Memoirs of a Gay Shah

He didn’t fit the mold—so he made a throne instead.

At just four years old, Reza Farahan left Iran for what was supposed to be a quick family trip to Los Angeles. But while he was soaking up the California sun, revolution erupted back home, and Reza’s short stay turned into permanent exile.

Caught between cultures, identities, and expectations, Reza was an outsider in every sense of the word. He was a half-Muslim, half-Jewish, gay Persian kid just trying to survive 1980s America—a place that saw him as a threat, even when all he wanted was to belong. But with an unapologetic spirit and bold personality, Reza was never destined to simply fit in. He was meant to shine.

Reza eventually became the larger-than-life, fan-favorite star of Bravo’s Shahs of Sunset, where he served looks, shade, and cultural pride in equal measure. And now Reza is opening up about the journey that took him from closeted teen to reality TV royalty, from hiding his truth to owning every inch of his spotlight.

Heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply human, Memoirs of a Gay Shah is the story of how one outcast boy grew into a confident man by reclaiming every part of himself—his culture, his identity, his queerness—and decided to live not just authentically, but extravagantly.

Author Biography

Reza Farahan is the star of BravoTV’s hit reality show, Shahs of Sunset—chronicling the lives of Iranian American socialites in Beverly Hills—and a prominent player in the LA real estate world. Persian and openly gay, his decision to join Bravo was largely due to his desire to portray a positive image of both gay people and Middle Easterners.