Queer Eye sources call Jonathan Van Ness angry, abusive and a nightmare


The drama is ON over at Queer Eye, and it’s all happening off camera! Hot on the heels of Netflix announcing that Jeremiah Brent would replace Bobby Berk as resident interior designer, Rolling Stone has published a deep dive into all the workplace fractures that led to this moment. Production sources pretty much singled out Jonathan Van Ness. Van Ness — whom Rolling Stone cited as using they/he/she pronouns; all pronouns excerpted below appear as printed in the article — provides the beauty & hairstyling expertise, and is arguably the show’s biggest breakout star personality. But it seems that luxuriously coiffed veneer has been hiding a short-tempered diva. Dun Dun DUN!

Boy band energy: “It’s not a new story that a boy band falls apart,” says one Queer Eye production member, who, like the others, requested anonymity, citing NDAs and career repercussions. “Essentially they were a group of people put together in their mid-thirties and told to be best friends. … That’s truly what it was: a manufactured boy band with big personalities that certain ones were favored and certain ones were not, and then eventually [things] turned really toxic.”

Sounds like Van Ness has some anger issues: Four Queer Eye production sources and three sources who worked with Van Ness said the reality star was terrible to work with, using words like “monster,” “nightmare,” and “demeaning” to describe them. Three people labeled Van Ness as emotionally “abusive” and having “rage issues,” and all seven sources said the star would lash out at crew members and people who worked closely with Van Ness. “[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,” one source who worked with Van Ness explains. “It’s intense and scary.”

The daily yell: “Jonathan’s a person who contains multitudes and who has the capacity to be very warm, very charismatic, and has the capacity to make you feel really special that they are paying attention to you,” one source who worked with Van Ness explains. “But at least once a day, they would need to yell at somebody. It might be something small, but there’s always going to be somebody to point out and blame and make the villain of the day.” … Other members could also be difficult at moments, but Van Ness stood out in terms of unprofessionalism, with his various moods dictating how the day would go, two sources say.

No real consequences: Netflix executives had at least one meeting with Van Ness over her behavior and treatment of the crew, two sources with knowledge tell Rolling Stone. Yet it seemed to result in little change, sources claim. “The apparatus of [the show’s production company] ITV and Netflix promotes Jonathan and actively rewards them for their bad behavior,” one of those sources adds. “There’s no accountability at all,” a third person who has worked with Van Ness says.

Shooting Season 8 in New Orleans was brutal: The schedule itself was intensive, filming from June to September with little downtime in humid temperatures. Crew members considered unionizing over alleged construction and safety issues due to rushed renovations, according to one show source. … And there were serious safety issues after assailants carjacked a production vehicle, yanking a production assistant from a SUV and taking off in her car, according to show sources and The Hollywood Reporter. Filming was halted for two days, and ITV hired additional security after the Fab Five threatened to walk away from the shoot if everyone’s safety wasn’t prioritized. … It all seemed like the perfect time to wind the series down. “After New Orleans, everyone was like, ‘I think we’re gonna end it,’” one production source recalls.

[From Rolling Stone]

Oh my goodness, Netflix should totally release a special The Making of Queer Eye Season 8: Big Struggle in the Big Easy. And applause to the executive producers for approving the transplant of five fiery personalities, plus an entire production crew, into a Gulf state… in the summer. There’s no tense situation that can’t be improved with humility humidity. No really, I went to NoLa in early May once and we were so hot and sticky that we voluntarily paid to see Alien: Covenant in a theater. Just to get into that AC!

As for Van Ness, am I surprised? No. But I’m still disappointed. Come on Jonathan, it takes more energy to throw a tantrum and make coworkers’ lives miserable than it does to treat people with kindness and respect. If I were Brent I would be checking with my lawyers right now to see if I had any wiggle room to back out.

Photos credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix, FayesVision/Wenn/Avalon, Faith Moran/Backgrid

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40 Responses to “Queer Eye sources call Jonathan Van Ness angry, abusive and a nightmare”

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  1. lisa says:

    he and his bodyguard came into my sister’s place of work when he played the local venue. you were told not to look at him, speak to him, stand near him. it’s a really small store so that isnt even possible if they buy something. she said of all the acts that come in before their show, he was the rudest in over 10 years.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I’m so disappointed to hear that! I’ve heard him interviewed on various podcasts I listened to; I guess he knows how to behave when it suits him. I’m guessing the photos from this article are from the New Orleans season, I can see no other reason for the shorts they’re all wearing!

    • TarteAuCitron says:

      Oh dear. I’ve enjoyed watching JvN on Queer Eye and it sucks to see that he went full a-hole diva, especially when there was no need for it.

    • Ange says:

      I have family that was on one of the show’s webisodes a few years ago. Even though they tried to make it like the team was all about the community and giving back, not one person in town was allowed to speak to any cast member or engage with them in any way. Even the owners of the property they were renovating weren’t allowed to engage with them off camera. I would believe this.

  2. Lady Esther says:

    nooooo not Jonathan! Their recaps of Game of Thrones gave me life and they are clearly a bona fide star. Sounds like Queer Eye is done as a production due to all the stress anyhow but it’s sad to hear!

