Category: Jonathan Van Ness

It is the Netflix hit which is billed as a feel good makeover show, helping those who have lost their way in life turn it around with the assistance of the Fab Five; Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, Tan France and formerly Bobby Berk.

While the show has built a strong fan base due to its hosts’ larger than life personalities and genuine affection for the people they’ve helped, Queer Eye was recently hit by a scathing expose with accusations of toxicity behind the scenes.

Queer Eye premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon, however it has now been alleged that things weren’t as rosy once the cameras stopped rolling.

Bobby revealed that there was an off-camera ‘situation’ between himself and his former co-star Tan, who announced he was leaving the show after nine series last year, sparking wild theories about the reason behind his exit.

An explosive Rolling Stone article reported in March that Tan and Anthony ‘conspired’ to get Bobby kicked off the show in favour of hiring the British star’s friend, Jeremiah Brent, for the new series. Tan has strongly denied the allegations.

Queer Eye is billed as a feel good makeover show, helping those who have lost their way in life turn it around with the assistance of the Fab Five; (pictured Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Bobby Berk and Karamo Brown)

Tan revealed that there was an off-camera ‘situation’ between himself and his former co-star Bobby, who announced he was leaving the show after nine series last year, sparking wild theories about the reason behind his exit

The publication also accused Jonathan of being a ‘monster’ off-camera and told how they made the show ‘increasing difficult to produce’, according to multiple production sources, who all spoke anonymously (pictured February)

The publication also accused Jonathan of being a ‘monster’ off-camera and told how they made the show ‘increasing difficult to produce’, according to multiple production sources, who all spoke anonymously. 

Jonathan, who is trans non-binary and uses all pronouns, finally broke their silence about the expose on the podcast Table Manners With Jessie And Lennie Ware, where he claimed that the accusations were not ‘based in reality.’

He said: ‘I think a lot of people were like looking for a reason to hate me or like looking for a reason to be like, “See, I always knew that they were a fake c*** and this is the proof.”

Jonathan responded to claims that they were ’emotionally abusive’, have ‘rage issues’, and were a ‘nightmare’ to work with, with one sources claiming they would have at least one outburst per week while filming.

They said the cast first learned of the expose back in December 2023 and they claimed that a lot of the information that had been gathered was ‘taken out of context’ in order to make them look ‘as bad as possible.’

Jonathan went on to completely the article as being ‘completely untrue’ and alleged that it was done ‘in bad faith’, but did admit their were times when they have ‘snapped’ at people and ‘could have done better’.

The bombshell report claimed ‘there’s a real emotion of fear around them [Jonathan] when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them’.

‘It’s intense and scary,’ they added, further claiming that Jonathan was a ‘yeller’ who would ‘explode once a week’.

One source said that Jonathan has a ‘very warm, very charismatic’ side to their personality which is what the public sees, but there’s another side that comes out behind the scenes.

Jonathan blasted the bombshell report which had claims that he was emotionally ‘abusive’ on set of the reality series as not being ‘based in reality’; the new Queer Eye cast is pictured

Queer Eye premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon

Rolling Stone also claims that the Queer Eye cast were engaged in ‘petty disputes and competition’ with each other over screen time and who was the ‘top star’ on the show

‘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,’ they alleged.

While each cast member has gone on to find success on their own terms, Jonathan was arguably the breakout star of the series.

Not only doe they have the most social media followers of the group, they have published three books -including a New York Times bestseller- and launched the hit podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

The podcast was turned into its own standalone Netflix series in 2022 and they also have  a successful haircare line called JVN, which is stocked in Sephora.

Rolling Stone also claims that the Queer Eye cast were engaged in ‘petty disputes and competition’ with each other over screen time and who was the ‘top star’ on the show. Dailymail.com reached out Jonathan’s management at the time.

Following the Rolling Stones expose, Tan (pictured) was forced to deny allegations that he and Antony had ‘campaigned’ to get interior designer Bobby replaced with Jeremiah 

Addressing the report on Instagram on March 8, Tan, 41, said, ‘My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired’

Bobby was replaced on the series by Jeremiah Brent (pictured) – who is a friend of Tan’s

Interior designer Bobby quit the series last November after six years to focus on other projects.

