Tan addressed allegations that he campaigned for Bobby Berk's 'Queer Eye' replacement. He also says Berk was 'fired' from the show.
Tan France is giving his side of the story after a scathing exposé published Tuesday by Rolling Stone levied several allegations about drama behind the scenes of Netflix's Queer Eye.
On Friday, the stylist took to Instagram to share a video in which he addresses the exposé's claim that he was allegedly campaigning for Bobby Berk's replacement. Rolling Stone reports that Berk was "blindsided" after learning that France -- with alleged support from food guru Antoni Porowski -- allegedly campaigned to replace Berk with Jeremiah Brent.
Per the piece, "Unbeknownst to Berk, at some point castmate France — with alleged support from [Antoni Porowski] — campaigned to replace Berk with interior designer and friend Jeremiah Brent, three sources say, with one calling it 'mean-girl antics.'"
The exposé was published exactly one week after Netflix announced that Brent would replace Berk on Queer Eye. Brent will join France, Porowski, culture and lifestyle coach Karamo and beauty maven Jonathan Van Ness for season 9 when the show visits Las Vegas.
France began his video by acknowledging that he's heard about the exposé's claims and wanted to "address one point, real quick."
"My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired," he stated. "Netflix, the production companies did a full on casting, I didn't put my friend up for the job. They ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job. Am I so happy they have the job? Uh huh, I really am. I think they're gonna be incredible on the show, but I didn't get them hired by getting rid of somebody else."
The father of two continued, "And this all started because of a comment on a gossip blog that just got reposted and reposted and then it's almost become gospel. So, from the horse's mouth, I'm telling you that's not at all how it went down and that's all I'll say on the matter. If you need to dig deeper, if you still don't believe me, so be it, but that's it."
France's claim that Berk was "fired" is interesting since the designer stated he made the decision to leave the hit Netflix docuseries after eight seasons.
In an interview with Vanity Fair in January, Berk stated that he and the rest of the Fab Five didn't think they were coming back after they wrapped filming on two seasons in New Orleans, ending their seven-cycle contract that lasted through September 2022.
Berk stated that he decided not to sign the four-cycle commitment contract when Netflix renewed the series amid the WGA and SAG strikes. He also claimed some of his co-stars had planned on not signing either. "We'd just assumed that the show wouldn’t come back if we all didn't come back," he told the outlet. "I was like, 'I'm not going to be having FOMO 'cause the show is not going to happen.' I had become at peace with it."
It was after some conversations and shortly before the contract deadline that Berk explained the other four stars of Queer Eye decided to sign on for a few more seasons. "And with only one of us not coming back, Netflix felt [it] could recast one person," Berk said.
When it came to rumors of a feud between him and France, Berk confessed to butting heads with his co-star. "Tan and I had a moment," he admitted. "There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing -- and nothing romantic, just to clarify that."
As for why he unfollowed France on Instagram and has since stopped tagging him in group photos, Berk said, "Should I have unfollowed Tan? No. Maybe I should have just muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that's the end of it. We became like siblings -- and siblings are always going to fight."
At the time, Berk told Vanity Fair that he and France "will be fine," adding, "I will always have a very special place in my heart for him and Rob [France's husband] and the kids. I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other's house being good."
ET reached out to Netflix for comment on Rolling Stone's exposé, but the streaming giant had no comment. ET has also reached out to a rep for Van Ness and the rest of the cast for comment.
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