All The Drama That's Plagued Netflix's Queer Eye Over The Years

Season 10 of "Queer Eye" premiered on Netflix in January 2026, marking the end of the reality show. Debuting in 2018, "Queer Eye" was inspired by a previous show from the early 2000s, the campy yet heartfelt "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." The newer series took the same formula of five queer people with different expertise, and sent them out into the world to makeover people from different walks of life. Every episode, the show's team, dubbed the "Fab Five," worked to change the "hero's" life in about a week. Some of the transformations were so big, it's hard to believe they got all that work done in such a short period.

The final "Queer Eye" season consisted of five episodes and was filmed around the Washington, D.C. area. The crew knew going into filming that it would be the last season, so emotions ran higher than ever. Throughout the show's run, fans have laughed and cried right along with the folks on "Queer Eye," but as wholesome as the show appeared, drama has plagued the production almost since the beginning.

When a series premiers a new season, it is customary for the cast to do a press tour to promote the show. "Queer Eye" was no different, as the Fab Five were scheduled to appear on several talk shows in January 2026 to advertise and discuss the final season. While Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Jeremiah Brent, and Tan France appeared on "CBS Mornings" and the "Today" show, Karamo Brown was noticeably absent. Everyone seemed shocked that Brown wasn't at the interviews.

On "CBS Mornings," host Gayle King read a statement from Brown saying he skipped the appearance because he "worried about being bullied" (via Entertainment). Later, a video of Brown was played on "Today," where he shared that he was prioritizing his mental health, and that was why he was "at home and not there." He thanked the crew of "Queer Eye" for their hard work, but made no mention of his co-hosts. The rest of the Fab Five gave positive statements about Brown keeping his mental health at the forefront, just as he had taught the heroes of "Queer Eye" over the years. Interestingly, Brown unfollowed most of the "Queer Eye" co-hosts on Instagram. Now, Brown only follows Brent and former "Queer Eye" interior designer Bobby Berk.

The Fab Five seemed like a happy family who genuinely enjoyed being around each other. They brought their fun and friendly energy into the lives of each hero. However, things were far from rosy behind the camera. The first rift fans saw among the "Queer Eye" cast was a rumored problem between interior design expert Bobby Berk and fashion expert Tan France. Among fans, there was a long-running joke that Berk did more work than the others because he literally remodeled homes in about four days.

According to unnamed production members, Berk seemed to be feeling overworked and underappreciated by his final season. Another unnamed source told Rolling Stone that none of the hosts were friends outside the show. Those sources also indicated Berk had problems dealing with France and Jonathan Van Ness by the end. Berk has confirmed he fought with France, without going into details. He told Vanity Fair, "Tan and I had a moment ... There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that."

Before the premiere of Season 8 of "Queer Eye," Bobby Berk announced he wouldn't be returning to the show. In November 2023, Berk told fans that he had made the difficult choice to leave. Since the rumors were circling about the feud with Tan France, fans wondered if the fallout was so big that Berk chose to bow out of the show. Around the time of Berk's announcement, people noticed he had unfollowed France on Instagram, seemingly confirming they were no longer on friendly terms.

During an interview with Vanity Fair in early 2024, Berk said his exit was more due to contract terms than infighting. Originally, the "Queer Eye" team was hired for eight seasons. Berk believed Season 8 would be the last, so he made business deals with timelines that would pick up after filming had completed. Things like Berk's partnership with Lowe's kept him very busy and expanded his brand beyond the series. He felt that he couldn't back out of the new arrangements, so he didn't renew his "Queer Eye" deal. Berk said, "I would have had to pump the brakes on multiple other projects that are already in process. We had mentally just prepared ourselves to move on — that's why I left."

When Bobby Berk left "Queer Eye," it opened up a spot for a new interior design expert. Although there is no official explanation for the "feud" between Berk and Tan, a rumor said part of it was due to Tan campaigning for Berk's replacement. Allegedly, Tan wanted Berk replaced with a friend of his. Different sources told Rolling Stone that Tan and Antoni Porowski were pushing for Jeremiah Brent to replace Berk before he had exited the series.

For Season 9, Netflix announced Brent would join the team. Brent had his own interior design firm and his own reality show, "Nate & Jeremiah by Design," with husband, Nate Berkus. He also appeared in another Netflix wedding-themed "Queer Eye"-like series, "Say I Do." Brent and France were friends before being cast on "Queer Eye," leading many to believe the rumors about Berk's exit. However, France took to Instagram to clear up any misunderstandings. He said, "My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired. Netflix, the production companies, did a full-on casting. I didn't pop my friend up for the job."

