Rusty Joiner Is Trending On Tiktok And Yes, He Was A DNA Cover Star
Rusty Joiner is an American model and actor who has been turning up on TikTok feeds thanks to a resurfaced towel scene from the 2018 thriller My Teacher, My Obsession. The clip has gone viral, with plenty of viewers calling it their “gay awakening,” as Instinct reported. At DNA, we featured him twice in our early print editions, so none of this comes as a shock.
How Rusty Joiner became a household name
Jason Russell “Rusty” Joiner was born on 11 December 1972 in Montgomery, Alabama, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Georgia Southern University, where he was a cheerleader for four years and worked as a gym instructor. A model scout spotted him in Atlanta in the late 1990s, and his career took off fast. He modelled for Prada, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, Levi’s, and Powerade.
He won the Structure Underwear Model Search and became the brand’s official underwear model from 1998 to 2000. His face appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, and Men’s Fitness.
He also showed up as a scantily clad surgeon in RuPaul’s Looking Good, Feeling Gorgeous music video. That clip left quite the impression, too.
The DNA connection
Rusty first appeared in DNA #66 in a fashion story shot by Kal Yee called Criminal Accessories that included two images too hot to share here. Then, photographer Lewis Payton shot Joiner for the cover of DNA #71, our December 2005 Swimwear Edition, for the Heat It Up fashion story.
Towleroad put it at the time, “Rusty is a very sweet guy who brings professionalism and a tirelessly good nature to everything he does.” DNA #66 and #71 are still available as back issues in print, though not in digital format, from the DNA Shop.
From modelling to acting
Joiner transitioned to acting in his late twenties, landing roles in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story alongside Ben Stiller and Resident Evil: Extinction with Milla Jovovich. He also had recurring spots on Days Of Our Lives, Melrose Place, CSI: Miami, and Bones. “Try changing careers in your late twenties, going from the top of your game to starting all over and having people look past you when you speak to them,” Joiner told New Orleans Living. “That challenged me to work harder.”
Where is Rusty Joiner now?
Now 53, Joiner’s latest project is These Stones, a faith-based drama series that premiered on UP Faith and Family in September 2024. The show follows a grieving daughter drawn into a supernatural program where undercover Bible characters help people in the present day. It is now streaming free on YouTube and has picked up 32 festival wins and 16 nominations. Joiner received a Best Actor nomination at the International Christian Film Festival (ICFF) for his role as Andrew Stewart.
It’s a long way from a RuPaul music video and a DNA cover.
Bring Rusty home
Why settle for compressed TikTok clips or faith-based dramas when you can own? You can bring Rusty Joiner’s most iconic era straight to your coffee table. We opened our archives so you can purchase the original physical copies of both DNA #66 and DNA #71.
