Random Things You Wanted To Know About Fab Five Behind 'Queer Eye' (15 items)

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  (#1) Tan Started Working In His Grandparents' Denim Factory

  Tan France, the show's resident fashion adviser, was born in Doncaster, England, to Pakistani parents. He was fascinated by fashion from a young age, and his interest was especially sparked by his grandparents' denim factory. Tan often helped there as a child. The factory made denim apparel for Disney, so it was a perfect union of fashion and whimsy, and the experience laid the groundwork for Tan's lifelong passion for clothing.

  "I used to help out every summer, and loved it. I learned to sew and took that experience with me to fashion college," he told Omika. He studied fashion at Doncaster College, and a few years later, he started Kingdom & State, his own clothing line for women.
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  (#2) Tan Is An Openly Gay, Practicing Muslim

  "I've experienced racism and homophobia my whole life," Tan told British Vogue. But those setbacks have not stopped him from being true to himself and living an authentic life: he is openly gay and is also a practicing Muslim.

  He is an immigrant to America as well. Tan married his husband Rob, a Mormon cowboy, in the late 2000s. They live in Salt Lake City, UT.
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  (#3) Tan Was Once Dumped For "Letting Himself Go"

  With his spot-on fashion sense and his thick shock of salt-and-pepper hair, it may be hard to imagine there was a time in Tan's life when he wasn't the polished fashion authority he is now. But apparently there was, and it had a profound impact on his relationships and self-esteem. 

  "It’s a true story," he explained to Time. "My boyfriend dumped me because I let myself go. And not just with my clothing, in every facet of life." From that experience, he learned that men too have a responsibility to invest in their lives and take pride in their appearance. "Men need to take as much ownership... as women do," he said.
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  (#4) Jonathan Has Always Been Out

  Jonathan Van Ness is Queer Eye's hair and grooming expert, and he's always been out and proud. Originally from a small town in Illinois, Jonathan was the first male cheerleader at his high school. Sadly, he was bullied mercilessly throughout his childhood.

  But Jonathan emerged a stronger person, having found humor to be an effective coping mechanism. He told Vulture, "So much of what life is [is] getting through it in a balanced way where you can still look at yourself in the mirror and be like, 'Good job, girl. I love you.'"

  Jonathan trained at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis and has been a hairstylist ever since.
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  (#5) Jonathan First Gained Attention For His Web Series 'Gay Of Thrones'

  It was Jonathan's wit and wicked sense of humor that made him stand out to Queer Eye producers. In 2013, he launched a web series through Funny or Die called Gay of Thrones, in which he takes a hilarious deep dive into the HBO mega-hit Game of Thrones. The web show has been a smashing success, and Queer Eye producers took note of him.

  On Gay of Thrones, he gives the characters of the show pop culture-adjacent nicknames (like "Lena Dunham," "Baby Kristen [Stewart]," and "Blond Cher"), recaps the episodes, and discusses what he wants to see happen. Despite a hectic Queer Eye schedule, as of 2018, Gay of Thrones is still in production.
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  (#6) Jonathan Tackles Tough Issues In His Podcast

  Jonathan tempers the humor a bit on his podcast, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, in which he tackles some pretty intense issues. It started in 2015, but the podcast surged in popularity after Queer Eye's debut.

  Episodes focus on politics, religion, health, sexuality, and science, to name just a few areas of discussion. He's interviewed celebrities, scientists, doctors, and political and religious figures. New episodes are released on a biweekly basis.
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  (#7) Bobby Has His Own Successful Brand

  Queer Eye's interior designer Bobby Berk hails from Texas, but has spent most of his adult life in New York City. Like many of the other members of the Fab Five, he endured a lot homophobia growing up, but has channeled his experiences into creating the life he's always dreamed for himself.