Jonathan Van Ness has built their brand on being fun, likable, and over-the-top. In March 2024, Rolling Stone published an investigation where anonymous sources who worked on the production of "Queer Eye" claimed Van Ness was nothing like their TV persona. Several sources relayed stories of Van Ness having anger or rage issues and being abusive on set. "At least once a day, they would need to yell at somebody. It might be something small, but there's always going to be somebody to point out and blame and make the villain of the day."

Before publication, Rolling Stone requested comment from Van Ness, who didn't respond. Months after the piece was published, Van Ness appeared on the podcast "Table Manners," where they broke their silence on the toxic claims. Van Ness said, "Even though I do believe that that article was overwhelmingly untrue and done in bad faith, there have obviously been times throughout my career where you're stressed out, or I may have been elbow deep in highlights and was like, "No, I can't talk about that right now."" After the article came out, Van Ness said they took a break from social media and focused on the support from their husband and friends (via Rolling Stone).

As the food and wine expert, Antoni Porowski was the member of "Queer Eye" who helped the heroes create fun meals and drinks for their loved ones. Porowski's background before "Queer Eye" was a mix of college, acting jobs, and working in restaurants. Porowski auditioned for the Netflix series after his friend and employer Ted Allen, the original food guy from "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," encouraged him to try out.

After the early episodes of "Queer Eye" came out, some viewers wondered if Porowski could cook at all. His first offense was a guacamole recipe that consisted of mashing the avocado, then adding salt and lemon juice. Easy meals aren't an issue, but as argued by Junkee, most of the meals Porowski prepared were very simple. The lack of cooking continued when Porowski taught another hero to grill a fancy cheese sandwich and made hot dogs for a firehouse cookout. It didn't help that most of his social media posts were of fancy food that required almost no cooking. Fans wanted to know the truth about Porowski. He defended his meal segments, saying the show wasn't about what he could cook, but what he could do for the hero. In an interview with Salon, Porowski said he's tried to "just meet people where they're at." He continued, "It's about being of service to the person who we're with for such a short amount of time."

Karamo Brown and the rest of the "Queer Eye" stars have been mostly quiet about Brown's missed promotional appearances. However, rumors from the crew of "Queer Eye" and other sources close to the production have speculated about the rift between Brown and his co-hosts. An unnamed insider told People Brown's mom had been on set with a pair of headphones and overheard Antoni Porowski, Tan France, and Jonathan Van Ness talking about Brown. When Brown's mother conveyed to him what she had heard, it essentially ended the working relationship Brown had with the others.

Another source told the Daily Mail the comments were negative and hurtful. The source said it pertained to how Brown "looked and dressed, but then it turned into complaining about what he tells the subjects on the show." The source added, "Since he is the life coach, that's obviously not something that anyone wants to hear — that they aren't doing a good job. It's especially hard when it's coming from your so-called friends." Some rumors have also alleged Brown had suspicions that his fellow castmates were talking behind his back. The hot mic moment Brown's mom is said to have caught might have just confirmed what he already thought.

For those fans paying attention, the cracks in the "Queer Eye" family started showing early on. In 2019, Karamo Brown appeared on the E! News podcast "Just the Sip" and opened up about some early drama on the show. During the filming for the first season, Brown said he and Antoni Porowski couldn't stand each other. While the cameras rolled, they played nice, but when filming stopped, they separated as fast as possible. "A third party got involved. And once that third party got involved, he and I couldn't even talk to each other because we were too busy hearing rumors of what this third party was spreading about both of us."

On the podcast, Brown said the issues between him and Porowski were in the past and that they were able to resolve their differences at the time. However, in September 2023, Brown said on "Radio Andy" that he and Porowski weren't close. Porowski only invited one other member of the Fab Five (Tan France) to his bachelor party. Although Brown claimed the snub wasn't a big deal because Porowski and he party differently, it does all seem like a part of a larger trend of issues among the co-hosts.

Jonathan Van Ness and Antoni Porowski often exchanged jokes on "Queer Eye." But in 2022, Porowski and Van Ness took the joke too far for some fans. A picture of Van Ness and Porowski cuddling appeared on Van Ness's social media pages, announcing "we're finally together. Details tomorrow." With a pride flag emoji and a caption saying they felt supported by their loved ones.

