Asked how Levi felt about becoming a gay sex symbol, Tank said, “I’m gonna be honest with you ... you’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with a young man here, and what he has done is he’s broadened his horizons. However he has felt in the past, this [experience] has afforded him the opportunity to meet a lot of different people and find out that people are just people. Sometimes, some things happen for a reason ... and [Levi’s] eyes are open, so we don’t care what kind of situation it is or who views the magazine.”

That said, don’t expect anything too outrageous from a naked Levi.

“If we do anything like this, it’s going to be done tastefully and professionally. We’re not going to do any smut ... We’re not committed to anything,” Jones said before adding that negotiations have not yet reached such a level as to warrant discussion about restrictions or limitations on a potential photo shoot.

If Johnston, who made his shirtless debut in GQ just a few months back, does end up stripping down for a photo shoot, it will only be the latest salvo in his war of words with Sarah Palin, who once called his family “trailer trash.”

Ironically, even though Johnston’s recent revelatory media tour has proved to be something of an embarrassment for Palin, the former governor has remained conspicuously quiet, suggesting Johnston might have the potential to strip away more than his clothes if given the opportunity.