‘He cheated on me at a Miley Cyrus concert’: Joe Baggs on heartbreak, soul mates, and starting a family (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Baggs is back as our red carpet social media correspondent at the 2026 PEUGEOT Attitude PRIDE Awards Europe, supported by British Airways. Following his first Attitude Pride Awards gig in 2025, and then the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, we thought it was time to give you a proper introduction to one of the UK’s most charismatic queers.

Rocketing to national stardom in 2020 from the comfort of his family’s living room on Channel 4’s Gogglebox, the then 23-year-old recruitment agent found an entirely new calling. Since then, Baggs has built a social media kingdom with over 2.5 million followers. Through his TikTok channel, podcast Not My Bagg, and TV panel spots, he’s interviewed some of today’s most recognisable pop culture icons.

Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Attitude Pride Awards on Friday 3 July at The Chancery Rosewood, Baggs takes on Attitude’s “Who is He?”, a get-to-know-you interview where one of the UK’s most celebrated content creators gets candid about love, a cheating ex-partner and hopes for a future family.

Attitude: Where do you feel most at home?

Joe Baggs: Is it corny to say my podcast studio? I’ve spent more time there this week than I have at home, genuinely. I’ve been in there every single day. Me with the entire cast of Love Island on that sofa.

What do you do to unwind?

I’m actually really bad at unwinding, but I am weirdly really good at painting. Kaine [Ruddach – Joe’s partner] is now trying to force me to have more me time. He’s like, “It will help me de-stress”, because he does his gardening. So he’s like, “you need to get into your painting more.” So that’s my thing I want to get into this year. I also love running as well – running through the woods on my own, which sounds crazy.

When was the last time you felt completely out of your comfort zone?

All the time. I can’t even order at a drive-through without stuttering. It was when I started doing the competitions on This Morning and I had to do it with no teleprompter, no nothing, just recite things for a minute-30 on live TV with just an in-ear [headpiece]. And I was like, “holy fucking balls, what’s going on?” But then it ended up being all right. I remember that first initial 10 seconds, I was like, “Joe, what, this is so funny for you to be doing.” And then my mum was posting these awful pictures of me on her story, being like, “that’s me boy.” It was a baptism of fire. You need to do things like that to really stress you out and then nothing bothers you ever again.

Do you believe in “soulmates”?

Yes, I do. But I also believe that, obviously with a partner, but also I feel like that with my dog. You could have it with a pet as well for real.

What’s your biggest ick in a man?

Biggest ick in a man? I really hate people who are rude to service staff and people in the service industry. It is the biggest red flag ever. Kaine’s really polite, which I really like. He’s sometimes too polite. If there is an issue, he’s like, “Everything’s fine. It’s all fine!”

Have you ever gone through heartbreak? What was that like?

Yeah, I have. He actually cheated on me at a Miley Cyrus concert when she did the kiss cam thing and I saw him kissing someone else. That was my first taste of it. It was sad. Looking back, I laugh at it now. But back then I was in bits. This is so long ago, I was like 16.

What’s been your biggest learning curve?

I’m so go, go, go all the time. I’m always thinking, ‘what’s the next thing, what’s the next thing, what’s the next thing?’ In the past year, I’ve really tried to be better at just enjoying what’s going on and looking at it day by day, rather than focusing on over-optimisation of myself to be like, “you have to do X, Y, Z by then,” you know?

What’s something people often get wrong about you?

I would say that I am a very sensitive person and a very emotional person, but my social media persona and podcasting is very comedic one-liner, in a one-dimensional way. When people actually get to know me, they know that I’m super sensitive. If I come across as quite upfront, but then if someone does that to me, I’m like, “have I done something wrong? Is everything okay?” So yeah, I’d say the sensitivity side that my mum always reminds me.

What would be the one thing you’d put your career on hold for?

It would be to start a family. I do sometimes think about that, but I don’t feel like I’m at the right point right now. When that happens, I’d want to be all in and take time off. I’ve even found someone that I want to be the egg donor and she actually has a podcast and I’m always like, “hey honey, whenever you’ve got eggs spare, let me know.” It’s a hard one. It’s different for gays, there’s no time constraints, so you have to forward plan.

What keeps you up at night?

I actually sleep really well. I take a lot of magnesium before I go to bed. But I stress about making the most out of everything I do. I’m a massive perfectionist and I always want to make the most out of life and any opportunity that comes my way. I’ve always been that way. I know I want more for myself and I will always work hard for that. Sometimes I battle between living in the moment and making the most out of my life that I can possibly do. I’ve never been someone who just chills. If someone says to me, “go with the flow,” that’s the worst thing you could say to me.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

I have no idea because this whole industry and landscape is so ever-changing. I never know from one year to the next what is going to happen. Who knows what TV will be like in 10 years or where things will be. I hope to be hosting shows, with the podcast going from strength to strength into something bigger, and also being less chaotically busy and a bit more at home and a smidge more wholesome.

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child?

I wanted to be a cartoonist when I was a kid. I just wanted to draw cartoons. That’s all I wanted to do. I used to love any kind of art. Then I wanted to be a psychologist when I left sixth form. Then I wanted to be a music video director. So I went through the motions a lot. Then I ended up doing this, which is kind of a mix of loads of stuff. So it’s fun. It’s a real nice balance for my personality.

Do you have any regrets?

I’d probably say I’ve sacrificed a lot of time with family and friends over the years, which you can never get back. That’s why I’m trying to be more present. I work with my family and I love my family, but it’s mainly friendships. Now I’m learning to pour back into all my cups more rather than being so focused on work. I don’t really regret much. If I make a mistake, I own it and move on. People who sit in regret end up being a bit sad all the time.