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Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
Just over a decade after it sashayed away, Queer Eye is back and as fierce as ever. Now on Netflix, the reboot follows basically the same premise as the landmark original series: five queer men put their talents to work to improve the life of an average Joe. The new show captures that TV makeover magic again thanks to the brand new and splendidly cast Fab Five. But no matter how good these fresh-faced experts are, it’s impossible to forget your first time.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy didn’t just change television when it debuted in 2003, it also helped push culture forward. As quite possibly the first show with an all-gay cast, the first Fab Five were more than just quick-witted and highly-skilled reality stars. They were an inspiration and, at times, a lifeline to countless viewers across the country yearning to see someone–anyone–like themselves on TV. During the show’s five-season run, the Queer Eye gang was catapulted to TV stardom (and snagged an Emmy along the way).
RELATED: Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye’ Gives Me Hope For The South
But where are they now, and where have they been in the 11 years where the Queer Eye was shut? Some have gone on to even bigger stardom, while others are working with Tina Fey and on a first-name basis with Reba McEntire. Check out the slideshow above to see how things just keep getting better for those game-changing gays.
Queer Eye's new fashion expert Tan France is the man behind the UK women's clothing line Kingdom & State and made the leap to TV for this new role. Tan brings a lot of diversity to the show, too, as he's a Pakistani gay man that was born in England and immigrated to the United States where he now lives with his mormon husband in Utah. Wow, right? That's one major reason why Tan wanted the platform that Queer Eye provides, as he told us in an interview: "I wanted [the men we make over] to see that we are just as much a member of this community as anybody else. So for me, it was really important that they experienced a person that they probably wouldn't have ever had the opportunity to do. So I hope that opened some eyes."
Follow Tan on Instagram Courtesy of Netflix
The Fab Five's interior design expert Bobby Berk is always quick with a smile and even quicker with fabulous home makeovers. Berk has been a name in the interior design world for a while now, as evidenced by his line of furniture and home goods (it's basically Booby, Berk & Beyond over here). Berk brings a bit of upbeat fun to the show, but he also has a serious discussion about growing up religious and how that conflicted with his sexuality in episode 5. Berk told us he got out of his small town at the age of 15. "I ran away at 15 and I've been on my own for 22 years now. So that's the experience of having to fight and claw my way from a very young age to where I'm at now." Bobby is married and has been with his partner for over a decade.
Follow Bobby on Instagram and TwitterCourtesy of Netflix
Eagle-eyed reality fans obviously remember Karamo as a cast member on The Real World: Philadelphia in 2004, where he became the first out black man in that franchise. Following his Real World season, Karamo became a social worker and spent 10 years working in the field. He returned to TV yeeeeears later, all the wiser and still camera-ready. He was a panelist on shows hosted by Ross Mathews, Tia Mowry, and Dr. Drew, and now brings his emotional expertise to Queer Eye, which makes his job as the new culture expert slightly different from before. "The first time around, I don't think it was dived in enough," Karamo told us. "I don't think we explored the courage and what people had to go through inside. So this time around, I wanted to make sure we focused on what is holding you back, because these guys do an amazing job fixing the outside, and I try to nuzzle my way in with their help of really making sure we got to the core of why you feel like you're being stopped."
Follow Karamo on Instagram and TwitterCourtesy of Netflix
Originally from Canada, this mostly self-taught chef made his way to New York after earning a degree in psychology. Once in NYC, he found a mentor in original Queer Eye food and wine guy (and now the host of Chopped) Ted Allen. While he also has a fledgling acting career, Porowski brings his lifelong love of food (and no doubt some of that psychology degree) to his work on Queer Eye-an experience that even taught him a thing or to, we learned from Porowski: "Most of my life was spent as a heterosexual man. I've been with more women than men. I've only been in two relationships with guys, and then I went back to women for a long time. I learned so much about being gay in the past few months!"
Follow Antoni on Instagram and TwitterCourtesy of Netflix
In terms of internet superstardom, Jonathan Van Ness had already made a name for himself as the host of the Funny or Die webseries Gay of Thrones. Every week, Van Ness spilled the tea about the latest Game of Thrones ep while styling a celeb-of-the-week's hair. Gay of Thrones more than proved that Van Ness knows how to dish out quips, and Queer Eye lets him show off his truly next-level hairstyling talent. Van Ness comes from a small town along the Mississippi River. "I come from a really little town and when I say I was chased around with a pitchfork, like, it's a half joke," Van Ness told us in a chat. "But I did grow up in a rural town on the Mississippi River like five hours southwest of Chicago. At 13 or 14 when the show came out, I was for sure I would not be allowed to get married when I grew up." After admiring the original Queer Eye, Van Ness is now serving grooming guru realness on the reboot.
Follow Jonathan Instagram and TwitterCourtesy of Netflix
