Metro Weekly

New cast revealed for Netflix’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” revival

A new "Fab Five" will provide total makeovers in the heart of Trumpland

Ted Allen, Jai Rodriguez, Carson Kressley, Thom Felicia, and Kyan Douglas, Photo: Queer Eye for the Straight Guy / Bravo

Entertainment Weekly has unveiled the new “Fab Five” for the Netflix revival of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

The iconic show, which saw five gay men give lifestyle makeovers to straight guys, premiered on Bravo in 2003.

With hosts Carson Kressley (fashion), Ted Allen (food and wine), Thom Filicia (design), Kyan Douglas (grooming), and Jai Rodriguez (culture), Queer Eye quickly became a cultural phenomenon, running for five seasons and winning an Emmy in 2004 for Outstanding Reality Program.

Now, in the age of Trump and amid increasing attacks on LGBTQ rights, Netflix has deemed it time to bring Queer Eye back.

“It’s a new time with a new audience,” creator David Collins told EW. “If the original round was about tolerance, this time it is about acceptance.”

The new cast are: Karamo Brown (culture), Jonathan Van Ness (grooming), Tan France (fashion), Antoni Porowski (food and wine), and Bobby Berk (design).

At least one of the cast has a connection to the original Queer Eye: Food guru Antoni Porokowski was apparently Ted Allen’s “protégé,” with Allen specifically recommending him for the show.

Viewers who tune into gay culture will recognize Van Ness from Gay of Thrones, while Brown previously starred on The Real World: Philadelphia.

New fashion guru France created women’s clothing line Kingdom & Slate and co-created Rachel Parcell Inc, while Berk, who’ll handle design updates, has his own home furnishings business.

When the revival was first announced at the start of this year, producers said, in a time “when America stands divided and the future seems uncertain,” they wanted the new “Fab Five” to “bring us closer together with laughter, heart, and just the right amount of moisturizer.”

As such, rather than focus on straight men living in the New York area, they show will instead “turn the Red States pink — one makeover at a time.”

Queer Eye will premier on Netflix in February 2018.

See more of the cast below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaXioNLF_He/?taken-by=karamobrown

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbfPkWyn8dP/?taken-by=tanfrance

Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism

These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!