The announcement implied the two were now in a romantic relationship. Fans were confused as both Van Ness and Porowski were in committed relationships with other people. When the official news broke the next day, fans found out it was all a publicity stunt to sell their new pet food brand, Yummers. In an Instagram post made by their joint account, the pair shared a picture of Van Ness sitting on Porowski's lap while they both held Yummers products. The caption read: "We're partners in *business* you pervs! Introducing Yummers, meal mix-ins for pets." The pair tried to wave off any controversy, but many still weren't happy with the joke.

Ever since the first episode of "Queer Eye," fans wondered how they could get their haircut by Jonathan Van Ness. Getting a fresh haircut from someone who can bring out your best self would be a wonderful — and relatively quick — way to transform. Since not everybody can book an appointment with Van Ness, though, the hairstylist partnered with beauty store giant Ulta in 2025. Together, Van Ness and Ulta put out a line of haircare products that claimed to make people's hair look its best, called JVN Hair. It seemed like an obvious partnership.

From the start, however, some people on the conservative side spoke out against the business deal. Conservative Christian group One Million Moms called for a boycott of Ulta Beauty, claiming that it was "pushing an agenda of sexual confusion" (via LGBTQ Nation). Van Ness replied via an Instagram video, saying that it is far more harmful to normalize threats and violence "against someone because [you] don't like the way they dress, [you] don't like the way they present" than any campaign they did with Ulta.

Throughout the nine seasons of "Queer Eye," the show never shied away from going to new places. The cast filmed in seven different states and heavily favored the South. In the first season, they worked on a makeover for a Trump-voting cop, and the liberal Fab Five found common ground with him. It created a theme for the series; that queer folks can be found, and hopefully accepted, all over the United States. Although things always seemed accepting and loving on the series, behind the scenes, they still had to deal with bigotry.

Karamo Brown spoke with the "People Every Day" podcast (via People), saying the "Queer Eye" group faced very vocal hatred while filming the sixth season. On the podcast, Brown said it was important to film in Texas during 2020 due to the political climate and thought the Fab Five might bring some acceptance to the Lone Star State. 

However, there was resistance to both their races and queerness. Brown said to "People Every Day," "To be very honest with you, this is the first time I've ever had people tell me after, "I hated you."  And it's because no one has ever challenged them when it comes to their emotional or mental health." Brown didn't say who harassed the crew, but hopefully it wasn't any of the "Queer Eye" heroes of Season 6.

Tan France, the Fashion Expert for "Queer Eye," helped people reinvent their looks, even if he had to hold their hands and give them words of encouragement along the way. France's own fashion choices would change episode to episode from something chic and daring to something relaxed and comfortable. In one episode, he even wore socks with sandals. Yet his hair stayed the same, a side-parted salt-and-pepper pompadour that stood tall against wind, rain, and the humidity of a New Orleans summer.

In December 2024, after the release of Season 9, France was taken aback when he found out fans didn't seem to like his signature hair that he had sported for 15 years. During an interview with Page Six in January 2025, France revealed that after reading some fan comments about the new season, he decided he needed a new style. "I saw so many people hate my hair. And I thought, "Oh, I didn't realize they hated [it] so much. So maybe I'll try something while I'm still relatively young." So that's why I changed it."

Between seasons 5 and 6 of "Queer Eye," the Fab Five went to Japan to makeover several heroes who lived around Tokyo. The formula was the same as their other seasons filmed in America. Some praised the show for acknowledging the cultural differences. "Queer Eye" also added a guest host, Kiko Mizuhara, an American-Japanese model, to help guide the others through cultural norms and fashion trends. However, many viewers felt staple elements of the show didn't work the same for Japan's heroes.

In Episode 1, the hero Yoko had given her life to her job as a hospice nurse, and Karamo Brown gave his usual advice to live for herself, not for others. Isabell Liu, a writer for Stitch Fashion, wrote that many Asian cultures prioritize the collective rather than the individual, and one conversation isn't going to change that. In Episode 2, the hero, Kan, was a closeted gay man. The "Queer Eye" team encouraged Kan to come out, as they would an American, but as an op-ed writer for NBC News, Noor Noman, addressed, that may not be what is best for someone in a different country. "It is short-sighted to impose a loud, Western model of being out, largely shaped by middle- and upper-class white men ... It is imperious, not uplifting."