholism and drug addiction is a disease from within the mind. It develops like any disease with symptoms like craving and a desire to do more. Some people drink and get away with it, but for me, something went off in my mind. I wanted to do it all the time. As a kid, I experimented smoking a little pot, and I’d have a beer behind my parent’s back. It was all innocent, but it got its hooks into me. I couldn’t control it. Alcoholism is chronic, fatal and progressive. It never goes away. I know many people who have died.
Many men struggle with mental health, including a large proportion of the LGBTQIA+ community. What’s your advice for people to get out of that dark hole?
First, my knowledge, support and friendship are available to those who contact me on Instagram or Facebook, where I have an open channel to help. Connection is key. We are disconnected from others when we feel alone and ashamed. When we’re keeping secrets, we feel like outcasts, and the only people we can tell what we’re going through are the people doing the same thing. The key to a lot of my growth has been surrounding myself with people who are doing well in life.
And working out has played a part?
Fitness has been a huge part of my meditation to become the best version of me. It’s about treating your body like a warrior, the mind like a philosopher, and spirit like a sage. The discipline of getting to the gym every day proves to me that I can make myself stronger. I feed my spirit through breathwork and even music. That’s the Jeremy Jackson Fitness approach, which is incorporated into The Balanced Man retreat I help run. We do seven days in Costa Rica, stretching at 5am, journaling, meditating, sitting eye to eye and heart to heart in deep conversations and discovery. We also surf, shoot arrows, and have waterfall hikes through the jungle. It’s helped a lot of people transform.
Who’s your music diva?
I love Fiona Apple and her song Criminal. I’m also a big fan of Tori Amos and Tina Turner. Many people don’t realise that Milla Jovovich [actress, Resident Evil] is also a badass singer. My buddy Mark Holden from Australian Idol produced her music as well as mine.
Gay for a day: who would be your celebrity bromance?
Let the bidding war begin! It’s usually guys that I’m jealous of. I’ll say Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden [in Fight Club].
What’s your favourite holiday destination in the USA?
Austin, Texas. It has amazing people, weather, coffee and barbeques! There’s a great nightlife with parties on the lakes and watering holes, including paddle boarding.
Do you have a grooming tip for us?
Yes, I’m coming out with my own men’s beard balm. It’s called Primal Putty and is a blend of raw beeswax, beef tallow, white chocolate butter, diatomaceous earth and tobacco extract. All natural ingredients and very hydrating for the beard.
What’s been your most memorable wardrobe malfunction?
It was the fourth of July. I was about 14. On the set of Baywatch I was in the makeup trailer with a bunch of fireworks in my back pocket. I jumped up from the chair and they ignited! My pants caught on fire, and I burnt my ass and thigh. I pulled my shorts down, no underwear on, and ran around naked!
Okay, former-Baywatch star: on the beach, boardshorts or briefs?
If I’m jumping in the ocean, I like the army-style short-shorts, but if I’m laying in the sun or going to a pool party, it’s a speedo for sure.
Briefs, boxers or commando?
Trunk-cut with the cock sleeve in the front. The pouch!
For more visit: jeremyjacksonfitness.com
Follow Jeremy on Instagram @jeremyjacksonfitness
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Photography: Bryan Wesley Williams.
