Frankie Grande has graced YouTube, the “Big Brother” house and Broadway with his boisterous, larger-than-life personality, and now he’s invading Oxygen Media to talk about the most outrageous social media activity that’s undoubtedly caused some major social suicide.
Boca Magazine caught up with Grande to find out more about his half-hour special “Worst.Post.Ever: With Frankie Grande” that airs tonight at 9 p.m. EST.
Where did you get the idea for “Worst.Post.Ever”?
Oxygen actually came to me with the show “Worst.Post.Ever.,” and it was very different than what it is right now. When they brought me on board, we came up with what my version would be—what “Worst.Post.Ever: With Frankie Grande” would be. We reshaped it to be what it is today, and I’m proud of it. I love it so much. I think it’s great.
What do you think makes a post the “worst post ever”?
You really have to own it, and you kind of just have to celebrate the worseness of it. It’s unbelievable that people would put this stuff online, but it’s such a celebration of the fact that it is online. Own it, and celebrate its existence.
When you were deciding what posts to use, had you already seen these posts, or were you looking for specific types of posts?
We had a team working together. We started with three hours worth of content for this one special, so it was clear that there were so many “worst posts ever” out there. It just took some weeding down to the best of the worst posts ever, and that was the biggest challenge because we had so much. The Internet is filled with “worst posts ever,” so it was a lot of fun narrowing them down.
There were a lot of different segments during the special. Which one was your favorite?
I think the Frankie App was my favorite because I got to play an even more ridiculous, over-the-top version of myself. I got to throw glitter and be the Frankie fairy, and that’s just something I had a lot of fun doing. Also, creating that app, coming up with the concept and really flushing it out was really fun. I love to act and play dress up.
Do you have ideas for any other types of specials you’d want to do in the future?
I would love to do more character work. I think it would be really fun. I think that there’s definitely a show out there with my name on it that’s character-based sketch comedy.
What do you hope the viewers take away from this special?
I hope that they smile, have a good time, realize that the Internet is a place where we can have a lot of fun and be unapologetically ourselves and celebrate its existence. Celebrate it like you’re Frankie. That’s what I want people to take away. Celebrate it like you’re Frankie.
What do you like about social media?
I love that it gives access to so many people around the world. I never thought that I’d be able to talk to people in different continents and different time zones all day long. That’s probably the coolest thing, I think, is the access it provides to the whole world.
What’s your favorite social media platform? What is your main use for it? Is it mostly to engage with people, to talk about issues, just for fun?
I think Twitter is my favorite platform because, for me, it’s a hub where everything just links up together. I would say I probably use it mostly to make people smile. That’s definitely my biggest goal on Twitter and all my platforms.
News and social issues spread like wildfire on social media. People always want to share their opinion and start a conversation. How do you think social media has helped or hurt society?
I think it’s given a voice to a lot of people who ordinarily wouldn’t have a voice, and that’s a good and a bad thing. It’s a double-edged sword. Because of its anonymity, it becomes a place where people feel very comfortable spreading hate, and that’s something I don’t approve of in any way, shape or form. It’s not the right way to go. If you disagree with something, there’s a proper way to disagree about it. Don’t be very hurtful. I think that’s the one thing about social media that I wish could change. If people had to own what they said, and they couldn’t hide behind the Internet, I think I would like it even more.
What does the future look like for Frankie Grande?
It’s very sparkly. It’s filled with glitter and lots of love. I’m just constantly working. It’s been a constant upward journey for me, so I am very excited to see what the next step up is.
