Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Sapphire.
Hi Chris, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Honey, this all started for me as a little gay kid in my living room watching Sister Act 2 starring the one and only Whoopi Goldberg. That intro sequence where she is in Vegas slaying the stage gave me soo much life as a kid, I knew that someway, somehow, the world of entertainment was going to be my calling. It was then that I got bit by the showbiz bug!
Fast forward to elementary school, honey, and I was swept into the world of theatre in first grade! My first role ever: playing a huge egg! Girl, I didn’t mind! I turned that egg role out! I was up on that stage dancing and singing and it fed my soul like a sugar rush. I spent the next years in elementary school landing role after role both backstage and on stage and it was those years that helped develop me. My passion for all things performing arts kept growing and growing; there was no stopping my train.
After elementary school, I was blessed to attend W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy in Oak Cliff and the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Downtown Dallas. I won’t keep you here all night long, but to sum those experiences up faster than a microwave, let’s just say that it was my time in those schools that I learned my true self. I came to terms with being gayer than a rainbow on a Saturday afternoon and began to embrace the sugar that was exploding from my tank! Nothing could stop me anymore. Not myself or the world. I was high kicking my way into the future one glittery pump at a time and living my life truer than true with a capital “T.”
Following high school, in 2007, I enrolled into a cosmetology school in Oak Cliff and that’s where the fun really began. I graduated early from that program and went straight into the world of photoshoots, conventions, runway shows, magazines and more. My makeup career was exploding all over the DFW area.
It was that success in doing makeup that led me to going from behind the scenes to center stage as many of the photographers I was working with were asking me to come back and model for them as they really enjoyed my style and personality. So I did. In those days, Myspace reigned supreme (social media wise), and so not thinking much of it, I would upload my photoshoot pictures of myself and makeup to my page and the traffic just started growing and growing.
Plus, the people were also really enjoying what I had to say as well.
One day in 2009, I came across a random casting call for a new internet radio show in Dallas that was looking for personalities. Looking at how good things were going for me on my Myspace, something inside of me decided to take a random chance at this casting and see where things could go. I had nothing to lose. I went to the casting call, sat there chatting it up with the owners and producers of the radio show and by the end of the meeting they told me I had landed the gig. They really liked me! This would be the beginning of my media career! I spent many years after that day co-hosting the “MZlive” show here in Dallas interviewing celebrities of all kinds from reality TV stars to mainstream TV icons and musicians. It was the learning experience of a lifetime.
My success on that radio show opened so many doors for me as it had given me the tools needed to really go further in my career. Next thing you know, I landed a contract with WOW Productions(the people who produce RuPaul’s Drag Race) and I began producing YouTube content for them including: The Chris Sapphire Show.
It was my time doing YouTube for WOW that one sunny beautiful day back in 2015 (if I remember correctly) a producer from the CW Network in Dallas reached out to me wondering if I’d be interested in doing LIVE TV. Being the spontaneous human that I am, I responded back and said “let’s do it!” A few days later I arrived for my audition, the producer loved what I brought to the table, and so we set the date for my first LIVE spot on nationally syndicated morning TV! On a show entitled “Eye Opener.” It was the CW’s version of Good Morning America for those wondering.
Now, let me backtrack just a bit. This spot was only supposed to be a one time gig. Unbeknownst to me, it would end up turning into more.
I arrived the morning of my spot and felt incredible inside. I could not believe how a little ole makeup artist like me had arrived to such a point in my life. It was so surreal!! I remember being put into the right spot on the set, hearing the production folks counting me down, “and 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!” Girrrrrl, it was showtime, folks! No turning back now, and guess what. I flew through it! I remember letting whatever came to me in that moment just flow out of my mouth and recall seeing the main anchors and camera crew just laughing their butts off! It was such a successful first spot!!! I wrapped it up, shook hands with the crew and thanked the producer who had brought me to that moment. As I was driving home, I couldn’t do anything else but thank God for how well it went. Truly, God works in mysterious ways! And for those out there who are reading this, let’s just say faith plays a huge part in the fabric of who I am. It’s everything for me. So I praised and praised in my car.
Well, you guys, I get home, I’m on cloud nine, and out of nowhere, my phone keeps ringing! It was the CW folks calling! “Chris, you did so well,” they said on the phone! “What would you say or think about doing this for the rest of the year!? Would you be interested in coming every week?”
Omg, I couldn’t believe it, y’all! They were wanting me to come back for the rest of the year! I was glowing inside! Mind you, I didn’t go to college or anything for this. I’m just little ole me from MZLive and YouTube and now they’re asking me to come work alongside actual professional anchors and personalities for the rest of the year!!! I said, “fuck yeah!!”
Honey, morning after morning, week after week, I showed up to that morning news set and turned those segments out. One week, some of the main anchors were off on vacation and guess who they had up on that main desk anchoring the news? Me!!! Crazy right!?
This whole whirlwind of a journey lasted for a whole year when one day we found out it was all, unfortunately, coming to and end. Although the show was doing great in ratings and all was well, the CW had abruptly decided to change directions and drop the show. My TV experience had come to its end. Or so I thought.
A few months passed, I was back on YouTube turning out the content, when out of nowhere on a random good day my phone rang. It was my good Judy: the iconic drag superstar of the world Alyssa Edwards, calling me with the most wildest unexpected news ever! She was calling to tell me that she had just landed her own reality show on Netflix and was inviting me to come and be a part of this global TV experience! My jaw was on the floor!
