Gay Cities New York editor Jeffrey James Keyes chatted with Nate Berkus after a special taping of The Nate Berkus Show featuring Wendy Walsh, the mother of 13-year old Seth who committed suicide this past September after enduring harassment for being gay. The string of recent gay bullying cases and suicides have inspired the daytime host to pay it forward by redesigning the youth lounge at YES, a LGBT community center in New York City.
Nate, we love your show. It’s always on the DVR in my apartment.
That’s so kind. Thank you so much!
We hear you recently had a sit down with Wendy Walsh. What was it like meeting with Wendy?
I did get the chance to speak with Wendy and her son, Shawn. They’re an amazing family who’ve experienced this horrible loss. Wendy’s mission to use this unimaginable tragedy as a message about the importance of acceptance touched me beyond measure. My only goal with this hour was to join her in bringing that message to my audience.
Tell us about your upcoming Give A Damn PSA.
The We Give a Damn message grew from something I believe deeply to be true and had shared on Larry King Live. I believe that we each have the chance to be a hero in the life of a child, standing up on behalf of a kid who is being bullied is just one way to be that hero.
This must be an important cause for you
The fact that kids are afraid to go to school. The fact that they’d take their own life to escape the pain of bullying: It’s incomprehensible. I want to do all I can to help because I know what it’s like to be bullied, to feel like you have to lie about who you are. We’ve made such amazing strides as a community, but we can’t stop speaking up for acceptance and put an end to this.
We hear you redesigned the youth lounge at The Center‘s Youth Enrichment Services (YES ) in honor of Seth.
It was so much fun working with the kids. In the middle of it, I had an emergency appendectomy. I was in the hospital worried about how the YES center would get done. But then something amazing happened. People stepped forward to help me pull it off. People like Chely Wright. Love that!
Do you consider yourself more of a New Yorker?
I love New York and feel perfectly at home here. But I grew up in the midwest and in California, so for me home isn’t defined by a map. It’s defined by 4 walls and how I live in that space.
With New Year’s Eve coming up, a lot of us are scrambling to decorate our apartments. Do you have any tips for New Year’s Eve decorating on a budget?
To me, decorating for the holidays is all about the subtleties of the season. It isn’t about a home dripping in tinsel. It’s about the touches that elevate your space and add the right amount of sparkle, like greenery down the banister or stockings artfully hung on the mantel.
What’s the one piece of furniture you should always invest in and where can you get it?
It might be different for different people. If you entertain all the time, you might want that amazing dining room table. If you and yours turn every Friday night into movie night, it might be your sofa. Look at how you live in your house and allocate your budget according to that. And, always buy the best bed you can afford. Your bedroom is where you begin and end each day.
If money weren’t an object, where in New York City would you shop?
I’m happiest with a Saturday free and a listing of every estate sale and flea market in the greater tri-state area.
What are a few of your favorite restaurants in New York?
I love trying new places but a staple is Cookshop.
Any favorite spot for drinks?
My place. I love having friends over for cocktails.
For tickets to the Nate Berkus Show visit the show site. The studio is located at the CBS Broadcast Center at 528 West 57th Street in Hells Kitchen. For information on what channel to find Nate on in your area, visit the Station Finder.
