Lucien, the 20-year-old male escort hired to accompany ex-gay leader George Rekers on a European vacation, is expected to make his first television appearance on CNN's AC360 Friday.

The story of 61-year-old Rekers hiring a male prostitute off the pageviews of gay website RentBoy.com has exploded since the Miami New Times first reported the news on Tuesday.

Lucien, whose real name we've since learned is Jo-Vanni Roman, was interviewed by CNN's Randi Kaye in a Fort Lauderdale hotel, according to gay blog Joe My God. And Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen is also expected to appear on the show.

Besen, whose organization advocates against ex-gay ministries such as the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), of which Rekers is a board member, was the first to call for Rekers' resignation from the ex-gay group.

In addition to sitting on the board of NARTH, Rekers, a Baptist minister, is a founder of the socially conservative Family Research Council headed by Tony Perkins, an opponent of gay rights. And he's also the author of numerous books on sexuality, including Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality and Your Child's Sexual Identity.

In an interview with the Times published Thursday, Roman said he provided Rekers with daily body rubs in the nude while the pair vacationed, adding that Rekers liked having his anus rubbed by the younger man.

“It's a situation where he's going against homosexuality when he is a homosexual,” Roman said.

Rekers has denied that he's gay. In an email to the Times, Rekers said he has been advised to retain “the services of a defamation attorney” because “I am not gay and never have been.”

He originally told the paper that he hired the escort to “lift his luggage” during the 10-day trip that included stops in London and Madrid. He's also denounced the Times piece in a blog post, saying its authors “cleverly gave false impressions of inappropriate behavior.”

In a Facebook posting, Rekers added that he hired his travel companion to privately minister to him.