• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Film/TV/Stream
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Tech/Science
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox

The US Ambassador to Denmark is a Reality TV Star. Now You Can Watch His Show

Dan Leveille - PRI The World October 1, 2016 Leave a Comment

Rufus Gifford

Rufus Gifford, the US ambassador to Denmark, is not your typical diplomat, prone to a life of boring ceremonies and stiff speeches.

No, Ambassador Gifford is something of a celebrity. He’s the star of a popular reality show on Danish TV — but, don’t hear that and think of Bravo franchises.

“We call it a documentary series, not a reality show, to distinguish ourselves as much as we can from the Real Housewives and the Kardashians,“ the American diplomat said during a visit to The World’s studios. His show won a Danish television award and has just premiered on Netflix — so those in the States can start watching it, too.

It’s called “Jeg Er Ambassadøren fra Amerika,” or “I Am the Ambassador From America.”

The cameras follow Gifford around, doing what he does as ambassador; each episode also offers a candid glimpse into his personal life in Copenhagen. You can watch him say goodbye to his golden retriever as he heads off to work, embrace his husband Stephen DeVincent — Gifford is openly gay — or ride along with him as he travels to Danish high schools to talk with young students.

Now that the documentary series is available to larger audiences, Gifford says he hopes viewers will see what it means to be a diplomat and a public servant.

“When I agreed to do a documentary series on @dr3tv … I thought only a few thousand people would see it. … Well, today it premieres on @netflix in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and other countries,” Gifford wrote recently on Instagram. “Never in my wildest dreams did I believe this would happen.”

“And while I am incredibly nervous about the show being aired all over the world — especially in my home country — I believe in it with all my heart. Just as it has done in Denmark, I hope very much that it will serve as a vehicle through which you learn a little about the US, a little about Denmark, a little about diplomacy and the unique bond between people and nations. And hopefully make you smile and laugh a little along the way. Most of all I hope you enjoy.”

The idea to chronicle Gifford’s life on TV was partly proposed by Danish television producers, and partly his own idea based on his experiences as an ambassador.

“When I first took the job I was traveling around Denmark and really trying to get a sense of how the US Embassy in Copenhagen really fit into the culture in Denmark. One of the things I was really struck by was the fact that Danes really had not a clue about what we did. There was sort of a fascination with what we did, but there was this perception that we would play golf during the day and go to cocktail parties at night and in between, go into the Embassy where we’re up to nefarious things somehow, and it I just felt so wrong to me,” he said.

“What I really wanted to do was … take our message to a broader audience, a younger audience, a more diverse audience. How do you do that? You need to get outside of your box, you need to get outside from behind your desk, and go to them. So you know, the show is an attempt to do that.”

Gifford’s future is a little uncertain. He’s a political appointee serving under President Barack Obama, whose presidential term ends soon. There might be another televison series in his future, or another diplomatic post — or maybe he’ll take the advice of his many newfound Danish fans who have urged the ambassasor to mount his own campaign for the US presidency.

video
Link
typorama 6 copy

This article first appeared on PRI’s The World.

Topics: Uncategorized More Posts About: Denmark, international, Reality TV, Rufus Gifford

Related Posts
  • Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban’s new U.S.-made war chest
  • Big Colton Underwood Gay Roundup. Bachelor Fans See Plot Twist, Send Cautious Congrats Or Serious Questions at Former NFL, Bachelor Star
  • Jon Stewart Ridicules Trump After Impeached President Resigns from SAG-AFTRA with Tantrum Letter Touting Role in ‘Home Alone 2’
  • Elliot Page: ‘Never thought I would love a passport photo’

    Elliot Page: ‘Never thought I would love a passport photo’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Elliot Page has shared his new passport photograph. The ‘Umbrella Academy’ actor – who announced he was transgender in 2020 – took to Instagram to share his updated passport picture and …Read More »
  • Adele gifts VIP concert access to fan in exchange for Pride flag

    Adele gifts VIP concert access to fan in exchange for Pride flag

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Adele gave a fan VIP access to her concert, in exchange for borrowing their Pride flag. The 34-year-old star draped herself in a rainbow flag at her concert at British Summer …Read More »
  • Lourdes Leon Top Social Media Thirst Trap Moments: Photos

    Lourdes Leon Top Social Media Thirst Trap Moments: Photos

    Published by OK Magazine mega She got it from her mama! Lourdes Leon never fails to wow her followers with the sultriest of snaps on social media. The ultra famous daughter of Madonna knows how to …Read More »
  • Why Norway is making influencers warn when ‘beautifying’ their bodies

    Why Norway is making influencers warn when ‘beautifying’ their bodies

    Published by DPA Media experts have warned that unhealthy body images on social media can be particularly dangerous for younger users, who are discovering their own bodies and are often dissatisfied with their looks. Benjamin Nolte/dpa …Read More »
Previous Post: « DOMA Plaintiff Edie Windsor Remarries
Next Post: Bill Maher Highlights Some of the Lesser Known Trump Endorsements: WATCH »

Primary Sidebar

News

  • Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling Skate Through A Day Of Filming ‘Barbie’ In Venice Beach: Photos

    Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling Skate Through A Day Of Filming ‘Barbie’ In Venice Beach: Photos

  • Six killed in shooting during US July 4 parade

    Six killed in shooting during US July 4 parade

  • US drought exposes murky mob past of Las Vegas

    US drought exposes murky mob past of Las Vegas

RSS Partner Links

  • Today’s Morning Man: Patrick Wilson!
  • Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black take in some Wimbledon matches – from the Royal Box!
  • OMG, WATCH: Drake performs with The Backstreet Boys on stage in Toronto
  • OMG, WATCH: Kesha will encounter ghosts in upcoming Discovery+ series ‘Conjuring Kesha’
  • Happy ...
  • Happy Fourth of July!
  • Weekend Tennis Roundup

Most Recent

  • Ohio city Akron imposes curfew after protests over police killing of Black man

    Ohio city Akron imposes curfew after protests over police killing of Black man

  • Elliot Page: ‘Never thought I would love a passport photo’

    Elliot Page: ‘Never thought I would love a passport photo’

  • Adele gifts VIP concert access to fan in exchange for Pride flag

    Adele gifts VIP concert access to fan in exchange for Pride flag

  • Lourdes Leon Top Social Media Thirst Trap Moments: Photos

    Lourdes Leon Top Social Media Thirst Trap Moments: Photos

  • Why Norway is making influencers warn when ‘beautifying’ their bodies

    Why Norway is making influencers warn when ‘beautifying’ their bodies

  • Can I get monkeypox from a contaminated surface? Possibly, says study

    Can I get monkeypox from a contaminated surface? Possibly, says study

  • Pope defrocks retired German priest after drawn out proceedings

    Pope defrocks retired German priest after drawn out proceedings

  • Lebanese civil society groups condemn anti-LGBT crackdown

    Lebanese civil society groups condemn anti-LGBT crackdown

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy
[towleroadmr] [towleroadtn]

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · Log in