‘Queer Eye’ controversies: 6 times the Fab Five’s behavior turned problematic

'Queer Eye': Here are 6 times the Fab Five faced problems

The lads from Netflix's 'Queer Eye' have truly taken the world by storm, elevating the concept of a decent makeover to a whole new level and showing the importance of both inner and external beauty. Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, and Karamo Brown make up the Fab Five. According to a Rolling Stone expose, released on Tuesday, March 5, Jonathan Van Ness, the adored grooming guru on the popular Netflix series turns out to be a "monster" with serious "rage issues." Check out the 6 issues the Fab Five dealt with and some sneak peeks from the show.

1. Tan France wanted to leave ‘Queer Eye’ multiple times

Tan France revealed in an interview with Insider that he was "scared of the cameras and pressures" and that he wanted to quit 'Queer Eye.' He admitted at the time: "After I accepted the job, I was going to quit before I started shooting because I was too scared of the pressure. Then, episode three, I tried to quit again because I was too scared of the cameras." France asserted he overcame his self-doubt by accepting that all he needed to do was be himself, which gave him enough solace to go on.

2. Karamo Brown and Antoni Porowski were not exactly on good terms

Karamo Brown revealed to E! News about his tumultuous friendship with Antoni Porowski after releasing his first memoir in March 2019. "My castmate from 'Queer Eye', Antoni, people didn't know that we had an extreme amount of conflict. We did not talk to each other at all during season 1, even though we were shooting together," Brown admitted to E! News. Despite their "conflicting" personalities, Brown admitted that, at least while the cameras were running, he and Porowski were able to maintain professionalism. "Off camera, the minute that camera stopped rolling, 'Girl don't come near me.' And vice versa, he didn't want me to come near him."

3. Bobby Berk’s departure from ‘Queer Eye’

Following several months of speculation, Bobby Berk clarified his reasons for quitting from Netflix's 'Queer Eye.' In an interview with Vanity Fair, Berk stated that he had assumed the Fab Five's tenure ended when their contracts expired in 2022 and moved on to other projects when he received an offer to return to the show. Speaking of the final day of filming, Berk remarked, "We thought we were done. Mentally and emotionally, I thought we all moved on. I know I did, and I started planning other things."

4. Tan France and Antoni Porowski wanted Bobby Berk to leave

Fans were upset when Bobby Berk announced in November 2023 that he was departing the show after eight seasons. There was more to the tale, per sources who told Rolling Stone that Berk was "blindsided" by the contract negotiations. The site was informed by three unidentified sources that Tan France "campaigned to replace Berk" with Jeremiah Brent, allegedly with the help of castmate Antoni Porowski. Berk disclosed a falling out with France, the hostess of the fashion segment. Interestingly, Brent was declared as the Fab Five's replacement for Berk.

5. Jonathan Van Ness’ alleged rage issues on set

Beloved cast member Jonathan Van Ness, who uses they/them pronouns, turned out to be a nightmare to work with, which was a far cry from their lively on-screen character, per the Rolling Stone article. Three insiders who worked with Van Ness and four 'Queer Eye' production sources condemned their behavior, calling them emotionally abusive and claiming they had "rage issues." Van Ness is claimed to have "a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry," said a source. "It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them. It’s intense and scary."

6. The Fab Five weren’t best friends

According to multiple insider sources quoted in the recent explosive revelation, the Fab Five are not the close-knit best friends they have painted themselves as. Several interviews have recounted the Fab Five's origins as their fame on Netflix has grown rapidly. But eight seasons later, "well-placed" sources assert that their relationship was professional. "Essentially they were a group of people put together in their mid-thirties and told to be best friends. But people don’t expect that Queer Eye could be that," a production member spilled. "A manufactured boy band with big personalities that certain ones were favored and certain ones were not, and then eventually turned really toxic," the source added.