Gigi Gorgeous

Early Life and Background

Giselle Loren Lazzarato was born on April 20, 1992, in Montreal, Québec. Her parents are Judith Lazzarato, née Belding, and David Lazzarato, a media consultant at the Canadian company Yellow Media. She is of Italian, Lebanese, English, and French heritage. Raised in a Roman Catholic household, Lazzarato attended Catholic schools during her formative years. As a teenager, she was an athlete who competed in diving competitions, a background that later informed her discipline in content creation. A profound personal loss occurred on February 3, 2012, when her mother, Judith, died of leukemia at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. This event, along with other influences, would later be cited by Lazzarato as a catalyst for her personal journey and public transition. Her early life in Montreal provided the foundation for her initial foray into online video, which began while she was still in high school.

Career Beginnings on YouTube and The Avenue

Gigi Gorgeous began her online career in 2008 while in the eleventh grade. The idea came after a friend mentioned seeing a makeup tutorial video by Michelle Phan on YouTube. She started her own YouTube channel, which was initially focused on creating makeup tutorials. Her videos quickly achieved popularity and established a dedicated online following, a process she maintained through regular uploads. During this period, she first came out publicly as gay at age 19. On January 18, 2011, she announced the creation of The Avenue, a YouTube-based reality series she created and starred in. The show premiered on March 15, 2011, with distribution by the platform Blip, and its final episode aired on April 14, 2013. The series represented an early example of YouTube creators producing long-form narrative content. Her channel's content during these years began to include more vlogs, fashion, and lifestyle videos alongside beauty content, reflecting her growing personal brand.

Public Transition and Advocacy Work

In December 2013, Lazzarato came out as a transgender woman and began using the name Gigi Gorgeous professionally. She legally changed her name to Gigi Loren Lazzarato on March 8, 2014. Throughout 2014, she personally documented her gender transition through her social media profiles. Videos revolving around cosmetic procedures obtained viral status, bringing widespread attention to her journey and the realities of medical transition. This period marked a significant shift in her public profile, transforming her from a beauty vlogger into a recognized advocate for the transgender community. In 2014, her advocacy was recognized with the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award for her work on behalf of LGBT youth. She used her internet celebrity status to bring awareness to transgender issues, the LGBT community, and anti-bullying campaigns. She frequently attended BeautyCon conventions to meet with fans and sit on panels about makeup techniques and the cosmetics industry, often blending beauty with advocacy.

Expansion into Fashion, Film, and Television

Her growing influence led to numerous collaborations and expansions into traditional media. She began modeling, walking in the 2014 and 2015 Marco Marco Fashion Shows, and became a frequent muse for designer August Getty's atelier. In early 2015, she starred as Amber in fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson's debut short film I Hate Myselfie, later reprising the role in its sequel. In June 2015, she teamed up with singer Miley Cyrus, joining the Happy Hippie Foundation's Marie Claire "#InstaPride" campaign, which included a series of photos and a secret project that became a magazine spread. She signed a partnership with Too Faced Cosmetics, starring in the "Better Than Sex" commercial that premiered on July 9, 2015. At the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, she introduced Miley Cyrus for a performance of "Dooo It!" from the album Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz. She appeared on Entertainment Tonight as a special guest that same month and was featured in Kylie Jenner's app with makeup tip videos. On September 18, 2015, she won the Streamy Award for Best Beauty Series. It was announced on October 7, 2015, that she would star in Adam Lambert's music video for "Another Lonely Night". Her image was also featured in a montage of transgender celebrities in an ABC 20/20 documentary about Caitlyn Jenner's transition.

The 2016 Dubai Incident and Global Activism

On August 9, 2016, Gigi Gorgeous was detained at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. Immigration officials confiscated her passport and denied her entry, citing "imitation of women by men," despite her passport identifying her gender as female. The law against "imitation of women by men" in the UAE carries potential penalties of up to a year in jail. She was held for five hours before being released. The incident drew widespread international media coverage and sparked a significant online response. The hashtag #JusticeForGigi trended on Twitter, with fans and supporters calling for her release and a reform in anti-LGBTQ laws. The incident was not isolated, as two Brazilian transgender women had been similarly detained in Dubai in 2014. Before departing for Sweden, Gorgeous responded by calling for equality and legal protections for LGBTQ people worldwide. This event highlighted the precarious legal situation for transgender travelers and amplified her role as an activist on a global stage, moving her advocacy beyond digital platforms into international human rights discourse.

Documentary and Mainstream Recognition

The documentary This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017. The film provided an intimate look at her life, family, and transition, following her from her early life through her public coming out. Following its festival debut, it received a limited theatrical release. On June 11, 2017, Gorgeous watched the documentary with Katy Perry during Perry's four-day livestream event, Katy Perry Live: Witness World Wide, broadening its audience. The documentary won a Streamy Award. In June 2017, Time magazine named her one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet, a recognition of her digital impact and cultural significance. She further solidified her presence as an author by publishing a memoir in 2019 titled He Said, She Said: Lessons, Stories, and Mistakes From My Transgender Journey. That same year, she also launched a makeup collection in collaboration with the subscription service Ipsy in November 2019. The collection featured various beauty products related to makeup, continuing her long-standing connection to the beauty industry.