Honey, God must’ve been up there just smiling down and laughing with joy over my reaction. Here I was, fresh of a whole year of doing morning news pop culture reporting and now the Grand Dame Diva of the South was inviting me to do reality TV, and not just reality TV, a Netflix show that was going to air world wide! OMG!! The gag of it all, Gina! “Are you kidding me!? Of course, I’ll do it” I told Miss Edwards, and darling, it was lights, camera, action after that!
We filmed the show, it debuts on Netflix worldwide, the kids are gagging, the world is going nuts, the ratings are through the roof, and it was just so surreal. The show went on to be a huge hit. “Dancing Queen,” as it is entitled, took over the world for that moment. I was just so thankful and grateful, and still am, to Alyssa Edwards for that incredible experience. Well, that’s not where this story ends, my friends. It only is about to get BIGGER! I hope you got your popcorn!
My darlings, months after all this rollercoaster experience of a lifetime began to simmer down, guess what. My phone rings again! It was Alyssa calling. I was in Oak Cliff at my aunt’s house one night uploading my latest podcast show up to my YouTube channel. Oh yeah, I had a podcast too.
When Alyssa calls to tell me that there’s a new show coming out named “The Circle” on Netflix and one of the casting agents is about to call me as she had mentioned to him that she felt I would be perfect for this new show. She said to me on the phone, “Girl, they’re about to call you in 20 minutes! Answer your phone, bitch!” And just like that, she wished me luck and clicked. The phone rings 20 minutes later as she had said. I pick it up, say my hellos, and the rest is history!
Next thing you know I kept getting a callback and another callback. Fly here to this next phase of the audition then fly back home. Honey, it was the longest audition of my life, but you know what. Hear this.
Girrrrrrrl, one night after all this traveling and auditioning, I was in my bed with my hair all messed up, stretchy booty shorts on, I was eating sunflower seeds when the call came in to pack all my shit up as I had made it to the final casting stage of this whole “The Circle” thing. Which would take place in the United Kingdom! They said I would leave immediately that Friday! OMG! You can’t even begin to imagine the excitement flowing through my veins! It was like a scene out of a movie! I ran to my mom’s room to let her know that I would be leaving super soon and needed to get all my ducks in order. Europe, here I come! And mind you, I had NEVER been to Europe before. Thank God, I had my passport ready.
I get to Europe, I’m assigned a chaperone who took me all around to see sites, sounds, people and things, just being the almighty gay tourist in the UK. It was LOVELY, darling! Just lovely. The UK bug definitely bit me.
Two weeks into my trip on a Thursday evening, my chaperone gets a call that I would be going into “The Circle!” Girrrrl, we were screaming and shouting and letting it all out that afternoon. You would’ve thought we won the freaking lottery! It was a joyous moment! I had officially been cast to The Circle season 1!
The show debuted January of 2020 to rave reviews! We are now in magazines: Oprah Magazine, People Magazine, Cosmo, TV shows, etc. I’m doing interviews all around the world, and like a phenomenon, it took off globally! None of us who are part of the cast expected it to become what it became. The show went number 1 on Netflix!! Today, I sit here, still in disbelief that I have experienced all of this. Of course, there’s so much more to this story, but honey, we ain’t got the time to film a new Lord of The Rings series. Let’s just say, The Circle changed my entire life and I am forever thankful to every single person that got me to this point, first and foremost God and all the amazing fans around the world.
We are now three seasons deep into The Circle series, and I just flew back from Los Angeles a few weeks ago where I wrapped up filming a new web series for Netflix entitled “Extra Circle” where I am hosting.
Honey, I grew up in a humble household, I had only what I had: big dreams, goals, aspirations, but the key to all this manifesting was truly my faith. My faith gave me the clarity, the confidence, and the power to courageously press on even when I had no idea what the next step was. I sit here today typing all of this with a heart full of gratitude. Thank you to all the fans who have embraced The Circle, have embraced me and welcomed me into their lives. I know in my heart that this is just a catalyst and the beginning of something so much bigger coming, God is baking it up now.
To all who are reading this, just know to never give up on your dreams or life for that matter. Keep pressing on and enjoy the ride. God truly works in mysterious ways and whatever He has put in your heart that is good and will uplift you, He surely will give you the power to fulfill. All things are possible especially when you believe. Even if you believe to the size of a little mustard seed.
Now Circle, send this message!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the biggest obstacle I ever had to face was coming out of the closet. For me, it was my biggest secret and growing up in a traditional Hispanic household, it was going to be tough to do, but I did. I came out of the closet at 14 years old because I just couldn’t hide it anymore. I was gay, honey! Not only gay, but “Gay GAAAY!” LOL! It was one of the best things I ever did. Living in your truth for the world and God is a powerful thing. Nothing sets you more free than the truth.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
TV/Radio Personality/Makeup Artist/Social Media Influencer/Spicy Food Addict
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned on my journey is to always keep the faith. Let God’s word supersede any negative thoughts we might have crossing our mind that contradicts what He says about you or what you are capable of and to always lead with love.
Contact Info:
- Email: ChrisSapphire@yahoo.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/MrChrisSapphire
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ChrisSapphire
- Twitter: Twitter.com/ChrisSapphire
- Youtube: YouTube.com/ChrisSapphire
- Other: Kailee@TheUpreachAgency.com
