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Behind that heartwarming makeover magic lies a complicated reality. Join us as we reveal the backstage tensions and personal struggles of the Fab Five! Our countdown includes Bobby's difficult childhood, JVN's substance abuse history, Karamo's dramatic exit, and the shocking Season 8 crime incidents. Was your perception of the show affected by these revelations?
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00:00One of the Fab Five is not here. We received word just in less than an hour ago that Karamo
00:05Brown is not going to be joining us today. Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're exploring
00:10the most notorious, unsettling, and dark backstage and on-screen scandals involving Netflix's
00:16reality makeover show, Queer Eye. All of y'all are going to get rabies, and I'm not going to be
00:20the
00:20one. This is how the outbreak happens. The outbreak happens, and everybody catches it,
00:24and then they're looking at me like, why doesn't Karamo happen?
00:27The Karamo and Antony Rift
00:29Everyone wanted to believe that the Fab Five were as close in real life as they appeared
00:34during Queer Eye. Yet when the show was in its infancy in 2019, Karamo released his memoir and
00:49followed it with podcast appearances that dampened that hope. The culture expert discussed how he
00:54and Antony had a feud, resulting in them not speaking off-camera during the show's first
00:58season. On camera, it was about the person and about creating something successful, and so that
01:04was genuine. But off-camera, the minute that camera stopped rolling, girl, don't come near me.
01:09Ooh!
01:10It was, and vice versa, he didn't want me to come near him.
01:13Karamo stated that taking into account only their personalities, they got along without an issue.
01:18Yet when an unnamed third person got involved and spread rumors about the pair,
01:22Antony and Karamo fell out. However, eventually, upon realizing how toxic this mystery gossip was,
01:29Karamo and Antony fixed their broken relationship.
01:31I think Deanna was a very important episode as well, just sharing the immigrant story. Hopefully
01:35we get to do more of those because there's so many different experiences,
01:38and that was one that really touched me.
01:40Bobby's Tough Upbringing
01:41Long before he became the interior design expert on Queer Eye,
01:45Bobby had an intense childhood that seems more akin to a soap opera than real life.
01:49Growing up in the Bible Belt of rural Missouri, or misery as Bobby has referred to it,
01:55was a struggle as a gay youth.
01:57So at 15, I realized I was gay, and I knew that coming out of my hometown was not an
02:01option,
02:02but I also knew that wearing that face, that mask, every single day of being a different person was,
02:09you know.
02:10Adopted by his aunt and uncle, he not only received homophobia from others,
02:13but also from his family. Bobby's relationship with Christianity in his hometown,
02:18which often preached homophobic rhetoric,
02:21has been so severely tainted that he remembers his trauma whenever seeing a church.
02:25Like, I cannot help but almost hiss
02:29when I see a church when I drive by, because I just,
02:32it brings back such negative memories.
02:35This disassociation with who he was and his conservative home
02:38led to Bobby leaving when he was a teenager,
02:41dropping out of school, and sleeping in his car.
02:43I mean, I lived in my car, I lived with friends.
02:48I mean, weren't they freaking out?
02:50Yeah, but we didn't talk for a while.
02:53Tan's struggle with religion and sexuality.
02:55When he became the fashion and French tuck expert for Queer Eye,
02:59Tan broke the mold by becoming one of the most prominent openly gay Muslims on TV.
03:04Yet growing up in Doncaster, England, was a vastly different experience for him.
03:08There was a TV show called Queer as Folk that came out when I was 14,
03:13and it was centered around the gay village.
03:15And then when I moved to Manchester, I desperately wanted to go,
03:19just because I thought that that was a place I could authentically, truly be myself.
03:23As detailed in his 2019 memoir,
03:26Tan's sexuality with his family and the community's religion didn't mix well.
03:30As such, he regularly received homophobic abuse.
03:33On top of that, he was also a victim of racist attacks.
03:37This caused a young Tan to bleach his skin in an attempt to avoid the abuse.
03:41I think when people think of self-harm,
03:44they think of something very different to skin bleaching.
03:47Now when I look back, I think,
03:49God, how did I think that wasn't self-harm?
03:51Eventually, he relocated to the US.
03:54Tan has stated his reluctance to return permanently to the UK,
03:57believing it pretends to not have a racism problem when it does.
04:00I've literally never, ever been on the receiving end of abuse on the streets of Salt Lake City,
04:07and I've been there for 11 years now.
04:09Whereas in England, it was almost daily.
04:12JVN's rough start.
04:13On the surface, watching the cheery grooming expert on Queer Eye,
04:17there's no sign that Jonathan had a terrible upbringing.
04:20This haircut is magic.
04:21Her face is magical.
04:23Her lashes are like this long.
04:25Beautiful.
04:26Like, her lashes are next level.
04:28Yet, unfortunately, he did.
04:30Raised in Quincy, Illinois,
04:32Jonathan was abused by a fellow church member,
04:34which their family didn't take seriously.