    • Lilly (with the double-L) says:

      Same @Lady Esther! I love Gay of Thrones. I need more facts before I opine, even to myself. Twitter has had opposite opinions. Of course, tension will arise among humans and it’s rarely one person. Also, no one is perfect. Whilst, yes, there’s a limit, again, I would need to know more before taking this as gospel. It’s too often the clickbait rises to the surface and nuances sink. I’m retraining my reactions, not saying everyone does that but me. Lol

  3. SAS says:

    Aw man, Lizzo vibes. All that warmth and positivity as just a way to feed the ego.

  4. SussexWatcher says:

    Oh noooooo! I hate hearing things like this about people I like 😩

  5. Lizzie Bathory says:

    Oof. I never got into this iteration of Queer Eye but now I definitely don’t think I’ll be able to watch it.

    • bananapanda says:

      Me neither! This cast seemed pretty immature and I could barely make it through an episode or two. Karamo seemed like the only one I’d hang with. Tan and JvN were too much and the other two are ??? (blanks).

      The original cast were all established professionals pre-Queer Eye and the proof is in their continued success off the show.

  6. snappyfish says:

    I simply ADORE Jeremiah Brent. I have watched his career both before & after his wedding to Nate B & he is so talented & the kindest of people..

    • Whyforthelove says:

      I like Jeremiah too. I almost want him to run far away from this mess.

    • HillaryIsAlwaysRight says:

      Me too! Love Jeremiah! Love his show with Nate. I want only good things for him. I hope this Queer Eye gig works out for him.

  7. Aud says:

    Why can’t we have nice things??!

  8. JP says:

    I wish they had done a full cast reboot instead of just replacing Bobby.

    • Justjj says:

      They should do a full cast reboot! Queer Eye would be great with some diversity on the show, we need to see far more letters in the LGBTQIA2S+ spectrum represented on the show and have for a long time, in my opinion. It feels very much like we’re still embracing cis males only and sticking to stereotypes, even though JVN brought some diversity, their behavior seems on brand to me. I believe it’s true but I also think there is a lot of off camera drama.

  9. Bumblebee says:

    Van Ness does the beauty and hair styling? I’m assuming someone else does fashion because those outfits are not good. Maybe that’s where the anger comes from.

    • Silver Birch says:

      Right?! The hair, the makeup, and the clothes are all a hot mess, and very unflattering on them! I’ve never watched this version of Queer Eye, but I would run if Van Ness came at me for a makeover.

    • Cath says:

      BINGO! My thoughts exactly. Terrible fashion and styling sense, which has nothing to do with the fact that he’s wearing dresses. I’m just not seeing the IT-factor there!

    • BeanieBean says:

      I think it’s Tan French who does the fashion. Too bad Jonathan doesn’t avail himself of his services. That tie-dye dress is hideous.

  10. Onomo says:

    This kind of feels like a hit piece because I heard that there was all kinds of drama between *everyone* – not just JVN and staff. Like Karamo threw pool parties where he trash talked his coworkers to the gay community; Tan and Bobby also really didn’t get along, and Bobby felt resentful for how little screen time and credit he got versus how much work he did.

    • ana says:

      idk…7 different sources and consistent rumor mill messages makes me think this is true. i buy that the group didn’t get along as much as they portrayed themselves to be. but i’m not shocked at all JVN is a huge problem. not after they defended Lizzo after all the crap that came out about her. the only one that seems not problematic is Bobby…who just said peace and didn’t feed into the drama.

  11. ML says:

    I didn’t see this coming at all. In what I’ve seen of Queer Eye and JVN, I’ve enjoyed. Really sad. Also, I hope that Dax Shepard doesn’t get rewritten as a good guy because of this.

  12. C-No says:

    I 100% believe this. They have always given me toddler vibes. Like, “pay attention to meeeeeeee and if you don’t I’ll throw a tantrum!!” Just so immature.

    • orangeowl18 says:

      It doesn’t surprise me, either.

    • USA_noob says:

      I’ve watched all of the QE seasons and JVN’S PAY ATTENTION TO ME schtick screams full on Cluster bee narcissist.

      I cannot stand him so I’m not surprised at all.

    • Zengirl says:

      Exactly. I stopped watching because of them. The behavior was already obnoxious and I already felt badly for their castmates prior to this info coming out, even though I liked them and had even read their book (actually listened on audio) a couple summers back.

  13. GoodWitchGlenda says:

    I’m not surprised at all.

    People who make their whole brand being so positive, but are also so self absorbed they want to be famous, get a side eye from me every time.

  14. Reba says:

    Not a surprise at all. The last season JVN screamed and pouted because a retired nun didn’t choose their candidate to date. As they screamed, I shouldn’t have wasted my time helping, Bobby’s eyes were popping out of their head. This last season JVN was intensely over the top.

  15. Nicki says:

    He always gave me ick vibes and is the reason I didn’t stick with the show. None of the RS story seemed surprising.

  16. ncboudicca says:

    There’s no tense situation that can’t be improved with (humility) humidity”

    LOL, Kismet on a roll today for making me guffaw!

  17. Margolis says:

    Wait, is anyone actually surprised by this?
    I remember when Family Feud had an episode with the OG queer eye cast vs the new one. JVN was completely insufferable there.

    He made a guess which his team didn’t use and it ended being right – which happens, but he kept whining and screaming about it for half the show. Even when the host moved on and was talking you could still him whine about it.

  18. Rnot says:

    New Orleans June-Sept was a choice. Heat is proven to make people more irritable and aggressive. It’s no different than getting people drunk, hungry, and sleep-deprived so you can film the drama.