Jonathan Van Ness accused by multiple crew members of being 'nightmare' to work with

Jonathan Van Ness may seem fun and friendly in front of the camera, but according to a new exposé from Rolling Stone, there’s a darker side to the TV personality that has contributed to turning Queer Eye into a nightmare behind the scenes.

An article dropped Tuesday morning, quoting numerous anonymous crew members and people close to the show, sharing their observations about the cast and what led to Bobby Berk’s recent departure from the series (designer Jeremiah Brent was recently announced as Berk’s replacement).

Standing out amidst the commentary were repeated claims that Van Ness, deemed the breakout star of the reality series, was a “monster” with “rage issues” that often created tension on the set.

“He didn’t want to ever share the spotlight with anyone,” one production member said. “There were times when we couldn’t even shoot scenes with certain members of the Fab Five together because it got so bad.”

The Fab Five were under increased scrutiny after Berk announced that he would not be returning under the new contract signed by the other four cast members to continue making new seasons of Queer Eye. Despite his attempts to downplay any drama, rumors that the other cast members — namely Tan France — had campaigned to have him replaced circulated all the same. Three sources confirmed this to Rolling Stone, while others said Berk had, like seemingly everyone else on the set, also been having issues with Van Ness.

“The apparatus of [the show’s production company] ITV and Netflix promotes Jonathan and actively rewards them for their bad behavior,” one said. “There’s no accountability at all.”

Other quotes throughout the article continue to paint a damning picture of Van Ness’s time on the show, from simple notes that “everything changes [on set] if he’s in a bad mood,” to accusations that “at least once a day, they would need to yell at somebody…there’s always going to be somebody to point out and blame and make the villain of the day.”

“There’s a definite contrast between the principles and the values that Jonathan stands for publicly,” one source claimed. “They’re really centered around having this warmth, love, and care for other people. There’s a real contrast between that and the way that they treat the people who are closest to them across the board. It’s the opposite of what this person is touted and paid to be.”

Fans of the show were torn on what to think about the article, but quite a few seemed to share the sentiment expressed by @glittersnot, who wrote, “a lot of people will spread fake positivity and then be absolutely nightmarish people.”