04:36I worked really hard to accept,
04:38and I've gone to therapy like twice a week for years and years and years.
04:42So for my personal status, I don't,
04:44I feel great, I feel thriving, I feel healthy.
04:46On top of being tormented for his sexuality and challenging gender norms,
04:50she began to spiral.
04:52At college, Jonathan offered services to men to pay for illegal substances,
04:56becoming dependent on both.
04:58As well as having to leave after a semester due to their grades falling,
05:02the future hair icon also received a lifelong condition.
05:05In 2019, Jonathan went public with the fact that she was HIV positive.
05:10Since then, he's become an advocate for those with the disease.
05:13And it was, you know, scary too.
05:15I didn't ever picture myself sitting here on your couch
05:17talking about undetectable equals untransmittable.
05:19Right.
05:21But, you know, sometimes I've been telling a lot of people to speak truth to power,
05:25and I was like, I think I have to take my turn to speak truth to power.
05:29Do that yourself.
05:30Yeah.
05:30Poor problem.
05:31When Queer Eye first debuted on our screens,
05:34most people were delighted by the LGBTQIA plus positive program.
05:38However, some viewers pointed out that there was a major issue
05:41when it came to the Fab Five addressing class differences.
05:44Is this your bedroom?
05:46It's so small.
05:47We have the smallest room in the house.
05:49These kids share rooms, so they have the bigger rooms.
05:51But they never sleep with you guys.
05:54They do.
05:55For example, in season one, Bobby, not the designer, but the guest,
05:59was holding multiple jobs and was giving any spare finances to his six children.
06:04As such, wearing the correct fashionable clothes wasn't a top priority.
06:09However, Tan instead admonished him for not making the effort for his partner.
06:12I want my partner to look at me and think,
06:14I respect them enough to make an effort for them.
06:16I mean, Vera clearly makes an effort,
06:18and she's doing it so you are still attracted to her.
06:21And I think it's important you do the same for her.
06:23When visiting William's residence in season two,
06:26the Fab Five seemingly mocked his trailer.
06:28They also judged him for sleeping in the same bed
06:31that his partner's ex had shared with her.
06:33There's stains all over the couch, and look underneath it.
06:36Oh.
06:37How long have you had it?
06:38We've had it for about six months and got $30 at the Goodwill.
06:42They ripped you off.
06:43The Skylar J episode.
06:45Considering Queer Eye often promotes issues and stories in the LGBTQIA plus community,
06:50it was only fitting that they did an episode on someone trans.
06:53Well, in season two, they had Skylar, a trans man, as their hero.
06:57It's like, how are you feeling?
06:59I'm excited.
07:00What's your experience been with shaving in your life?
07:01Well, I was never really, like, taught.
07:03Yeah.
07:03You know, like, I went through my second puberty in my mid-20s.
07:07However, while some were happy with the episode,
07:09others, especially some within the trans community,
07:13felt the framing was off.
07:14They believed that the episode was catering more to cis folks
07:17rather than other trans people.
07:19Tan especially drew criticism for commenting that Skylar was the first
07:23transgender person he'd met.
07:25Probably most straight people assume that because it's LGBTQ,
07:29we must all understand each other's plight.
07:32No.
07:32That couldn't be more wrong.
07:33I've never met a trans person before.
07:35Truly, I've never met a trans person.
07:36In this car alone, our five stories are so completely different.
07:39However, Skylar had a very different take.
07:41He stated that the five were supportive,
07:43and a lot of their conversations didn't make the episodes cut,
07:47including when they talked in-depth about what life was like being trans.
07:51God, I spent almost, like, a decade of my life being miserable in my body.
07:54Just miserable.
07:56And the way that it affected me and the way that I interacted with people,
07:59like, I haven't even felt, like, comfortable giving hugs in, like, a decade
08:02because I, like, feel people touch my chest,
08:05and it just makes me so uncomfortable.
08:07The Season 8 Crime Spree
08:09If you're a die-hard Queer Eye fan,
08:11you might have realized that Season 8 was shorter than every other,
08:14except the final one with only six episodes.
08:17Well, there's a reason for it.
08:19Crime.
08:19At the beginning of this week, what were you hoping would happen?
08:23That Miranda and I would hook together.
08:26Yeah.
08:27Conte, you know.
08:28I mean, what y'all did to me?
08:30Lord, Lord, Lord.
08:31As the production crew was unloading a vehicle in Louisiana,
08:35a group of masked assailants attempted and failed to steal the car.
08:39While bosses spent cash on additional security,
08:42trimming the number of episodes in the season,
08:44days later, it was tried again.
08:46After the criminals failed with another attempt,
08:48they dragged a crew member from another car and stole it.
08:51The Hollywood Reporter says three suspects got into her SUV
08:54and ordered her to get out.
08:56This allegedly happened outside the Fab Five mansion
08:58on Grand Route, St. John Street.