Following the Rolling Stones expose, Tan was forced to deny allegations that he and Antony had ‘campaigned’ to get interior designer Bobby replaced with Jeremiah.

Addressing the report on Instagram on March 8, Tan, 41, said, ‘My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired.’

He continued: ‘Netflix and the production companies did a full on casting. I didn’t put my friend up for the job – they ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job.

‘Am I so happy that they have the job? Uh huh. I really am – I think they’re gonna be incredible on the show. But I didn’t get them hired by getting rid of somebody else.’

Despite Tan’s statement that Bobby was ‘fired’, Bobby himself has publicly stated that he chose to walk away from the hit series due to scheduling conflicts.

However, according to Rolling Stone, Bobby was allegedly ‘blindsided’ by the way his departure played out. The publication also claimed that Bobby had been butting heads with Tan and Jonathan on set.

While Bobby has yet to comment publicly on the claims, he shared a cryptic post to X (formerly Twitter) after Tan’s Instagram video. 

The post was a GIF of former First Lady Michelle Obama saying, ‘When they go low, we go high.’

The ninth season of Queer Eye, which is set in Las Vegas, is set to hit Netflix later this year. 

‘My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired,’ France stressed to his 3.9million followers

Bobby responded with a cryptic post on X that seemed aimed at Tan

When Bobby announced he was exiting Queer Eye last November, many fans believed it was because he was the most under-appreciated member of the Fab Five.

The design expert appeared to do the most work each episode renovating and redesigning entire homes and work spaces for their chosen ‘heroes’.

Bobby clarified to Vanity Fair in January: ‘You will have never found me quoted as saying that I have the most important job and I do the most work. All five of us are of equal importance.’

‘Queer Eye has been the most amazing gift that I couldn’t have ever imagined. It’s been a life-changing moment. I’m leaving something that is a huge part of my life. Even though it’s my decision, it still wasn’t an easy one.’

The entire cast signed seven-cycle contracts ending September 2022, and they believed season eight would be the final one.

Bobby recalled: ‘We took pictures and cried. We thought we were done. Mentally and emotionally, I thought we all moved on. I know I did, and I started planning other things.’

One year later, the Fab Five were surprised with brand new four-cycle contracts, and everyone decided to sign on except for Bobby.

When Bobby announced he was exiting Queer Eye last November, many fans believed it was because he was the most under-appreciated member of the Fab Five 

The design expert appeared to do the most work each episode renovating and redesigning entire homes and work spaces for their chosen ‘heroes’ 

‘With only one of us not coming back, Netflix felt [it] could recast one person [for the Las Vegas-set ninth season],’ Bobby explained.

‘There were definitely emotions. But each one of us had our reasons why we did what we did. I can’t be mad – for a second I was. 

‘All the plans that I had made when I thought we weren’t coming back, I just wasn’t willing to change those. 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.’

However, he did admit that he ‘had a moment’ with co-star Tan, which caused him to unfollow the fashion consultant on Instagram.

‘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,’ Bobby admitted.

‘Should I have unfollowed Tan? No. Maybe I should have just muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that’s the end of it. We became like siblings, and siblings are always going to fight.’

When the feuding friends won their first-ever Emmy Awards for outstanding structured reality program for their roles as Queer Eye producers, they embraced during the January 7th Creative Arts Emmy ceremony.

‘We both said congratulations. And that’s where we are right now,’ he noted.

‘I will always have a very special place in my heart for him and [Tan’s husband] Rob and the kids. I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other’s house being good. The Emmys was already the first bandage on that wound.’

Queer Eye star Jonathan van Ness was the subject of a damning Rolling Stone exposé this week that accused him of being a ‘monster’ with ‘rage issues’ – among other shocking allegations. 

And now distraught Queer Eye fans have flooded the 36-year-old’s Instagram page with desperate pleas for him to address the article.

‘I really hope the Rolling Stone article I just read has no truth to it,’ commended one disappointed fan.

‘You have always been a positive force in social media and someone who brings people up, especially those of us who are down. It would kind of suck if that was all just a facade.’ 

Fans of Jonathan van Ness have flooded his Instagram page with comments following a shocking exposé about the star that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine

The article accused the Queer Eye star, 36, of being a ‘monster’ with ‘rage issues’ – among other shocking allegations

Another begged, ‘Omg please tell me that exposé was a hit piece for whatever reason because I love you so so much and really hope this isn’t true.’

