Chrishell Stause and G Flip on Happiness, Haters and Keeping Things Spicy (Exclusive)

When Chrishell Stause met G Flip at a Halloween party three years ago, the Selling Sunset star got a funny feeling in her stomach. No, it wasn’t from sickly sweet candy corn, it was … butterflies. The physical reaction surprised her. Stause had only previously been with men but found herself surprisingly smitten with the nonbinary Australian musician (they/them). She decided to trust her gut and opened her heart to the possibility of a queer relationship.

The pair fell “hectically” in love, G Flip says, and Stause finally famously outed their secret romance on the season 5 reunion of Selling Sunset, equally shocking their fans and her pin-straight costars, many of whom doubted the pair would last.

Two wedding ceremonies and one vow renewal later, Stause, 43, and G Flip, 31, are not only still going strong, they’re one of Hollywood’s most outspoken (and cutest) queer couples. They’ve been through the wringer together — they face a constant barrage of homophobic hate on social media — but it’s only drawn them closer and made them more determined to live out loud as unofficial ambassadors for the LGBTQ+ community.

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly to kick off Pride month — the two sat very close to one another and couldn’t hide their obvious chemistry and affection — Stause and G Flip (a.k.a. Georgia Claire Flipo) open up about their very real, very passionate love.

Take Us back to the first time you kissed. Did it feel natural or freak you out?

G Flip Not for me, I had a great time!
Chrishell I was throwing a party and a bunch of people were coming over, including G and a guy who asked me on a date. Right before the party, I got a text from the guy saying he couldn’t come because his friend “lost stock in Peloton” and he had to be there for him.
G Flip No wonder Chrishell went to the other side.
Chrishell G and I were already friends. I cared about them quickly, and I was super attracted to them, but I didn’t want to mess up the friendship [by] hooking up drunk and being silly. I was also thinking, I’m probably not going to be very good at it because I don’t know what I’m doing! So I’d held off up to that point. But [that] night I’d been stood up, G was flirty and sexy, and I liked the attention. G kissed me first, and it was nice, because [G’s] soft.
G Flip I was surprised she kissed me back. I was so stoked.
Chrishell I’ve talked to a lot of people in my similar situation now. I realized in the past I could kiss someone and have a hookup, but I would struggle to find something deeper. I didn’t realize until that night with G, when I got butterflies, that I was like, “Hold on. Your body’s talking to you. This is exactly how you would feel if you really were into somebody.” So, yeah, I just followed the butterflies.

When did you realize you were meant for each other?

G Flip There were a few pivotal moments. We were dating, hanging out all the time and running around West Hollywood making out in every bar. But we knew our relationship had a deadline because Chrishell was going to do a Bachelorette-style dating show to find her partner.
Chrishell When I met G, they were living a rock star life. Initially, our relationship was going to be more of a fleeting type of thing because they were off running around the world, not looking to settle down. But our relationship had opened up my idea of what I’m attracted to, so I actually changed the show so that it would include whoever, male or female.
G Flip I was going to let her go, and it was going to be heartbreaking. We went to a theme park called Movie World on the Gold Coast in Australia. We were sitting in the back of a car just chatting, and her dating show came up. Chrishell asked me, “Are you still going to watch it?” A few months earlier, I was like, “I’ll be so supportive. I’ll watch the show.” But now I’d fallen in love, so I said, “Absolutely not. I don’t want to see you making out with other people.” It was a dagger to my heart.
Chrishell You have to understand, I was madly in love with G at this point, too, and I was just looking for any sign for them to tell me not to do the show. So, I said, “If you tell me not to do the show, I won’t do the show. I’d be happy to [not do it] if I had the right reason.” That’s when we had the “I love you” conversation. We hadn’t said it to each other yet. G said, “Of course I love you.” I quit the show and disappointed a lot of people. I was happy to say no to that. When it started to get real, I couldn’t do life without G. G Then it never ended.
Chrishell We got married quickly. I guess you could say we U-Hauled.

Had you heard the U-Haul joke — about how quickly lesbians get serious and move in together — before your relationship with G?

Chrishell I didn’t. I was such a baby gay. I had no idea about anything. They were
literally teaching me everything. I was like a sponge.
G Flip When we first started dating, we had lots of conversations about queer culture, sexual fluidity, spectrums and also pronouns. Not only my pronouns and how I feel about my gender identity, but how other people in the queer community can feel about their gender identity. We had a lot of talks about queerness in general and the community and yes, even what U-Hauling is. But there were signs that Chrishell was already queer. Can we say what the Wi-Fi password at your house was when I met you?
Chrishell [Laughs.] PussyPalace. I’m going to have to change that now. I bought the house on my own. I wasn’t thinking of it from a queer space, but afterward, in hindsight, I guess it was very queer.
G Flip No one would know this because on TV you have to sit so proper, but Chrishell manspreads. That’s very queer.

G, can you explain what nonbinary means to you and coming to terms with your identity?

G Flip Growing up, my gender always was confusing. I felt like a boy, or wanted to kind of be a boy. I dressed in the boys’ uniform in primary school, and I just wanted to play in the dirt with cars and trucks. I never felt like I fit in the box or mold of what a girl was. Everyone — my mom, my grandma — called me a tomboy. It wasn’t until my early 20s, when the word nonbinary kept coming up, [that] it really resonated with me. You don’t feel like you’re a girl, you don’t feel like you’re a boy, you feel like you’re somewhere in the middle. And for me, gender is very much a moving spectrum and a slide. The umbrella term resonates for me. For every nonbinary person, it’s different where they fall or how they feel. But for me, I’m dead center 50–50 of a mix of genders.

How does Chrishell understand your nonbinary-ness more than anyone?