09:00Two people were later arrested.
09:02The season fell into further scandal when musician Doreen Ketchins,
09:05who was a hero,
09:07accused the production of property damage
09:08theft and exploitation.
09:11I'm at the stage now where I got this huge head start
09:16and I got these great ideas
09:18for something my mother and father would definitely be proud of.
09:24JVN's alleged rage.
09:26Following a cast member departure,
09:27more on that later,
09:29there was a lot of speculation on the cause.
09:31In 2024, Rolling Stone released a report
09:34that pointed part of the blame at Jonathan.
09:36You can go like that.
09:38Absolutely.
09:39You can do a little like these moments.
09:42Tell me what you feel.
09:43Do you feel crazy?
09:44I feel crazy.
09:45According to anonymous sources involved with Queer Eye's production,
09:48they claimed that due to rivalry between the Fab Five
09:51for who was the show's top star,
09:53Jonathan demonstrated emotional abuse
09:55and would go into a rage at staff,
09:57yelling at them in the hope of making a villain of the day.
09:59I'm going to have to take a few of these.
10:01You know, I don't think you're going to be needing these anymore.
10:03If you see it on my Instagram, don't come for me.
10:05It's nice to meet you.
10:06Okay, bye.
10:07One source compared Jonathan's anger oozing out of them like a cartoon.
10:11The sources also claim Jonathan had at least one meeting with Netflix about his behavior.
10:16However, the hairstylist refuted the allegations,
10:19stating they were written in bad faith.
10:21Even though I do believe that that article was like overwhelmingly untrue
10:24and done in bad faith,
10:25there have obviously been times through your career,
10:28like through my career where you're like stressed out
10:30or like I may have been like elbow deep in highlights
10:32and was like, no, I can't talk about that right now.
10:34Bobby's departure.
10:36Following years as an intrinsic part of the Fab Five,
10:39in 2023, Bobby confirmed that season eight would be his last in Queer Eye.
10:43It's not been an easy decision to be at peace with, but a necessary one.
10:48He teases, although my journey with Queer Eye is over,
10:51my journey with you is not.
10:53You will be seeing more of me very soon.
10:56Reports soon emerged about backstage drama.
10:59One involved allegations that Tan had lobbied for Bobby to be replaced with Jeremiah Brent,
11:03who later took over.
11:05Bobby has stated publicly that he and Tan did have a falling out,
11:09resulting in him unfollowing the fashion expert on social media,
11:12which Bobby regretted.
11:13Should I have unfollowed Tan?
11:15No, maybe I should have just muted him.
11:18But that day I was angry, and that's the end of it.
11:21We became like siblings, and siblings are always going to fight.
11:25At the time, the interior designer stated the reason for his departure was contractual.
11:29In 2023, the Fab Five 7 cycle contract was ending.
11:34However, following the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes,
11:37Netflix wanted to continue.
11:39However, Bobby didn't sign on and believe the others would follow suit,
11:43but they didn't.
11:44I feel like when you leave on a high,
11:47and everything is still great,
11:51you're able then in the future to come back.
11:53Right.
11:54And not like maybe come back fully,
11:55but like, oh, do a little special, or oh, do a little tour.
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12:15Karamo's No Show
12:16With season 10 of Queer Eye being the show and the Fab Five swan song,
12:21the team arrived at CBS Mornings for an interview to promote it in 2026.
12:25However, rather than being a by-the-numbers segment,
12:28a scandal emerged when Karamo refused to appear with his colleagues.
12:31He sent a statement, he apologized for not attending this interview,
12:35he thanked the audience, he said in part,
12:37I hope everyone remembers to focus on and to protect their mental health,
12:41peace from people or a world who seek to destroy it,
12:44which is why I can't be there today.
12:46The culture expert put out a statement that he was protecting his mental health
12:50after feeling, quote,
12:51mentally and emotionally abused for years.
12:54Soon after, it was alleged that during filming,
12:57Karamo's mother overheard Jonathan, Tan, and Antony mock Karamo,
13:01leading to this fracture.
13:03Coincidentally, he also unfollowed the trio on Instagram.
13:06I would say one thing that I've been so honored to learn from Karamo in my time
13:10is that it's just like he said in that package,
13:12we have to meet people where they're at.
13:13Yes.
13:14And he has taught people to center what they need,
13:17and I'm actually really proud of him.
13:18Bobby then alluded to the scandal on TikTok by promoting his new show
13:22and playing a Chapel Roan song that involves karma before deleting his account.
13:26How's everyone's week going?
13:27Have you seen my new show, Junk or Jackpot, on HGTV, HBO Max, and Discovery Plus?
13:34As for the song paired with The Post,
13:36the interior designer opts for Chapel Roan's My Kink is Karma.
13:40Did the backstage drama ruin Queer Eye for you,
13:43or did it not make a difference to how much you loved it?
13:45Let us know below.
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