[VIDEO] HeyMikeyATL Exclusive: “About Rico!” About Him’s Rico Pruitt Speaks On Sex Tape & Redemption

2016 may be the crowning jewel of the Digital Age. Never before has the world been so interconnected and intertwined, thanks to the internet and its vain child, social media! With the push of a button, or the flick of a mouse, information, like a pandemic, goes viral; and what should be a private matter becomes a free circus for all the world to see. Nothing, however, outshines these shenanigans like a sex tape! Everyone either has one, has seen one, or starred in one; and thanks to XTube and Pornhub they are the new ways we get our porn. The ramifications of these sex tapes vary; especially when you are in the limelight. For Kim Kardashian it infamously put her (and her family) on top of the world and for Mimi Faust it showed us a different side to a reality star we thought was taking the higher road.

Now, About Him’s Rico Pruitt, is the latest celebrity embroiled in what many are trying to make into a scandal.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, then you know nearly a month ago a sex tape was leaked with Rico and his ex-boyfriend engaging in a rather private moment. Apparently his ex, desperate for money, posted the tape on his personal website with no regard to Rico’s wishes or the damage it could due to his career. One of our “minions” (HeyMikeyATL followers and informants) dropped a link to it in our anonymous tip box, trying to sell it to us for a few hundred bucks. Rico is a friend to the site and our founder, prompting us to reach out to him for commentary before breaking the story.

The About Justin star gave us an exclusive interview that not only cleared things up, but will allow us to drown out the hype surrounding the antics of a scorned ex-boyfriend! “I just wanted to clear the air you know get some clarity on the situation involving the sex tape. I just want to make sure that I’m not depicted as something that I’m not trying to portray…” Rico bravely went into detail about the sex tape, and why it is not what people probably imagine it to be. “It’s actually just oral. It’s no Kim Kardashian or ‘Love & Hip-Hop’ full blown sex tape. It was done with someone that I was in love with at the time; and I hate that the information got out to everybody in the world to see…” He then became visibly bothered when we questioned him about why his ex would dare to leak something so private and how it has affected him personally. “In all honesty I think the reason he leaked it was for dime, for some money…I’m not going to let people know where to find it at, but it’s out there…It’s not [affecting me]…it’s kind of funny because I really don’t care like us as Americans and us as gay males lead a sex based life…the generation that we’re in right now makes sex tapes, it’s a lot of sex out there…it’s embarrassing of course…I just look at it like it’s me doing something that I had no business recording…”

We can definitely appreciate that Rico is above all else true to himself and admitting it was not so wise to record something so intimate.

He does not, however, let that dictate how he feels about himself, nor will he allow others to insinuate anything negative about him. “Like I said it was with somebody that I loved. I’m not recording myself f—-ing some random guy. We did it in the privacy of our own home, we watched it like just for kis (pronounced “keys,” short for kiki)…It was never supposed to be something public…this is the end of that and I’m really trying to keep a straight and narrow path right now and clean up my image…I’m not some THOT hoe…” 

Naturally and foolishly, people would try to point out many of the sexy pictures we affectionately dub “thirst trap pics” on his Instagram and Facebook as to why people would view him in a whorish way. “That’s exactly what I’m trying to get at. People look at me and they look at my profiles and social media outlets and they just see a cute face and a nice body. They don’t know that I’m like a regular person and have feelings too. Like I have emotions just as much as they do…I might not show it or let ya’ll know what’s going on in my everyday life but things do get hard at times… by me just posting a picture of my body or anything like that it’s not sexual I feel like my body is beautiful and sex is beautiful—even though the sex tape was leaked—I still feel like sex is beautiful and a thing that should be shared with two people who are in love…I just know I won’t make that mistake again.”

Thankfully we were able to dispel some pretty strong rumors that Climax star, Arquez, was his mysterious ex in the video. “Oh no! Arquez would never do that! He has way too much respect for himself and me. That’s what I’ve learned from my past relationship with the guy who did leak the sex tape. He definitely did not love or care for him to let people see me in that light. It’s just me knowing my worth, and what I deserve, and I know I don’t deserve that…” He goes on to discuss how his Signal 23 TV family feels about everything that has transpired. “It’s embarrassing them more than it’s embarrassing me…I definitely don’t want to be the bad guy. I really don’t want people to look at me and be like that’s the bad boy from ‘About Him.’ I don’t wanna be a bad person I’m really good…you know this Mikey [he laughs]. I want to be a role model to gay youth, they go through so much with being bullied and homeless…They’re going to see a very different me doing some positive things in the community and for the community. That’s gonna be my real legacy. Just watch!”

We definitely know Rico to not only to be a great guy, but someone who has your back; and we definitely have his. Truthfully, the only difference between his sex tape and the picture galleries of any smartphone is the decision of a crazed ex-boyfriend. Stop the judgment, stop the hate, and start the love, because that’s what we owe this kid. This is merely a bump on his road to greatness. You all just be sure to tune into Signal 23 TV on December 14^th to catch him on the series premiere of About Justin; and currently on the steamy web series, Fallacies! We love you Rico!