The Fab 5: Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Bobby Berk, and Jonathan Van Ness.
Courtesy of Getty Pictures
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has, for the primary time, publicly commented on allegations that they had been abusive on the set of Netflix‘s smash hit makeover sequence.
The grooming professional was caught within the centre of a Rolling Stone investigation in March this 12 months which claimed Van Ness had “rage points” and that subsequent pressure among the many Fab 5 prompted Bobby Berk‘s departure from the present.
The report mentioned three sources who had labored with 37-year-old Van Ness described them as being emotionally “abusive” and a “monster.” Claims included that Queer Eye‘s work setting was “actually poisonous” with a “manufactured boy band” who had been “informed to be finest mates.” Fellow stars on the eight-series present embody Karamo Brown, Tan France and Antoni Porowski.
Van Ness, who makes use of they/them pronouns, had not but responded to the allegations, and has now come ahead to say the article is just not “actually based mostly in actuality.” They spoke to English singer-songwriter Jessie Ware on the Desk Manners podcast, which dropped on Wednesday.
“There was this text that was written about Queer Eye and myself in March, however our entire Queer Eye household had first discovered about this text in December,” Van Ness mentioned.
“I went from this chapter,” they defined, referring to their enterprise JVN Hair having to be bought by its guardian firm. “Then, ‘Oh, there’s somebody who’s going to jot down an investigative takedown, exposé piece about you that isn’t actually based mostly in actuality, however can actually have quite a lot of issues taken out of context to make you look as unhealthy as doable.
“So from January to March, I used to be strolling on eggshells being like, ‘When is that this going to occur?’ After which it lastly did occur,” they mentioned.
Discussing the response from social media customers to the report, Van Ness added: “I feel lots of people had been in search of a motive to hate me or in search of a motive to be like, ‘See, I at all times knew that they had been a pretend [C-word].’”
They mentioned the allegations prompted them to place down their cellphone for weeks whereas the article circulated. “My household was so supportive, and my husband and my crew. However I didn’t even get on social media to take a look at my cellphone for like three weeks and anytime I attempted to dip my toe in, I’d instantly see one thing that was so intensely hurtful.”
Earlier in March, Queer Eye‘s trend guru France claimed on Instagram that Berk was fired. France wrote: “I simply need to handle one level actual fast. My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me making an attempt to get my good friend employed.” Berk has not commented, however when saying the information of his departure, mentioned it was “my choice.”