Jonathan Van Ness says end of Queer Eye is ‘bittersweet’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter

TV star Jonathan Van Ness (JVN) has described the end of Queer Eye as “bittersweet” and addressed the controversy with cast member Karamo Brown, saying: “We all have varying relationships.”

The 39-year-old comedian and hairstylist is best known for starring alongside Brown, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, and Bobby Berk, who was later replaced by Jeremiah Brent, in the hit Netflix series in which the “fab five” experts transformed the lives of people across the US with their heartfelt makeovers.

The end of the show, which wrapped up earlier this year following the release of its 10th and final season, was however tainted with a reported fallout after Brown skipped the press tour.

To the surprise of his fellow cast members, Brown said in a statement shared with CBS Mornings his absence was to focus on and protect his mental health.

Speaking about whether relationships have mended, JVN told the Press Association: “I think between the people that have been on the cast, we all have varying relationships – some of us are closer, some of us are not so close. I think that’s also okay. So yeah, that’s where we are on that.”

JVN, who starred on the programme for nearly a decade, described its end as “bittersweet”, adding they are excited to “explore new things” and see “what life has to offer”.

They said: “That was such an incredible ride and it’s memories and experiences that I just treasure forever.

“It’s part of why I can even tour and come to the UK.

“Bittersweet is the best way I can say it. I’m so grateful. I loved making the show and it was so special in such a special time.

“I am also ready to experience new things and explore new things and keep growing and keep seeing what life has to offer. So I think bittersweet is the best way to say.”

JVN is now set to tour the UK with stand-up comedy show Hot & Healed, kicking it off in London on May 17 before heading to Nottingham, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow.

Speaking about the upcoming show, JVN said it is a lot “queerer and a lot raunchier” than Queer Eye.

They said: “It’s breaking down the last two years of my life, publicly, politically, and I think what Hot & Healed is about is what I think we need to do as a collective to heal through the tumult of what we are surrounded in right now.

“In 2024 I was unfortunately featured in this 220 million US dollar pro-Trump ad campaign. You can imagine that that was pretty devastating for me, to be that motivating, to scare so many people to want to vote for Trump.

“What we’re healing from is the violence of the gender binary, from misogyny, from ageism, from fat phobia.”

JVN emphasised how healing comedy can be and its ability to allow “levity” around otherwise tricky subjects.

They said: “Stand-up comedy really is about making light of the things that would otherwise make you cry.

“I’m excited to show people that this theme, that I always come back to in my writing and in my comedy, is that life does have grief and sorrow right next to jubilation and hilarity and community and connection, can be all right next to each other, and that’s okay.”