The last time I sat down with Johnny Montanez, he was substitute teaching four or five days a week, doing photography on the side, and treating content creation like a hobby — insurance against disappointment, in case the bag never came.

A lot has happened since. In June 2025, Meta banned him from Threads, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram in a single sweep; a cited violation he is convinced was retaliation for a TikTok video mocking the Trump administration. Three years of brand-building, gone in a moment. His cousin died of ALS, young and without much warning. Around the same time, he stopped describing his sexuality as a question mark.

I wanted to know what survives all that. And, so, I asked.

Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière: Last time we talked, you were still substitute teaching, doing photography on the side, and treating content creation as the thing you did around your life. Where does it sit now? Has the balance shifted?

Johnny Montanez: The last time we spoke, I think I convinced myself that content creation was just a hobby, nothing serious, so I wouldn't set myself up for disappointment if it didn't work out. I hate to use this word, but the "influencer" industry is not what it used to be. It's competitive, oversaturated, and there is no guaranteed financial security to ensure you can live a comfortable life. I didn't want to be the person who blows up for a few weeks, rides the wave, and ultimately fades back into reality. So what did I do? I worked my "normal" jobs to make sure I had enough money to pay my bills and hopefully have stability in the future. Did that make me feel fulfilled? Absolutely not.

There came a point where I was no longer working two days a week, but four or five. Working at a school is NOT for the weak — and the fault doesn't always fall on the kids. The environment can be rough, especially when so many of your coworkers are working in a space that doesn't fulfill them anymore. The negative energy turns you into a negative person, and it sucks you into a loop that's hard to escape.

Teaching took complete control over my life and I started to lose every ounce of creativity I had in me. It was either I completely succumbed to the life that most people wanted for me, or I could pursue the life I wanted for myself. I chose the second half — kind of.

To focus on my content, I quit photography and planned to limit my days as a substitute. Then I got permanently banned from all Meta platforms for "child sexual exploitation." Can you fucking believe that? I posted a video on June 21, 2025 poking fun at our lovely dictator, President Donald Trump. In it, I'm dancing on TikTok Live under the username "Money$lut69" and unexpectedly get cut off by a missile hitting me. World War III was trending on Twitter, and I captioned the video, "All of us on a random Tuesday because we got a president who acts like a child." Meta did not like that, so I got banned from Threads, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram.

I was growing quickly on those platforms, but apparently if you speak ill on our administration, they can cut you off. This was a devastating blow, and now the only platform I had was TikTok. The ban made me realize how quickly I could lose my brand — the one that took me three years to build. I was ready to throw the towel and give up again, but then my cousin passed away in late June 2025 from ALS. She was fairly young and did not know how little time she had left after her diagnosis. Her passing encouraged me to take risks for the sake of my happiness, because we really don't know how much time we have on this little floating rock.

To answer your question, the balance has shifted. I don't want to remain stuck in a job cycle that restrains my creativity. I want to be a creator who makes an impact, whether through my witty humor or my bold political takes.

You teased a short series back in 2024; something rooted in growing up in a Latino household. What happened to that? Is it still in the works, or did it evolve into something else?

That project did launch on YouTube, but it was cancelled after the third episode. It's still something I'd love to do in the future, perhaps a little different, but it doesn't seem plausible right now since I'm still building up my brand. It's hard to facilitate new ways of making long-form content when my main content is short-form. It's challenging to move my followers from TikTok or Instagram to a completely new platform. I did receive amazing support from my followers who have been loyal Jildos (Johnny + Dildos = Jildos) since the very beginning, but it's something that still needed to cook in the oven a little longer.

I did, however, launch a podcast with my co-host Tianna (@prettyaxme) from TikTok. We call it The T&J Experience on YouTube, and we're currently on our sixth episode. We've received a lot of love and support so far. People are kind of going crazy over it. The podcast has been so successful that I get recognized on the streets more, too.

I was recently in WeHo and had a very uncomfortable interaction with a touchy middle-aged man who was trying to lure me into his truck. He was not a T&J watcher, but the kind individual who saved me from this guy was. He pulled me aside and was like, "Oh my god, are you Johnny Montanez?! I love the T&J Experience, but y'all for real have to get better mics." I rarely have people coming up to me, but apparently it's been successful enough for that to happen more. I guess it was the perfect time for the podcast.

You've got TikTok, YouTube, Patreon — three very different rooms with three very different contracts with your audience. How do you decide what lives where, and what does each space let you say that the others don't?

My audience gets a more vanilla version of me on TikTok. I post my occasional tomfoolery with a hint of political commentary and a teaspoon of thirst trapping. I try to remain PG-13 because I do still work in the education system, but it's meant to be an introduction to my world and who I am. TikTok is basically the hub where you get a little bit of everything.

