The toxic truth behind Netflix’s biggest ‘feel-good’ show as Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown unfollows his co-stars and claims he’s been ’emotionally abused’ after cast were plagued with reports of infighting and ‘rage issues’

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For almost ten years, Queer Eye has consistently been a heartwarming show that celebrates self-love, acceptance, and a positive outlook on life.

This Netflix show is a fresh take on the popular 2003 Bravo series. It features five experts who each spend a week helping someone improve their life.

Despite their public image, the stars of the ‘Fab Five’ have reportedly been dealing with a lot of internal conflict and negativity, making some viewers wonder if they truly practice what they preach on the show.

Things escalated this week when Karamo Brown, the culture and lifestyle expert on the show, didn’t participate in interviews with his castmates on Tuesday. He stated he was experiencing ’emotional abuse’ and chose not to join them.

Bobby Brown, 45, reportedly didn’t inform his castmates that he wouldn’t be participating. When Gayle King of CBS Mornings shared his statement, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jeremiah Brent, and Jonathan Van Ness appeared visibly shocked and held onto each other for support.

Although the four cast members didn’t share specifics, food and wine expert Antoni Porowski, 41, simply described their working relationship as ‘complicated.’ This fueled rumors of a disagreement after it was discovered that Jonathan Van Ness had unfollowed everyone on the show except Tan France, 41.

This is another setback for the reality show’s cast, as the show is currently airing its last season after being canceled.

In 2024, Bobby Berk, a well-known interior designer, announced he was leaving the show and would be replaced by Brent.

Berk, 44, explained that something happened with fashion expert France, 42, off-camera, which led to speculation about why he left the show.

Following fan speculation about him unfollowing France on social media, Berk admitted there was a personal issue between him and Tan, but it wasn’t related to their work on the show.

‘It was something personal that had been brewing – and nothing romantic, just to clarify that. 

Honestly, I regret unfollowing Tan. Muting him probably would’ve been the smarter move. But I just reacted in the heat of the moment, and that was that. We were so close, practically family, and families argue, you know? It just felt… permanent, and maybe it didn’t need to be.

A Rolling Stone article claimed that France and Tom Schwartz worked together to remove Tom Sandoval from the show and bring in Brent, a friend of the British star. France has denied these claims.

Sources claim Berk was surprised and upset by how his exit was handled, and that he had been clashing with fellow cast members France and Van Ness during filming.

Although Berk said he decided to leave the show on his own, France implied this wasn’t true, pointing out that Berk reacted to suggestions he’d been part of the decision-making process.

Responding to the report about Instagram, France stated that her ex-colleague’s dismissal wasn’t related to her attempt to help a friend get a job.

Yes, I’m thrilled they got the job! I genuinely believe they’ll be fantastic on the show. And just to be clear, I didn’t help them get hired by pushing anyone else out.

News about disagreements among the cast came at the same time as accusations that Jonathan Van Ness, the show’s grooming expert, was difficult to work with and made people uncomfortable on set.

Several people working on the show told Rolling Stone that Jonathan Van Ness, who uses he/him, she/her, and they/them pronouns, created problems during production. They were accused of being emotionally abusive and having anger management issues, making the show increasingly challenging to film.

Thirty-eight-year-old Van Ness addressed the allegations on the podcast Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware, stating they were unfounded.

Many people seemed to be actively searching for something to dislike about me, or for confirmation of their existing negative opinions – wanting to prove they were right about me all along.

Van Ness said the cast found out about the article three months before it came out, and that much of the information in it was twisted and presented in a way that made them appear in a negative light.

They strongly denied the article’s accuracy, claiming it was deliberately misleading. However, they acknowledged they sometimes lost their temper and could have handled situations more effectively.

The report described a noticeable sense of fear surrounding Van Ness when they become angry, comparing it to an exaggerated, cartoonish display of rage that seems to visibly emanate from them.

They described the situation as stressful and frightening, and said Van Ness had a tendency to raise their voice and would often have outbursts about once a week.

According to one source, Van Ness presents a warm and charismatic public persona, but they have a different side to their personality that emerges when they’re not in the public eye.

They claimed that these people felt a daily need to find someone to criticize or blame, even over minor issues. They always had to have someone to cast as the ‘bad guy’ for the day.

According to Rolling Stone, the cast of Queer Eye had disagreements and competed with each other for more screen time and to be seen as the show’s main star.

Honestly, everyone from the show is doing great now, which is amazing! But let’s be real, Tan France just exploded in popularity. He was the one everyone instantly fell in love with, and he totally deserved all the attention. He was the star, hands down, and I’ve been following everything he’s done since!

They stand out from the group with the largest social media following, and they’ve also achieved success as authors – including a book that hit the New York Times bestseller list – and with their popular podcast, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness.

I’ve been so impressed watching how this podcast has grown! It actually launched its own Netflix series back in 2022, and the creator has also built a really popular haircare line – JVN – that you can now find at Sephora. It’s a fantastic example of building a brand that really resonates with people.

Even though serious accusations were made against the show’s cast, people working on the production team say the Fab Five truly care about and connect with the people they’re helping.

‘The experience that the Fab Five gives to the heroes… all that’s very real,’ one source insisted. 

Many dedicated people pour their hearts and souls – and often sacrifice sleep – to create a show that resonates with viewers.

The show’s next season did air on schedule and received three nominations at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

But just last July, Netflix quickly announced the show’s cancellation, stating that the next, tenth season would be the final one.

The Queer Eye Instagram account announced that filming has begun for the show’s tenth and final season, sharing a photo of the Fab Five. The caption read: ’10 seasons. fab five. one last go ‘round!’

The cast of Queer Eye responded quickly to the announcement, with Tan France sharing: ‘It’s been wonderful to create this amazing show over the years.’