G Flip Chrishell sees me for me. Chrishell really sees me as a nonbinary person and doesn’t see anything else. Chrishell would never mess up my pronouns, which is such a green flag.
Chrishell If we’re showing up to a space or like a shoot, I really try to make sure everyone knows the proper pronouns on the call sheet before we get there.

Chrishell, what are G’s green flags?

Chrishell G can get really emotional watching a touching commercial; they are so open and in touch with their emotions. Such a softie. It’s so funny, you’d never guess that between the two of us, G is the one who needs consoling after watching a Pixar movie.

Chrishell, how is this relationship different from any you’ve had in the past with men, which included a marriage?

Chrishell I’m not saying this can’t happen in straight relationships, this could be
on me, but it was the first time I was in a relationship where there was no expectation about looks. Our connection is so much deeper than superficial things. I think I learned to lead with that a little bit in my previous dating life. And G was the first person to be like, “Stop doing that. I don’t care about that.” All the things I had in my head of what I was really wanting to find — an honest, good person, funny, driven, all the things I find sexy — G is all these things. I just had to reconfigure the attraction part in my head. I never felt closeted in any way. I just hadn’t met someone like G. And then as soon as I did, I realized, “Oh, things are going to be different.” I finally feel like this is somebody who will be holding my hand when I’m 85 in a rocking chair.

Do you feel like you healed things for each other from past dating trauma?

Chrishell I definitely feel that way. I had to do a lot of therapy and work on my self- worth. If things have happened more than once, I had to be like, “Why am I the common denominator?” Even if you’ve been cheated on, you still have to figure out your part in it. How am I putting myself in these recurring situations that aren’t working for me? I didn’t want to be the victim. Also, therapy is the reason I was open to the love that I found with G because I just feel so confident with [them]. We don’t try and change each other. We try and support each other and be loud fans of each other.

Were your families supportive?

G Flip I’m very close with my family back home in Australia. I’ve had the same friends since I was eight years old, so they’ve seen it all. My friends and family adored Chrishell from the get-go. When Chrishell told me that she wasn’t going to go on that dating show, I told my dad and my sister and they cried. They were so happy that we were going to be together.
Chrishell My family is the most beautiful, open family, which is another reason I never even thought it was a big deal. I fully believe my parents chose G for me, that they are exactly what they were always hoping I would find on my own.

Did anyone in your lives object?

Chrishell We got a lot of backlash. Granted, we came out together on Selling Sunset in a very salacious way, so I get it. It was crazy at the time. I don’t want to really call anyone out specifically, but we definitely dealt with some haters. I’ll just say this: Anyone who didn’t approve of our relationship, either outwardly or behind the scenes or behind our backs, they’re not in our life anymore.

Do you deal with a lot of homophobia?

Chrishell When we first came out, we had to wade through some real backlash, but we didn’t care because we were so happy. Because I look the way I do, people invalidate our relationship or think it’s a phase. Or they say, “As soon as you break up, you’re going to go back to guys.” That’s the one that I get constantly, that this is somehow not the same seriousness of a relationship or that I’m doing it for publicity. Guys, it’s literally been years.
G Flip It’s so funny, it’s just because of how Chrishell looks and how I look. I once upon a time dated men, but no one’s commenting on my post being like, “Yeah, once G and Chrishell break up, G’s going back to men.”
Chrishell I recently promoted a show called Love Triangle, and somebody in the press made an assumption that G and I have polyamorous love triangles all the time because we’re queer. I’m like, “What are you talking about? This is a very committed relationship. We’re trying to have a family!”

What are your couple goals?

G Flip My goal is to do a wedding every single year. I think it’s really healthy and it’s good to update your vows every year. I think all couples should do it. I reckon it makes you stronger, looking your person in the eyes and promising them new things every year.
Chrishell We do it every July. I’m so excited for this year’s. It’s my favorite day. Christmas and our wedding every year are the most fun. We don’t know where it is this year yet, we haven’t decided. We normally plan it a week out, so it’s super last-minute and then it’s more spontaneous. We don’t ever want to take the fun out of it, so it becomes a chore. That’s the only rule: It can’t be stressful. If you’re newlyweds every year, that must help keep things spicy.

What’s the sexiest thing you love about each other?

Chrishell You always make me feel the sexiest straight out of the shower, no makeup. It’s just G’s thing. Before I met you, it was probably the time I would feel the least sexy. I would’ve called myself “a drowned rat.” You’ve given me so much confidence.
G Flip You in your purest form, naked and out of the shower, you’re just so effortlessly beautiful. No makeup, just wet hair, like mmmm, sexy girl!
Chrishell As fun as all of that is, I also find consistency really sexy. The fact that G Flip stays consistent and so emotionally available to me, that is the hottest thing. I’m so proud of who you are as a person. I genuinely believe you are the most intact person. Your heart is so intact. I always say G represents what a perfect childhood creates as a human.

Do you believe you’re soulmates?

G Flip I think we were definitely meant to be together. As soon as I met Chrishell, it was the best relationship I’ve ever had. We’ve had a pretty good run. We’ve overcome any little thing that has come our way, we’ve always been able to work through it.
Chrishell I really believe G’s chosen for me.

What do you wish people understood about queer relationships?

G Flip Real love can defy gender and sexuality. You can fall in love with a person and their heart and who they are. All the preconceived ideas of what that person was meant to be can go out the window. But you’ve got to allow yourself to do that.
Chrishell That’s such a beautiful place to love from because your love is standing
on so much more than categories and things that you would fill out in a dating app or get in an algorithm. It’s built on who they are as a human being, regardless of all the other things, because all the other things are going to change. The best thing I wish people understood about queer relationships is how beautiful they can be. I just feel like it’s limitless.

For more on Chrishell and G Flip, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.