‘Really disheartened at the article I just read about bad behavior behind the scenes on Queer Eye,’ wrote another. ‘I hope it’s all a load of rubbish as you seem like such a guiding light on a rainy day (although, I imagine that takes its toll). Anyway best wishes.’

‘If even 1/8 of the behavior discussed in the Rolling Stone article is true, that’s really bad, especially from someone who grew up being bullied,’ said another.

Ironically, the comments were left on a sugary post that Van Ness shared about ‘experiencing joy’.

Perhaps in a bid to quell the criticism, the celebrity hairstylist has since limited comments on his page. 

It comes after Van Ness was labeled a ‘monster’ in a shocking Rolling Stone exposé about the hit Netflix series.

According to multiple production sources, who all spoke to the publication anonymously, Van Ness made the show increasingly difficult to produce due to his behind-the-scenes behavior.

The comments from fans were left on a sugary post that Van Ness shared about ‘experiencing joy’ this week

Distraught Queer Eye fans have been praying that the allegations are false

The 36-year-old, who is nonbinary but uses all pronouns, was accused of being ’emotionally abusive’, having ‘rage issues’, and being a ‘nightmare’.

‘There’s a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them,’ claimed one source. 

‘It’s intense and scary,’ they added, further claiming that Van Ness was a ‘yeller’ who would ‘explode once a week’.

One source said that Van Ness has a ‘very warm, very charismatic’ side to their personality which is what the public sees, but there’s another side that comes out behind the scenes.

‘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,’ they alleged.

The flamboyant star has yet to respond to the allegations in the Rolling Stone story 

The 36-year-old, who is nonbinary but uses all pronouns, was accused of being ’emotionally abusive’ and having ‘rage issues’

Queer Eye, starring Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Karamo Brown, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon

Rolling Stone also claims that the Queer Eye cast were engaged in ‘petty disputes and competition’ with each other over screen time and who was the ‘top star’ on the show.

Dailymail.com has reached out to Van Ness’ management for comment.  

Queer Eye, starring Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, and Van Ness, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon. 

With his own haircare line (pictured), podcast, and bestselling books, Van Ness is arguably the breakout star of Queer Eye

Interior designer Berk quit the series last November after six years to focus on other projects.  

While each cast member has gone on to find success on their own terms, Van Ness was arguably the breakout star of the series. 

Not only does Van Ness have the most social media followers of the group, he’s also published three books -including a New York Times bestseller- and launched the hit podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

The podcast was turned into its own standalone Netflix series in 2022.

Van Ness also has a successful haircare line called JVN, which is stocked in Sephora. 

Queer Eye star Jonathan van Ness has been labeled a ‘monster’ in a shocking Rolling Stone exposé about the hit Netflix series.

According to multiple production sources, who all spoke to the publication anonymously, Van Ness made the show increasingly difficult to produce due to his behind-the-scenes behavior.

The 36-year-old, who is nonbinary but uses all pronouns, was accused of being ’emotionally abusive’, having ‘rage issues’, and being a ‘nightmare’.

‘There’s a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them,’ claimed one source.

Queer Eye star Jonathan van Ness (pictured) has been labeled a ‘monster’ in a shocking Rolling Stone exposé about the hit Netflix series

The 36-year-old, who is nonbinary but uses all pronouns, was accused of being ’emotionally abusive’ and having ‘rage issues’

Queer Eye, starring Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Karamo Brown, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon

‘It’s intense and scary,’ they added, further claiming that Van Ness was a ‘yeller’ who would ‘explode once a week’.

One source said that Van Ness has a ‘very warm, very charismatic’ side to their personality which is what the public sees, but there’s another side that comes out behind the scenes.

‘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,’ they alleged.

Rolling Stone also claims that the Queer Eye cast were engaged in ‘petty disputes and competition’ with each other over screen time and who was the ‘top star’ on the show.

Dailymail.com has reached out to Van Ness’ management for comment.  

Queer Eye, starring Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, and Van Ness, premiered on Netflix in 2018 and immediately became a pop culture phenomenon. 

Interior designer Berk quit the series last November after six years to focus on other projects. 

