Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness breaks silence on ‘rage’ allegations

Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has commented on allegations calling them “yellers” on the set of the hit Netflix series.

Van Ness was accused of being “abusive” and having “rage issues” in a Rolling Stone report published in March.

In a recent episode of the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, the hair expert broke his silence on the claims, saying the exposé “isn’t really based on reality.”

“There was this article that was written about Queer Eye and myself in March, but our entire Queer Eye family first heard about this article in December,” they said.

Related: Queer Eye confirms Bobby Berk replacement for season 9

Van Ness continued: “I went from this bankruptcy (their hair care brand JVN Hair had to be sold). Then, ‘Oh, there’s someone who’s going to write an investigative piece, an exposé on you that’s not really based in reality, but could certainly have a lot of things taken out of context to make you look as bad as possible.’

“So from January to March, I was walking on eggshells wondering, ‘When is this going to happen?’ And then, finally, it did,” they added.

Van Ness also commented on the public reaction, saying, “I think a lot of people were looking for a reason to hate me or looking for a reason to say, ‘See, I always knew she was a fake bitch.’ »

Related: Why Did Bobby Berk Leave Queer Eye After Season 8?

The reality TV star explained that they decided to take a break from social media after the allegations became public.

“My family has been very supportive, as well as my husband and my team,” they said. “But I didn’t even go on social media to look at my phone for about three weeks and every time I tried to dip my toe in, I would immediately see something so intensely hurtful.”

Earlier this year, a total of seven sources claimed that Van Ness would “lash out at crew members” while filming Queer Eye, with one production source calling them “screamers” on set.

According to Rolling Stone, Netflix executives had “at least one meeting” with Van Ness about their “treatment of the team,” but sources say the conversation led to few changes.

In November of last year, Queer Eye was renewed for a ninth season filmed in Las Vegas. Future episodes will introduce a new member of the Fab Five, interior designer Jeremiah Brent, who replaces Bobby Berk.

Strange Eye Seasons 1-8 are now available to stream on Netflix.

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