  Bobby has his own successful high-end home design brand called Bobby Berk Home. The line has five standalone stores and is also sold through some major retailers. From the time he was a child, Bobby was interested in design. "I didn't know any other kid that cared about redoing their bedroom," he told Apartment Therapy.
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  (#8) Bobby Bought A Décor Company That Was $600,000 In Debt

  Bobby may be a superstar designer now, but it wasn't always that way. He was once fired from an Italian home décor company, only to have that same company return to him years later when their business was failing. Failing to the tune of $600,000, to be exact.

  Though he was just 24 years old, Bobby agreed to buy the company, having built his own home design brand to financial success online. The newly-acquired store became Bobby Berk Home's first physical location.

  "Within six or seven months, I had completely paid off all the debt," he told Time.
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  (#9) Karamo Was The First Openly Gay Black Man On Reality TV

  In 2004, Karamo Brown, Queer Eye's culture authority, became the first openly gay Black man on reality television when he appeared on The Real World: Philadelphia. He knows this very visible role comes with a lot of responsibility, and he takes it seriously. Karamo has his own nonprofit organization, 6in10.org, which focuses HIV/AIDS prevention and destigmatization in the Black LGBTQ+ community through education and empowerment. He also volunteers at a Los Angeles youth center for LGBTQ+ adolescents.
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  (#10) Karamo Attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

  Karamo attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, the same school that became the site of a mass shooting on February 14, 2018. Karamo took part in the 2018 March for Our Lives to show his support for his former high school.

  "When I saw on the news a few weeks back that my alma mater was being called the site of the world’s deadliest school massacre, you all cannot imagine how much my heart broke," he said at a 2018 Human Rights Campaign event.
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  (#11) Karamo Has Two Sons

   

  A post shared by Karamo (@karamobrown) on Apr 16, 2018 at 7:22am PDT

   

  Karamo has two sons. In 2007, he learned he had a biological son, Jason, who was then 10 years old. After receiving custody of Jason, Karamo adopted Jason's half-brother Chris in 2010.

  In 2018, Karamo proposed to his longtime boyfriend, director Ian Jordan. The rest of the Fab Five were in attendance at the engagement festivities.
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  (#12) Karamo Has An Inclusion Rider In His 'Queer Eye' Contract

  After his stretch on The Real World, countless fans told Karamo that seeing him, an openly gay Black man, on television was the first time they felt truly seen and represented. Kamaro has never forgotten how important visibility and representation are to those who society often overlooks. This inspired him to include an inclusion rider in his Queer Eye contract. He told A&U:

  If you don’t see yourself, you don’t know what you can do... I'm all about being representation and living my dreams. I make sure that in my contract they must hire two to three gay Africa-Americans to be on crew. I've done that now on the past three shows that I've been on and that's important for me.
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  (#13) Antoni Was Ted Allen's Private Chef

  Montreal native Antoni Porowski is Queer Eye's food and wine guru. But he didn't come to the show via the audition process: he came via Ted Allen, who was the food and wine expert on the first incarnation of Queer Eye. Antoni was Allen's personal assistant and private chef, and Allen saw his undeniable spark.

  "He's an excellent cook and taught me a lot," Allen told Vanity Fair. "Food is his passion. He's a cook with a point of view, and I appreciate that."
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  (#14) Antoni Doesn't Identify As Gay

  Antoni is the only member of the Fab Five who doesn't identify as strictly gay. He identifies as sexually fluid, and that fluidity means that his interests change depending on the person he's drawn to. For Antoni, it's really about not having labels attached to one's sexual orientation.

  "Some people want to define themselves, and they should as it’s part of their identity. For me personally, I’ve never really had a label for myself," he told Gay Times. "Today I’m gay, I’m in a gay relationship, and that’s where I am. That’s good enough for me."
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  (#15) Antoni Is Also An Actor And Model

   

  A post shared by Antoni Porowski (@antoni) on Apr 24, 2018 at 8:00am PDT

   

  Before becoming a chef, Antoni was an actor. He appeared on an episode of The Blacklist and in movies like Daddy's Boy and The Pretenders. Given his good looks, it should come as no surprise that Antoni has an extensive modeling résumé as well. He has continued to model since Queer Eye debuted, landing a gig as one of the faces of Hanes underwear. 

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