YouTube is where I can get more personal, especially on the T&J Experience. There I talk more deeply about my religious upbringing, my sexuality, and even some embarrassing stories — like when I shat on the side of the I-10 freeway.

As for my Patreon, that's where I post my little thirst traps. The more I've been going to the gym, the more confident I've become in my own body. I wanted to make this a space where I can post my progress, and people have supported it. It actually surprised me how many people wanted to see me without a top on. But to each their own — I will provide.

You've been publicly vocal on things like immigration, standing with others when a lot of content creators went quiet. How do you navigate being a creator with political convictions in a space that punishes controversy?

Can I be honest? It's easy if you accept the fact that it can and will cost you opportunities. That's one of the main reasons why so many creators remain silent during political unrest, which seems to be every day now. Unfortunately, money runs the world and it dictates the decisions some of your favorite creators make.

I can somewhat understand why this happens. For many creators, social media is their main form of income, and they don't want to risk losing that stability. With that being said, I don't think they realize how much people crave authenticity. It's attractive. If you're passionate about something, talk about it. If you get censored, fight harder to make your voice heard. Because I can promise you, being a decent human being with good morals can get you far too.

I am a dumb ass, I won't lie to you. But if racist, bigoted, radicalized voices can find success in their hatred, then you can do the same with your activism.

I get called controversial for some of my takes, but let me tell you — being vocal has made people feel heard and recognized. That matters more to me than having a brand or a company like me.

Anyways, fuck ICE.

In our last conversation, your relationship to the LGBTQ+ community came through as an ally — Priest Johnny telling someone "we're a progressive church, you're good." But I want to ask something I didn't ask before: where does your own sexuality live in all of this? Has it freed you as a creator, limited you, cost you anything — or is it just yours, and the content is separate?

I hesitated to speak about my sexuality because it was something I didn't fully understand at the time. I've been called gay, queer, and everything else under the sun, but I was genuinely questioning if I was asexual. I always had difficulty forming sexual interest with anyone I wasn't emotionally invested in. I had a hookup phase after the COVID-19 pandemic and I felt so unfulfilled. I thought to myself — do I not like women? Have my previous relationships with women been a lie? Was the love I had for them not valid?

I lowkey spiraled and had an identity crisis. Did I convince myself I was straight because of my religious upbringing? Is it still controlling me now, after I deconstructed? It was a period of self-discovery and growth, but at the time of our previous interview, it wasn't necessarily freeing. I had people invalidate me for not knowing my sexuality and for being hesitant to put a label on myself.

Having people constantly watch your every move on the internet made me skeptical about what and who I can post. There was a time I posted a photo of my friend and I eating dinner, and a few of my more eager followers privately messaged him asking about my sexuality and whether we were dating. This is actually a very common thing that happens anytime I post myself with another man they deem as "trade." It literally felt like I was often being harassed.

Luckily, I went to therapy and got a better understanding of my sexuality. Turns out, I love who I love, regardless of who you are.

#Pansexualityrocks.

Mexican-American identity is not a monolith, and neither is queerness within it. How do those two things live in your body and in your content — do they talk to each other, fight each other, or are they just both true at the same time?

Those two things are present in me, but it sometimes feels ignored by people. As a first-generation Mexican-American, I am often overlooked because of my pale skin, even though Spanish was my first language. I feel like I'm not seen as Mexican enough by other Latinos, and not American enough by a certain demographic of white people. I can never really completely fit in. The same thing could be said about my queerness. I am either on one end of the spectrum or the other — I can never be in the middle, because I have to choose a side.

This is reflected in my content sometimes too. When I post videos about these topics, I often get told I can't speak on certain things because I may not "look" the part. The most painful thing about this is it comes from people within your community. Instead of uplifting each other, we tear one another down. Regardless, that is not stopping me from being outspoken about topics that are important to my character. I am proud of who I am.

What are you building toward right now? Anything you're ready to finally talk about?

I am building toward expanding past social media and working on things that can put my name out there. I can't really talk about it at the moment, because it's still in the works, but there are things in motion.

I'll just say two words: politics and modeling. Weird blend, right?

What does the version of the work you dreamt of match the work you'd be most proud of actually look like?

It's still very much my dream, but I'm at a point in my life where I want to explore different areas of the entertainment industry that feel more accessible right now. Content creation is my current reality, and I'll make a shift when it feels like the right time.

Currently, my heart is telling me to make a shift toward social and political commentary. I recently attended a Gen Z for Change event where I met various influential creators doing some serious heavy lifting in our political landscape. They are the backbone of the new wave of activists, and it encouraged me to become a more involved member of that movement.

I feel like I will learn a lot about the way the world works, and it will help me become a better writer. I always wanted to create a project that reflects our current world and its politics, so this could be a big stepping stone toward that. Honestly, my first project will probably revolve around immigration and the rise of fascism. After all, art is political.