‘Queer Eye’: Tan France Admits Why Of All People, He’s ‘Most Jealous’ of Jonathan Van Ness
If you’re a fan of Netflix’s reality show Queer Eye, you know and love Tan France, the show’s style expert. Recently, France revealed which of his fellow Queer Eye cast members he was most jealous of: hairstylist/comedian/author Jonathan Van Ness. His admitted reason for being envious of the non-binary icon had something to do with Van Ness’ brave fashion choices.
Tan France describes meeting ‘Queer Eye’ castmate Jonathan Van Ness in his book
France’s memoir Naturally Tan was published in June this year. In the book, he explained what it was like meeting Van Ness at Queer Eye casting.
“He came up to me and started talking very loudly about his intimate life,” France wrote about Van Ness. He remembered thinking, “‘There is no way … I could ever be friends with him.’”
On Terry Gross’s radio show Fresh Air, she asked France about the first time he met Van Ness as well.
“I was quite prudish before meeting Jonathan,” France told Gross, explaining that he had a “sheltered upbringing.” The style guru grew up in England, raised by Pakistani immigrant parents.
France was “shocked” meeting Van Ness. Apparently, the hairstylist-turned-TV-star immediately started talking about his sex life. That wasn’t normal for France.
“I can’t imagine ever speaking like this with anybody,” he thought at the time. But France said his fellow Queer Eye experts definitely loosened his boundaries.
“Being around Jonathan Van Ness has changed my boundaries,” he said. France seems grateful for the boundary-pushing, telling Gross that “the parts that have been pushed are for the better.”
“I love that side of me now,” France said. Although he admits he was “guarded” in the past, he now wants to be “free to talk about things that people are really going through.”
France gushes about Van Ness, hair expert on the Emmy-nominated Netflix show ‘Queer Eye’
In a 2018 YouTube video for Elle magazine, France Instagram-stalked all four of his fellow Queer Eye cast members and commented on their various photos.
While flipping through Van Ness’ pictures, France revealed that Van Ness requests France’s approval for which photo he shares on Instagram.
“He will ask me to take his phone and choose my favorite ones,” France said in the video. “I think he’s obsessed with what I think of him, and he’s right to be.”
But France also has a huge piece of his heart dedicated to Van Ness.
Tan France is committed to his husband, but he admits he would ‘go for’ Jonathan Van Ness out of the Fab Five
While France is of course, happily married, and not interested in anyone in the Queer Eye fam, he did admit in the Elle video who his pick of the Fab Five would be.
“If I were to go for any of them, Jonathan would be my guy,” he told the camera. France gives the aesthetic reasons first.
“The reason is, I do think he’s very attractive,” he admits. “I think he’s the most photogenic of all of us, any of us.” But for France, it’s really about Van Ness’ kind and loving character.
“He’s got a heart of gold,” he gushed. “He’s truly the nicest person I’ve ever met in my life.”
France also said he was incredibly envious of Van Ness’s fierce fashion choices. The self-care guru shares several of his bold looks on Instagram.
“Jonathan is a risk-taker,” France said. “Jonathan wears stuff that I wish I had the confidence to wear.” Van Ness’ risk-taking style makes France, the fashion expert himself, jealous.
“Of all the people I’m most jealous of,” France said. “it’s Jonathan.” He says it’s because his Queer Eye co-star has the self-confidence and courage to pull things off that France can’t.
“I can criticize in no way because he has the balls to do stuff that I only wish I had,” France said.