The Fab Five seem inseparable on-screen, but that’s not the case behind the scenes.

Queer Eye cast drama explained: Inside Karamo Brown’s ‘abuse’ allegations, Bobby Berk’s sudden exit, and more

The Fab Five seem inseparable on-screen, but that's not the case behind the scenes.

By Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe

Allison DeGrushe is a timely SEO writer at **. She has been working at * *since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on Distractify.

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January 21, 2026 4:11 p.m. ET

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Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Karamo Brown on 'Queer Eye'. Credit:

Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix

- Karamo Brown skipped press with the Fab Five ahead of *Queer Eye*'s season 10 premiere, raising questions about the cast's dynamics offscreen.

- Bobby Berk left the show in 2023, and later addressed rumored tensions with a fellow cast member.

- A 2024 *Rolling Stone *expose outlined accusations of abuse against Jonathan Van Ness, who believes the article was "overwhelmingly untrue and done in bad faith."

The Fab Five might bring positive vibes to *Queer Eye*, but offscreen drama has seemingly been brewing for years.

Ahead of the series' 10th and final season's premiere, the pros — Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, and Jeremiah Brent — were scheduled for several press events to chat about the show, but Brown was notably not present.

His absence has sparked speculation about the Fab Fives' dynamic behind the scenes, and reminded fans of past cast drama, from Bobby Berk's exit from the group in 2023 to abuse allegations against Van Ness.

Below, we break down the *Queer Eye* controversies that led us to this moment.

Why did Karamo Brown skip the *Queer Eye *press tour?

Karamo Brown in season 10 of 'Queer Eye'.

David Needleman/Netflix

Ahead of *Queer Eye*'s 10th and final season, the Fab Five were set for a press tour — but Brown didn't participate. On Tuesday, January 20, he missed interviews on *CBS Mornings *and *Today*, explaining the need to protect his mental health "from people or a world who seek to destroy it," according to a statement provided to *CBS Mornings*. Host Gayle King also revealed that Brown's assistant confirmed he was "worried about being bullied."

Representatives for Brown and *Queer Eye* did not respond to **'s request for comment.

During the *CBS Mornings *interview, Porowski admitted that Brown's decision to sit out was surprising. "Our *Queer Eye* family, we've been doing this for almost a decade… and families are complicated and we're definitely not excluded from that," the food and wine expert said. "But I think two things can exist at the same time and while that is definitely true, we're also here to showcase these incredible heroes that we have and really honor the legacy of this past decade of our lives and all these wonderful heroes that we've had the blessing of getting to meet and have conversations with."

Here's how the Fab 5 say goodbye in 'Queer Eye' final season

Bobby Berk says former 'Queer Eye' costar Karamo Brown called him out over new show announcement

Van Ness chimed in and expressed support for Brown, saying, "He has taught people to center what they need and I'm actually really proud of him. Center what you need, do the things you need to do to take care of you — I'd be lying if I didn't feel like that sometimes."

Brown later joined the *Today *show via a brief video appearance, saying, "Just like the themes of this season, I'm modeling what I believe is most important, which I want to remind you all: love yourselves and protect yourselves. That's why I'm here at home and not there."

He also thanked the crew, fans, and Netflix executives, but notably didn't acknowledge his costars.

Co-host Sheinelle Jones shared that Brown's assistant confirmed he "has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years," and that his therapist advised him to skip the interviews "to protect himself and his peace."

Porowski weighed in, saying that he and the rest of the Fab Five were "so sorry that he's not here. We fully support, I think, as a collective unit, him taking care of himself," he said. "And to echo what he's saying, we're here to honor the legacy of a decade, which is so wild to think about. And all of the heroes that we helped."

Why did Bobby Berk leave Queer Eye?

Bobby Berk in season 6 of 'Queer Eye'.

Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix

Berk's exit from *Queer Eye *caught a lot of fans off guard. He announced in 2023 that season 8 would be his last, prompting rumors that the interior design expert's departure was tied to an alleged falling out with France.

In January 2024, Berk opened up to* Vanity Fair* about his exit,* *and making it clear that leaving "wasn't an easy" choice. While he pushed back on some of the speculation, he confirmed there had been some tension between himself and France.

"Tan and I had a moment," he explained. "There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that."

Berk also acknowledged unfollowing France on Instagram, admitting it was a heat-of-the-moment decision, "Should I have unfollowed Tan? No. Maybe I should have just muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that's the end of it. We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight."

He continued, "I will always have a very special place in my heart for him and Rob and the kids. I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other's house being good."

Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Bobby Berk, and Antoni Porowski in season 8 of 'Queer Eye'.

Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix

Ultimately, Berk explained that his decision to leave *Queer Eye *had less to do with cast drama and more to do with timing and contracts. According to the *Vanity Fair *interview, the Fab Five's original seven-cycle contract was set to end in September 2022, with the group assuming that meant the series was ending. However, Netflix ended up offering a new multi-season contract.

By then, Berk had already committed to other projects and decided not to sign on for more *Queer Eye *seasons. He claimed the other members also considered walking away, but they eventually chose to renew.

Netflix did not respond to EW's request for comment at the time.

"There were definitely emotions. But each one of us had our reasons why we did what we did," Berk added. "I can't be mad — for a second I was. All the plans that I had made when I thought we weren't coming back, I just wasn't willing to change those. I would have had to pump the brakes on multiple other projects that are already in process. We had mentally just prepared ourselves to move on — that's why I left."

Jeremiah Brent replaced Berk for *Queer Eye*'s final two seasons.

What were those allegations of abuse against Jonathan Van Ness?

Jonathan Van Ness and Nick McCall in season 10 of 'Queer Eye'.

Kit Karzen/Netflix

In March 2024, *Rolling Stone* published an expose that included allegations from multiple people connected to the show's production that claimed Van Ness, who uses he/she/they pronouns, was emotionally "abusive" and had "rage issues." Some described Van Ness as difficult to work with, even going as far as to call them a "monster" and a "nightmare" on set.

One source explained, "[There's] a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It's almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them. It's intense and scary." Another person alleged that Van Ness would snap at someone once a day, singling them out to "blame and make the villain of the day."

In June 2024, Van Ness spoke out on Jessie and Lennie Ware's *Table Manners* podcast, saying that the allegations weren't "really based in reality." They added, "I think a lot of people were looking for a reason to hate me or looking for a reason to be like, 'See, I always knew that they were a fake c---.'"

Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jeremiah Brent, Jonathan Van Ness, and Karamo Brown in season 10 of 'Queer Eye'.

Kit Karzen/Netflix

Van Ness admitted that, while they believe the article was "overwhelmingly untrue and done in bad faith," it still struck a chord and made them reflect on some of the most challenging days in their careers.

"There have obviously been times throughout my career where you're stressed out, or I may have been elbow-deep in highlights and was like, 'No, I can't talk about that right now,'" Van Ness explained. "I know that there were times where I could have been better. But I think also being a survivor of abuse and talking about everything that I've talked about, I internalized it so badly. I was like, 'Oh my God, is it true? Am I really this bad person?'"

Van Ness said they ended up using the piece as a chance to "slow down, disengage, and then really love myself."

Where can I watch Queer Eye?

*Queer Eye *is now streaming on Netflix.

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