Tan France shuts down claims that he 'campaigned' to replace Bobby Berk on Queer Eye with friend

Tan France has denied allegations that he campaigned to replace Bobby Berk with his pal Jeremiah Brent on Queer Eye, making him the first of the Fab Five to address a recent exposé about alleged tension and tumult on the set of the Emmy-winning series.

The fashion expert shared a video on Instagram Friday to confirm that, yes, he is aware of the chatter surrounding this week's Rolling Stone story.

"And I just want to address one point real quick," France 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. Am I so happy that they have the job? Uh-huh. I really am. I think they're going to be incredible on the show. But I didn't get them hired by getting rid of somebody else."

France added that the allegations surfaced "because of a comment on a gossip blog that just got reposted and then it's almost become gospel."

He said, "So from the horse's mouth: I'm telling you, that that's not at all how it went down. And that's all I'll say on the matter. If you need to dig deeper, if you still don't believe me, so be it, but that's it."

Three unnamed sources in the Rolling Stone report published Tuesday claimed that France "campaigned" for Berk's replacement "with alleged support" from his costar, food expert Antoni Porowski, with one calling it "mean girl antics." Other allegations included grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness having "rage issues" and the cast competing with each other for more screen time.

Representatives for Netflix, France, Porowski, and Van Ness did not respond to EW's request for comment at the time.

Netflix announced last month that Brent — an HGTV staple alongside his husband, Nate Berkus, who has appeared on the streamer's Say I Do (also developed by the Queer Eye creators) — would replace Berk in the show's upcoming ninth season. Berk announced his surprise departure in 2023, explaining earlier this year that he opted not to renew his contract and confirming rumors that he and France had clashed a bit.

"We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight," Berk told Vanity Fair, adding that he'd "always have a very special place in my heart" for France.

"I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other's house being good," he said. "The [recent] Emmys was already the first bandage on that wound."

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