Modelling, Acting, and Later Career Endeavours

Beyond her YouTube channel, Gigi Gorgeous has built a substantial portfolio in modelling and acting. Through modelling, she has appeared on the covers of Paper and Fashion magazines. She has been featured in editorial spreads for publications including Galore, Kode, Refinery29, and Out. She served as a frequent muse for the August Getty Atelier, a high-fashion design house. Her television acting credits include guest appearances on series such as Project Runway All Stars, Me and My Grandma, Good Work, and Trailblazers. In 2018, Forbes included her on their 30 Under 30 list for Hollywood and Entertainment, noting her influence. More recently, she has engaged in philanthropic and hosting duties within the Canadian context. In 2026, she hosted a special dinner experience and after party for the 29th edition of Bloor Street Entertains, a charity event in support of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR). She has also mentioned initiatives like "The Gorgeous Grants," aimed at assisting future parents, indicating a move towards philanthropic ventures. Her content continues to include travel vlogs, shopping, and lifestyle elements, maintaining her connection with a broad audience.

Personal Life, Relationships, and Identity

Gigi Gorgeous identifies as a practicing Roman Catholic and has described herself as religious. She follows a vegan diet. In a September 2015 issue of People magazine, she credited transgender model and performing artist Amanda Lepore and the death of her mother for sparking her transition. In her personal relationships, she began dating Cory Binney, the half-brother of drag queen Alaska Thunderfuck, in October 2014 after meeting at a club. The pair broke up in May or June 2015, inspiring one of her most viewed videos titled "Single Life (My Break Up)," a music video set to Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell." They reconciled in July 2015 before permanently splitting in November 2015. She came out as a lesbian in a YouTube video on September 14, 2016. Shortly after, she began dating Nats Getty, an heir to the Getty family, whom she met at Paris Fashion Week in 2016 while modelling for his brother, August Getty. Getty proposed in March 2018 at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte in France. The couple married in a private ceremony at Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, California, on July 12, 2019. Following Nats Getty's own coming out as transgender, Gorgeous stated in April 2021 that she identifies as pansexual, explaining she fell in love with the person, not his gender. Nats Getty filed for divorce from Lazzarato on July 2, 2025.

Questions about Gigi Gorgeous

What is Gigi Gorgeous known for?

Gigi Gorgeous is best known as a pioneering Canadian YouTuber and LGBTQ+ advocate who publicly documented her gender transition online. She gained fame through beauty tutorials and lifestyle vlogs starting in 2008, and later through her reality series The Avenue. Her openness about her transition in 2013 made her a prominent figure for transgender visibility. She is also known for the documentary This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, her memoir He Said, She Said, and high-profile collaborations with celebrities like Miley Cyrus and brands like Too Faced Cosmetics. Her career includes modelling, acting, and winning awards like a Streamy and the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award.

What happened with Gigi Gorgeous in Dubai?

In August 2016, Gigi Gorgeous was detained at Dubai International Airport for five hours and denied entry into the United Arab Emirates. Officials cited "imitation of women by men" as the reason, a law that can lead to up to a year in jail, despite her passport listing her gender as female. The incident sparked international media coverage and a social media campaign with the hashtag #JusticeForGigi. It was not the first such incident in Dubai, as two Brazilian transgender women were detained in 2014. She used the experience to call for global LGBTQ+ rights and legal protections before leaving the country, highlighting the travel risks for transgender individuals.

Is Gigi Gorgeous married?

Gigi Gorgeous married Nats Getty, a member of the Getty family, in a private ceremony in California on July 12, 2019. The couple had met in 2016 at Paris Fashion Week while she was modelling for his brother's fashion house, and Getty proposed in France in March 2018. In April 2021, after Getty came out as transgender, Gorgeous shared that she identifies as pansexual, emphasizing her attraction to the person rather than gender. Nats Getty filed for divorce from Lazzarato on July 2, 2025, as per recent public records.

What awards has Gigi Gorgeous won?

Gigi Gorgeous has received several awards recognizing her influence and advocacy. She won the LogoTV Trailblazing Social Creator Award in 2014 for her work supporting LGBT youth. In 2015, she won a Streamy Award for Best Beauty Series. The documentary about her life, This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, also won a Streamy Award. Furthermore, she was named one of Time magazine's 25 most influential people on the Internet in 2017 and was listed on Forbes' 30 Under 30 list for Hollywood and Entertainment in 2018. These accolades underscore her impact across digital media and mainstream culture.

What is Gigi Gorgeous's documentary about?

The documentary This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, directed by Barbara Kopple, is an intimate portrait of her life and gender transition. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 and details her journey, including her early life in Montreal, her diving career, the loss of her mother to leukemia, her coming out as gay and later as transgender, and her experiences handling public life. The film was later released in theatres and featured on Katy Perry's livestream event, earning critical acclaim and a Streamy Award. It serves as a comprehensive record of her personal and public evolution.

What is Gigi Gorgeous's connection to Canada?

Gigi Gorgeous was born and raised in Montreal, Québec, and holds Canadian nationality. She attended Catholic schools in Canada and began her diving career there. Her father worked as a media consultant for the Canadian company Yellow Media. Although she has lived and worked extensively in the United States, she maintains her Canadian identity and has participated in Canadian charity events. Notably, she hosted a special dinner for the 29th edition of Bloor Street Entertains in support of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR), demonstrating an ongoing connection to Canadian philanthropic causes.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Novello Desserts desk. Last updated 2026-10-21.