‘There’s a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them,’ claimed one source

One source said that Van Ness has a ‘very warm, very charismatic’ side to their personality which is what the public sees, but there’s another side that comes out behind the scenes 

Rolling Stone also claims that the Queer Eye cast were engaged in ‘petty disputes and competition’ with each other over screen time and who was the ‘top star’ on the show

While each cast member has gone on to find success on their own terms, Van Ness was arguably the breakout star of the series. 

Not only does Van Ness have the most social media followers of the group, he’s also published three books -including a New York Times bestseller- and launched the hit podcast Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

The podcast was turned into its own standalone Netflix series in 2022.

Van Ness also has a successful haircare line called JVN, which is stocked in Sephora. 

Last September, Van Ness made headlines after he burst into tears during a discussion about transgenderism on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast.

The pair got into a debate after Van Ness, who uses multiple pronouns interchangeably and described himself as a ‘nonbinary f***ing trans person’ during a heated moment, initially pushed back against Shepard’s contention that the New York Times was a left-leaning newspaper.

The reality star pointed to a string of articles that ran in the Times about controversies involving transgender adolescents and their gender-affirming care, which critics have said focus on the complaints of transphobes and overemphasize ‘rare’ complications or regrets from transitioning, while simultaneously downplaying the voices of actual transgender people.

Van Ness — who has previously complained about having to repeatedly explain the importance of personal pronouns — stated that the New York Times ‘absolutely is’ a right-leaning publication, at least in its coverage of transgender issues, and they shed some tears as the back-and-forth continued.

Van Ness is the breakout star of Queer Eye and even has his own haircare line

The reality star also has his own podcast, which was turned into a standalone Netflix series

Shepard went on to defend the paper and those who claim to have concerns about transgender children being allowed to begin the process of transitioning. 

‘Some people are very uncomfortable about teenagers transitioning. They’re challenging that. How do we know that the person’s not gonna change their mind?’ Shepard said. 

‘To even question it makes you an enemy. I don’t think that’s the way forward,’ Shepard added, before he invited Van Ness to share his opinion.

However, the hairstylist-turned-TV star found the topic far more personal than the academic exercise that Shepard appeared to treat it as, and they snapped that having the conversation made them ‘feel like I’m talking to my dad.’

Van Ness then said that transgender athletes do not have the kinds of competitive advantages over cisgender competitors that detractors have claimed, before accusing Shepard of being ‘exposed to misinformation and disinformation’.

‘I’m a nonbinary f***ing trans person. When I talk to my dad or people who say similar things, it’s hard to be cool through that,’ Van Ness declared. ‘I’m not calling you a transphobe. You can not be transphobic and still have thoughts that espouse trans misogyny and espouse transphobic ideologies or beliefs and not be transphobic.’ 

Van Ness made headlines after he burst into tears during a discussion about transgenderism on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast last year

Van Ness became distraught when challenged on transgerdism and accused Shepard of being ‘exposed to misinformation and disinformation’

In an interview in 2022, Van Ness, who is biologically male, claimed that they faced ‘misogyny’ due to his gender identity.

‘As a nonbinary trans person who is very femme, I feel that I’ve faced a lot of the misogyny,’ JVN explained on the Into The Gloss podcast.

‘I’m obviously not a woman so I don’t know what it is to be a woman and that’s not what I’m saying, but misogyny doesn’t only affect women,’ he continued. 

‘And I think that’s what’s so hard for trans people and gender nonconforming people, is like, misogyny is an energy, it’s like a thing, and so is the patriarchy. It’s like this insidious thing and it effects everyone, obviously in different ways.’ 

In an interview in 2022, Van Ness, who is biologically male, claimed that they faced ‘misogyny’ due to his gender identity

Van Ness identifies by a variety of different pronouns which span the gender spectrum.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the multifaceted star said he’s comfortable with all identifiers, from masculine and feminine to non-binary. 

‘When I say, he, she, they, whatever, I mean it because I feel like in ways I am all of those things and I’m none of those things at the same time,’ Van Ness said.

‘That’s why I feel like whether you want to say he, she or they, it is okay for me,’ he continued.

‘If it is they or she, for me who I am is so much more than what that means to other people and to me. 

‘That is where I come at it and why I identify as he, she or they ­because I feel like I’m everything and I feel like I’m nothing at the same time. That is kind of existential, but it is how I see it.’