If you’re like us, you’ve probably wondered what famous people add to their carts. Not the JAR brooch and Louis XV chair but the hair spray and the electric toothbrush. We asked Matt Rogers — whose very first Showtime special, Have You Heard of Christmas?, premieres today — about the weed seltzer Joel Kim Booster introduced him to, the Everlane jacket he always wants to wear (even if it’s triggering), and the water-based lube he swears by.
I’m a gay boy from Long Island. Culturally, on Long Island, we really put a lot of effort and time into our hair, and that has not stopped for me even now. For years, I was trying to find products to make my hair look like it was the right mix of textured and messy. I have very straight hair, so I really need to have something in it so it doesn’t immediately fall into a mushroom bowl cut. I actually started using both of these on set when I was doing I Love That for You. The Osis+ Dust It is really cool. I literally just sprinkle it in my hair like it’s snow falling on Christmas Day and it activates my hair and gives it this texture that I love. When it comes to the Paul Mitchell, I just spray it in my hair while it’s still wet, then I blow-dry it a little bit. Those two products, combined with me washing my hair only a couple of times a week, have, I’m so happy to say, really allowed me to find my look in my early 30s.
I like the look of a boxer brief. Boxers are not for me. They don’t keep you together. Briefs, unfortunately, occasionally will show through your pants if you like to wear them a little bit more form-fitting, which has been a true struggle. I want something that holds me together that I can stomach aesthetically, so I found these boxer briefs. They are classics. They travel well, they come in three-packs, and they’re a little bit shorter, so they’re kind of like trunks. I’m also very susceptible to a Calvin Klein marketing campaign. The Marky Mark Calvin Klein underwear ads were extremely formative, and they’ve really kept the brand up since then too. I mean, we all saw the ones with Shawn Mendes.
I first heard about these from Joel Kim Booster. I really had never been a weed-seltzer person because, as a true-blue stoner, I have an extremely high tolerance for marijuana. But when I was preparing to shoot my special, I found that I couldn’t be smoking weed every single day, which, unfortunately, is how I unwind. I really wanted to protect my voice because I was going to be singing, so I got into these seltzers.
They come in really, really good flavors like grapefruit hibiscus. What I do is I put it over ice and I honestly just take it to the head while I’m watching an episode of Real Housewives, and then I am on the moon. It’s actually a really good high, too, like I’ve been pretty creative when I drink these. But also, if you’re in a certain zone, they can put you to sleep.
Peacock is my favorite streaming service. That’s not to say that I don’t have a relationship with other streaming services, but what I love about Peacock is that they have every single episode of the Real Housewives franchise, which is what I use to turn my brain off at any given time. It has everything, like every episode of 30 Rock and The Office. There are also amazing comedy specials on there, like Alyssa Limperis’s No Bad Days, Carmen Christopher’s Street Special, Jo Firestone’s Good Timing, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson’s Love Joy.
When I was going to start shooting Fire Island, my friend recommended the Tracie Martyn spa to me because he knew I wanted a facial just to start feeling good before I did the movie. I went, and a man named Marius really hooked me up with an incredible facial. When I was leaving, I was really interested in what they had used on me because all of it smells really good. I’m also very new to skin care, so I didn’t really understand the “cleanser plus toner plus serum” of it all, but they actually put these two products together in a gift set, so it’s very clear how it all goes together.
Both of these have really improved my skin. The Amla Purifying Cleanser gives you an immediate glow and somehow makes you feel like you’re lighter. Whenever I use the toner, because it has such a distinct smell, it takes me back to preparing to shoot that movie, which was a really positive, creative time in my life.
We started advertising Everlane on Las Culturistas, which is my podcast with Bowen Yang, and I was given the chance to pick out ten items of clothing. I have always wanted a classic denim jacket, so I picked this one out, and I absolutely love it. I’ve probably had it for about three years now, and it still looks great. I’m not saying that a denim jacket is a basic garment, but I do think it’s something everyone should have. You could wear it on a date. You could wear it out with friends. You could wear it on an errand. You need a denim jacket.
I’m sort of triggered by the denim-on-denim look because, when I was a little kid, my mom got into a fender-bender and she was in a Canadian tuxedo, and the woman who was driving the other car was also in a Canadian tuxedo. That being said, I honestly end up wearing a lot of Canadian tuxedos because I just love a blue jean, and I always want to wear this jacket.
I actually got into high-top Converse sneakers when I was in college because I was working with a director, Liz Swados, who was sort of a mentor to me at the time. She was a downtown theater legend who directed a show I was in at NYU, and one of her requirements for the entire cast of her shows was that everyone wear high-top Converse because it was just a look she liked. We could all pick our own color, though.
Now I’ve been out of college for ten years and I still have several different pairs of Converse in my wardrobe. They’re not too expensive, and they never go out of style. The reason why I particularly like the all-white leather ones is because they have actually served me well as a dress shoe. I’ve worn them to weddings and nice events. Nobody bats an eye even though you are literally in a sneaker. Just make sure they’re all white and you’re not wearing them to a barnyard or whatever because then they get ruined. But, otherwise, they’re a really versatile shoe option.
What I really like about these Liquid IV mixes is that they’re not just an energy boost. They can also pretty much cut your cold in half. Especially as we get into the winter months and it gets colder and darker in this hell part of the year, it’s really important to keep your immunity up. Sometimes, though, if you’re on the go, you can forget. Just putting this in your water or tea in the morning is a really good idea. You just feel like it puts a pep in your step almost to the point where you don’t even really need a coffee. To be honest with you, I didn’t even have my coffee today because I was running a little bit late, so I was like, What do I do? I put Liquid IV in my water and now here I am, in the afternoon, and I feel like I had a cold brew and a half.
This is the lubricant I use for sexual intercourse. It actually gets a shoutout in my special during my song “Lube for the Sleigh.” A water-based lubricant has always worked for me because I feel like you get the least amount of issues. I didn’t know if I should include this, but I figured if I’m really going to give people a glimpse into my life, you can’t get more personal than the answer to the question “What kind of lube is he using?” My answer is Gun Oil, and it’s the only gun I support.
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