Spy: Kris Fox and the Fabulous Asian hustle

This Thursday, Three’s new show The Hustle’s R rating might not be quite enough to make sure the ears and eyes of the more delicate viewers are not offended.

Spy is picking mega Influencer Kris Fox to be the break-out star of the show, which is about the unapologetic lives of five Kiwis of Pan-Asian descent including Fox, 29, controversial food critic and author Albert Cho, 25, musician Harper Finn, 24, and fashion designers Jessie Wong, 29, and Jing He, 24.

“The show explores our lives as entrepreneurs and how we push boundaries within our own industries,” Fox tells Spy.

“Throughout this series, we don’t really intertwine with each other, which I find amazing cause it gives everyone a chance to show their own unique individuality.”

For instance, Fox says, she has never actually met Finn, who has Filipino heritage.

“He’s been so busy travelling and working on his new music and I’ve been busy at the clinic getting Botox.”

She says Cho, who has Korean heritage, was a lot of fun to work with and rates the fashion cred of both the fashionistas as “big time”. Wong and He are of Chinese descent.

Wong is the founder and chief executive of luxury leather goods brand Yu Mei and Fox says her handbags give her Louis Vuitton a run for its money, and He, who is also an artist, had one of her graduation creations modelled by Lorde earlier this year.

Fox and her family moved to NZ from Fiji when she was 2 in order to get her life-saving heart surgery. Fox says she died on the table as a boy – and woke up as a woman.

Not only does the absolutely fabulous Fox powerfully advocate for the LGBTQA+ community on her social media channels (with more than 100,000) followers), she entertains with her outrageous rants in a glamorous, almost Kardashian way.

Fox insists her rants – of which she does fewer these days – always serve a purpose or a cause.

Similarly, Cho, who is gay, can have jaws drop with pillow talk in his restaurant meal reviews on Instagram.

The show sets out not only to show that race and sexuality are no barrier to getting out there and making it on your own terms, but Spy thinks it will also help bridge the generational gaps in society in eye-opening ways.

“If I were to summarise everything about the show into three words it would be stunty, c**** and kontroversial, with a K,” says Fox.

“You’ll have to tune in to find out why.”

One of the reasons Fox agreed to be part of the show was to fill the void and show that you can live your life authentically – be who you are and achieve greatness.

“As a brown trans woman growing up in Aotearoa, I’ve never been able to relate to anything due to the lack of representation in the mainstream media here.”

“Yes, trans people have to work twice as hard to get any kind of respect and recognition but it’s not impossible.

“The most important thing is to keep moving forward and s*** on anyone who doubts you.”

Like her good friend, former Heartbreak Island star Harry Jowsey – who has made it in Hollywood in reality TV and influencing – Fox started out her career wanting to make it like a Kardashian.

“I’m not really sure I have the strength to deal with that level of fame and success anymore,” she says.

“In saying that, if an opportunity presented itself, I wouldn’t hesitate to think twice. Especially if the money is good . . . this BBL [Brazilian Butt Lift] isn’t going to pay for itself.”

A talk show would fit Fox nicely, she says her ultimate fav is “Miss Wendy Williams”, whom she vibes with the most.