Queer Eye star Tan France has broken his silence following a damning Rolling Stone exposé about the hit Netflix series.
Among the allegations outlined in the piece was that France and co-star Antoni Porowski had ‘campaigned’ to get interior designer Bobby Berk fired from the show and replaced with Jeremiah Brent.
Addressing the report on Instagram on Friday, France, 40, 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.
Queer Eye star Tan France (pictured) has broken his silence following a damning Rolling Stone exposé about the hit Netflix series
Among the allegations outlined in the piece was that France and co-star Antoni Porowski had ‘campaigned’ to get interior designer Bobby Berk (pictured) fired
Berk was replaced on the series by Jeremiah Brent (pictured) – who is a friend of France’s
‘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 France’s statement that Berk was ‘fired’, Berk himself has publicly stated that he chose to walk away from the hit series due to scheduling conflicts.
However, according to Rolling Stone, Berk was allegedly ‘blindsided’ by the way his departure played out.
The publication also claimed that Berk had been butting heads with France and Jonathan Van Ness on set.
While Berk has yet to comment publicly on the claims, he shared a cryptic post to X (formerly Twitter) after France’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
France also said in the video that Berk was ‘fired’ – despite Berk himself stating that he left the show due to scheduling conflicts
Berk responded with a cryptic post on X that seemed aimed at France
It comes after Van Ness was labeled a ‘monster’ in the shocking 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.
‘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 reached out to Van Ness’ management for comment but received no response.
It comes after Jonathan Van Ness was labeled a ‘monster’ in the shocking exposé about the hit Netflix series
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
Distraught Queer Eye fans have since flooded the reality star’s Instagram page with desperate pleas for him to address the article.
‘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.’
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’.
The 36-year-old, who is nonbinary but uses all pronouns, was accused of being ’emotionally abusive’, having ‘rage issues’, and being a ‘nightmare’
Distraught Queer Eye fans have since flooded the reality star’s Instagram page with desperate pleas for him to address the allegations
Perhaps in a bid to quell the criticism, the celebrity hairstylist has since limited comments on his page.
‘I really hope the Rolling Stone article I just read has no truth to it,’ commended one disappointed fan.
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.
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.
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