Jonathan Van Ness just got some nasty allegations thrown their way after anonymous sources came forward in a report published by Rolling Stone on March 5, 2024. Four anonymous sources from the production team, along with three anonymous sources who have worked with the celebrity hairstylist on other projects, said that it is normal for Jonathan to lash out at crew members and people who work closely with them. The anonymous sources went on to describe the television personality as a “nightmare,” a “monster,” “demeaning,” emotionally “abusive,” and having “rage issues.”
“Jonathan’s a person who contains multitudes and who has the capacity to be very warm, very charismatic, and has the capacity to make you feel really special that they are paying attention to you,” one source said. “But at least once a day, they would need to yell at somebody. It might be something small, but there’s always going to be somebody to point out and blame and make the villain of the day.”
“[There’s] a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry,” another source, who described them as "intense and scary," said. “It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them.”
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One of the production sources spoke on the contrast between the persona Jonathan wants to uphold and how they actually come across. “As much good as he wants to do in the world, I think a lot of it is very hypocritical,” the source said.
“There’s a definite contrast between the principles and the values that Jonathan stands for publicly,” another source who worked with the Queer Eye star said. “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.”
Another source claimed that there was no accountability when it came to Jonathan. There has allegedly been at least one meeting between the hairstylist and Netflix executives, but sources said it went nowhere. One source even noted that Netflix “actively rewards them for their bad behavior.”
One of the sources said that Jonathan's behavior caused a "rift" between the Fab Five of Queer Eye. There was “absolutely tension between everybody else,” a production member said, adding that the hairstylist “didn’t want to ever share the spotlight with anyone." "There were times when we couldn’t even shoot scenes with certain members of the Fab Five together because it got so bad."
Despite the exposé, some Queer Eye participants have jumped to Jonathan's defense. Cory Waldrop, who appeared in the first season, said that the hairstylist was kind during filming and allowed him to cut in on the production’s food truck line. William Mahnken, who appeared in season two, said that Jonathan offered to bring him to the Emmys if their mother couldn’t attend.
“[Jonathan] seemed well-liked by everybody,” Michael Richard II, who appeared in season 7, told TMZ. Though Jonathan and Netflix were reached out to for comment, neither have issued a response as of yet.
