Chatting to the Fab 5—the ridiculously good-looking and hilarious stars of Netflix’s Queer Eye—is just as magical as any fan would imagine.
Jonathan punctuates his sentences with a hair flip and a “honey,” fashion expert Tan has impeccably rolled-up sleeves, and Antoni is—well, just being his gorgeous, avocado-loving self. Plus, there’s design genius Bobby referencing Kylie Minogue and Karamo taking intense eye contact to the next level.
We caught up with the cast during their Australian visit fresh off the back of their trip to Yass (where they were crowned Yass Queens).
Queer Eye often starts with first impressions. What were your first impressions of each other during casting?
Antoni: I didn’t like Tan, I thought he was too nice!
Tan: I didn’t like [Antoni], I thought we were never going to be friends!
Bobby: I actually liked Tan because I thought he was a little cheeky, I thought, “Ooh, this one’s fun.”
Karamo: I thought Jonathan was drop dead gorgeous —
Jonathan: — I had a gigantic crush on him [points at Karamo].
Karamo: And I had one on him!
Tan: And I had a crush one on Karamo. The crushes are all gone now.
Antoni: [Mimes throwing up].
Were any of your initial impressions totally wrong?
Bobby: I thought that Jonathan’s energy was an act, but it’s not. He always has that much energy.
Tan: I will make one correction to that, he doesn’t twirl as much as he twirled in the interview. It was amazing.
Jonathan: I think I was nervous!
Karamo: Something else that I noticed in that first audition, which I really think helped solidify us all getting the job, is that we were not competing with each other, we were supporting each other from day one. We would come out of the rooms and we would give each other the information about what just happened, where other people were in a space of like, “I can’t tell you.” That goes back to this culture where we feel like it has to be, “Me, me, me, me, me,” and not giving and sharing. And that’s why I think what we do on the show is really impactful because we’re trying to teach people as much as you help yourself and take care of yourself, also know that there’s a space to give back.
Jonathan, you look like you’re in deep thought there—do you agree?
Jonathan: Well…To you guys, but not to the people in my vertical, honey. I was very supportive of these people right here but I was definitely more like, ‘This is not America’s Next Top Best Friend competition‘. I’m trying to land a job of a lifetime right now.
[Everyone laughs].
Were you more excited about visiting Australia now that we have same-sex marriage?
Jonathan: Yes! Majorly.
Antoni: We started out in Canberra, which is so great but not the most cosmopolitan of cities, and everyone could not have been more welcoming. And then we went to Yass, which is an even smaller town, and again super welcoming and very inviting. It’s the definition of hospitality.
Bobby: The local florist had Kylie Minogue blasting from the front door.
Jonathan: Canberra is kind of major. I’m from a town of like 30,000 people in the middle of America. Canberra is kind of fierce, that food was lit, honey, there were some gorgeous buildings. I loved it, I thought she was major.
I loved every minute of season two of Queer Eye. Without major spoilers, what’s one of your favourite moments from the show?
Antoni: Trying a pasta salad made purely of condiments and enjoying it.
Bobby: It’s just all mayonnaise with a little bit of pasta.
Jonathan: I had so much fun with Karamo’s main part of his segment in episode two, it was one of the funnest tasks. It was like 200 hundred degrees out, really high humidity, and we all had a reckless abandon, a joie de vivre. It was a special time to be alive.
Bobby: That is one of my favourite episodes we’ve ever done, the end is one of my favourite moments because there’s a lot of tears on Queer Eye—and queers—but that’s a really happy cry.
You all have huge profiles on social media, but who gets the most fans sliding into their DMs?
Karamo: In a sexual way?
Jonathan: Oh, probably me, I think just being the breakout sex symbol on this show has been a lot of pressure for me, and I really try to set boundaries for people. A lot of times I’ve tried to turn my DMs off, Antoni has really encouraged me for that. He’s like, “Jonathan is the breakout sex symbol of this show, you have a lot of responsibility.”
Tan: I’m glad I’m not you because it would be so hard getting that much sexual attention all the time.
[Cast laughs]
I think it’s Antoni, right?
Karamo: Ah, no—
Jonathan: Karamo is drop-dead gorgeous, honey.
Karamo: Don’t sleep on the brother over here, okay.
What trend do you think needs to die in 2018?
Tan: I’m sorry Jonathan, this is your vertical, but the thing I still see is girls putting that horrible red colour in their hair, I hate that. I love naturally red hair, I hate that fake red.
Jonathan: The thing about hair colour, she’s a touchy little thing, people are like, “I want to be pink and purple,” and it’s like, “Okay girl, live your truth, ruin your hair, that’s fine,” because you have to bleach it so hard. I think the trend that needs to die is people telling people what they hate about their look, Tan!
Antoni: And then there’s people getting obsessive about certain types of diets, like only being Keto. Figure out what works for your body and have a healthy mix of it.
Karamo: I would also say fronting on social media. Present your life. We all don’t wake up pretty.
Tan: I’ve never seen a bad picture of you on Instagram!
Bobby: Because he’s never taken a bad picture.
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