These days, the stars of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” seem like the closest of friends, whether unveiling their latest TV makeover or palling around at red carpet events across the country. But, as it turns out, even the Fab Five have had their differences.
Chatting with E! News host Justin Sylvester for his “Just the Sip” series, “Queer Eye” culture expert Karamo Brown admitted to on-the-set tension between him and food guru Antoni Porowski during the filming of the series’ first season, which debuted last year.
“My castmate from ‘Queer Eye,’ Antoni, people didn’t know that we had an extreme amount of conflict,” Brown said in the interview, which aired Wednesday and can be viewed above. “We did not talk to each other at all during Season 1, even though we were shooting together.”
“On camera, it was always about that person and about creating something successful, so that was genuine,” he continued. “But off camera, the minute that camera stopped rolling ― girl, don’t come near me. And vice versa, he didn’t want me to come near him.”
Brown ― who’s currently promoting a new memoir, “Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope,” and podcast, “Karamo” ― said he and Porowski were successfully able to “separate their personal issues from the job they were doing.”
While the culture guru, who grew up in Florida, said fans would have to tune into his podcast to discover the origins of the beef, he explained that “a third, toxic party” was at least partly to blame.
“Our personalities got along, but then a third party got involved and once that third party got involved, he and I couldn’t even talk to each other,” he said. “We were too busy hearing rumors of what this third party was spreading about both of us.”
But fear not, “Queer Eye” fans, as Brown assured Sylvester that all is good between him and Porowski these days. In fact, Porowski is the inaugural guest on “Karamo,” where he and Brown are said to discuss their since-resolved feud candidly.