Queer Eye’s Fab Five talked about the anti-gay bakery – and it got heated
Queer Eye returned to Netflix screens in June (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
A recent interview caused a passionate discussion between two of the Fab Five about the aftermath of a controversial Supreme Court ruling.
On June 4, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of Masterpiece Cake Shop owner Jack Phillips, who refused to make a cake for the couple after he found out they were celebrating their wedding.
LGBT activists were quick to condemn the decision. Although the narrow ruling shied away setting out a wider case for the right to discriminate based on religion, many groups have expressed fear about the potentially-harmful precedent.
Jack Phillips the owner of “Masterpiece Cakeshop”(BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
During an interview with Vulture, the cast of iconic makeover show Queer Eye were asked whether they would consider having Phillips as a contestant or ‘hero’ on the show.
Fab Five resident food expert Antoni Porowski said that he would want to work with Phillips if he was willing, stating: “I want to know what that’s about. I want to know about who your parents were, how you were raised.”
Jonathan was clearly against the idea, telling the cast that his lifelong experiences with homophobia had turned him away from the possibility.
He said: “Personally, where I come from, I have had people my entire life tell me to my face, ‘I don’t agree with your lifestyle. You should never be able to be married. You’re a faggot.’
“When I walk out of a room with someone like that, I know very clearly the thoughts that are going through their head. Would they say it to my face? No.”
Jonathan Van Ness (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Vulture Festival)
Jonathan added: “They’ll shake my hand with a smile on their face, and then they’re going to go and take your mom’s health care, take your children’s health care, and they’re also going to try to take food stamps from people and make sure women need to qualify how much work [they] can get so they can feed their children.
“So to the baker, this is someone who is fighting for the extreme right to win something on principle.”
The Supreme Court case drew protests from both sides (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Antoni then said to Jonathan that he thought they were making several assumptions about Phillips.
Jonathan replied: “I’m not making too many assumptions. I let you finish your point on the baker and wanting to work with him, so I’m going to finish mine.
“This is someone who has led a charge from the fanatical wing of the U.S. to disenfranchise gay people and further feed the flames of the right, who says we’re evil and shouldn’t have the right to marry.
“Exactly what’s going on with Roe v. Wade will be the case for gay marriage if these same people continue to win Supreme Court decisions like they just won.”
Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Bobby Berk, and Karamo Brown from Queer Eye (Austin Hargrave/Netflix)
He continued: “So by legitimizing them, especially the person that has stoked such an intense case against marriage equality, that also presents such a big bone in the side of furthering marriage equality.
“To have this platform and have these followers, to be taking interviews and to say lightly that you’d take him [put the baker on the show], I don’t know.”
The 31-year-old then referenced Karamo Brown’s recent visit to the White House to meet Mike Pence’s wife, which he had previously publicly criticised.
Jonathan said: “That’s why I don’t know if I’d want that episode. I really don’t. And I sure as hell couldn’t legitimize someone like Karen or Mike Pence. But the thing I love about us is that we can have this conversation.”
Karen Pence with husband Mike Pence (Getty/Aaron P. Bernstein)
He later added: “This is someone who was vetted and okay to be around us, and the baker of the f*****g baking shop that has spent his life’s mission… I’m telling you. Are you kidding me? Have you read the story?”
Antoni said that he had not read up on the case, before stating: “I just want to go and talk to the guy, because you hear so much s**t…”
Jonathan replied: “Well, good luck to you. Read the article.”
Season two of Queer Eye has been widely praised for its commitment to diversity, including the show’s first female hero Miss Tammye and first transgender hero Skyler.