Van Ness added: ‘What a wild ride. Excited to bring it back one more time.’

Porowski shared the post to his Instagram story, adding the message ‘Let’s make our last one count’ along with a heart-hand and clapping emoji.

Brent just posted the Netflix news to his Instagram story, and former castmate Berk responded with a heartfelt ‘What a ride ❤️’.

Brown is not believed to have acknowledged the post. 

He has stopped following Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, and Tan France on Instagram, but continues to follow Bobby Berk and Karamo Brown.

On Tuesday, Brown refused to join his co-stars as they promoted their final season. 

Gayle King, hosting CBS Mornings, explained that while they usually refer to their group as the “Fab Five,” one member was missing.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! I just found out – like, less than an hour ago – that Karamo isn’t coming today. I was SO excited to see him, and now I’m just… devastated. Seriously, my whole day was planned around this! It’s awful!

King then shared part of Brown’s message, explaining that the celebrity apologized for missing the show and expressed gratitude to its viewers.

In a message read by King, Brown explained that she couldn’t attend because she’s spent the last ten years encouraging people to prioritize and defend their mental well-being, especially from negativity around them.

‘His assistant also says he’s worried about being bullied,’ King added.

‘I’m very sorry to hear this – that he apparently feels this way. What do you have to say?’ she asked Brown’s costars, who are promoting the show’s final season.

King quickly clarified that the cast were ‘as surprised as we are’ by the cancellation.

Porowski, with his hand on France’s lap, replied: ‘Yeah – surprised is a fair understatement.’

Tan France didn’t share many specifics, but mentioned that the cast of Queer Eye has been working together for nearly ten years, which is amazing. He also pointed out that, like all families, they have their complexities and aren’t immune to challenges.

He continued, saying that while that’s certainly correct, they also wanted to celebrate the amazing people involved and acknowledge the impact of the last ten years. France listened without comment, a small smile playing on her lips.

Brent, clearly moved, spoke up to say that being part of this group had completely changed his life.

He explained the show aims to showcase the good in people, and emphasized that ‘we – this country – really need that right now’.

After clarifying she didn’t want to dismiss Karamo’s feelings, King asked if the rest of the cast wanted to address him directly.

Van Ness shared that he deeply appreciated a lesson he learned from Kamaro: the importance of understanding and connecting with people based on their individual circumstances. Kamaro consistently emphasized prioritizing and addressing people’s specific needs.

I’m really impressed with him. It’s important to prioritize your own needs and do what you have to do to take care of yourself – I definitely feel that way sometimes too. I think it’s admirable when someone does that, and I respect him for putting himself first.

The issue gained attention again when the group appeared on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, and Brown expanded on his claims in a video message.

Brown said he ‘has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years’, but did not say by whom.

He made the decision to not appear on the program ‘to protect himself and his peace’, Jones read.

In the video, Brown explained that she’s embodying the season’s message by prioritizing self-love and safety, reminding everyone to do the same.

Honestly, it really stung to hear him say he was staying home and wouldn’t be joining them. He just told everyone to keep watching the show, and then thanked the team and Netflix – but he didn’t mention a single one of his co-stars, which felt…off. It’s hard not to read into that, you know?

Brown became well-known in 2004 on the reality show The Real World: Philadelphia. He was a groundbreaking figure as one of the first openly gay Black men featured on television.

He was surprised to discover he had a 10-year-old son, something he only learned when he received a legal notice demanding $230,000 in unpaid child support.

When Karamo was fifteen, he had a brief relationship with a classmate, Stephanie Brooks, which resulted in the birth of his son, Jason.

In his memoir, Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope, Karamo shared the story of first finding out he was going to be a parent.

Still feeling the effects of drugs, Brown said he was groggy when he noticed the headline: ‘Texas Attorney General’s Office.’

Brown described reading the words ‘Subpoena for Back Child Support’ on the second page of a document, which immediately made him think he was being pranked by Ashton Kutcher, as on the show ‘Punk’d’.

‘I literally spit out the juice I was drinking. Now I was fully freaking out.’

The child support order came from the state, triggered by Brook’s application for public assistance – it wasn’t related to any lawsuit she filed against Brown.

After taking a paternity test, Brown went to Texas to meet Jason and admitted he was frightened. He realized he had a child he didn’t know about, and he worried he had complicated the boy’s life.

He remembered the incredible feeling of seeing his son for the first time. He said it was like something inside him clicked into place, filling a void he hadn’t even realized he had. Looking at his young son, he knew he was ready to be a father.

In 2007, Brown was granted custody of Jason. Then, in 2010, he adopted Christian, who was Brooks’ son from a previous relationship.

In her upcoming memoir, Brown recalls a simple moment with her son, Christian, when he was seven years old. She remembers him asking if he could go outside to skate one morning, and feeling comfortable replying, “Yes, Son.”

I spoke with Stephanie and suggested I take legal guardianship of Christian to help him get his life back on track.

Christian returned, and I asked him if he’d like to move in with us permanently, after speaking with his mother. He happily agreed and hugged me tightly.

Brown co-parented his sons with his fiancé, Ian Jordan, a television executive. They were engaged in 2018 after being together for eight years.

In 2020, the couple announced they were separating after deciding their relationship wasn’t working with their busy lives.

Brown explained that they grew apart because they were focused on raising their children and building their careers. This led them to question their communication, other aspects of their life together, and whether they were still growing in the same direction.

We’ve both grown up, so it wasn’t a simple matter of just ending communication. We had built a life together – a family and a home – and figuring out how to separate that was really difficult. We tried virtual counseling and explored other options to help us through it.

I realized I had to choose my own happiness, and that led me to the difficult decision to end the relationship.

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2026-01-21 17:24