‘Queer Eye’ Cast Then & Now: Photos Of The Original & New Fab Five

Get your tissues ready, because the new season of Netflix‘s Queer Eye is back! This time around, the Fab Five — Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Bobby Berk, and Antoni Porowski — are heading to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, and providing some major makeovers to their new batch of heroes just in time to celebrate Pride Month. Of course, as longtime fans know, the series has become so much more than a makeover and it’s no longer just limited to the cis-gender, straight men portrayed on the original series.

In fact, the reboot, which launched in 2018, features heroes from all walks of life, varying in gender identity, sexuality and race. But it’s because of the work done by the original Fab Five — Kyan Douglas, Jai Rodriguez, Carson Kressley, Thom Filicia, and Ted Allen — that the structure and mission of the show is able to live on! Before you get to binging, we’re taking a look back at the original Fab Five of Queer Eye and the new crop of stars today!

Queer Eye originally debuted in 2003 and starred Kyan Douglas, Jai Rodriguez, Carson Kressley, Thom Filicia, and Ted Allen. Each member of the cast had their own speciality with Kyan on grooming, Jai on culture, Carson taking care of fashion, Thom handling design, and Ted as the master of cuisine! The five men worked with straight men to get in touch with their self-presentation and preservation, honing their skills in the kitchen and how they would put together a wardrobe, along with their relationships with themselves and others.

Although the show ended in 2007 after over 100 episodes it found new life over a decade later! The latest iteration of Queer Eye debuted in February 2018 and introduced the world to now-viral sensations like Jonathan, Tan, Antoni, Bobby, and Karamo. A noticeably more diverse group, the four out gay men and gender non-binary-identifying Jonathan set out to reimagine what Queer Eye looked like in the latter half of the 2010s, putting an emphasis on self-care and self-love along with the outward makeover to their wardrobes, looks, and home. For their part, Jonathan handles grooming, Tan is on fashion, Karamo takes care of culture, Bobby furnishes design, and Antoni puts his culinary skills to work! The newest Fab Five has completely skyrocketed to fame, and each member of the cast is using his or their platform in this new age.

Want to see the original and new cast members side by side? Make sure to check out their photos in the gallery above and enjoy some happy-crying with the season of Queer Eye, which hits Netflix today, June 5!