Stuart O’Keeffe Claims He Was Part of ‘Fab Five’ Before Being Replaced by Antoni Porowski

Irish chef and food journalist Stuart O’Keeffe has spoken out about his involvement in Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, claiming that he was initially cast before being replaced by current food expert Antoni Porowski.

During the latest episode of his podcast, Don’t Let It Stu, O’Keeffe spoke about his initial casting as the food and wine expert for “Queer Eye,” only to later find himself replaced by Antoni Porowski when the show premiered in 2018.

“I actually got chosen. Like, I was one of the Five”, O’Keeffe said. 

O’Keeffe reminisced about the audition process for Queer Eye, recounting, “So, back when they were eating, I went for casting. I went for the show, way back when, and I actually got chosen. Like, I was one of the 5. There was a photographer, and we were in the room. I was in one group of 5, and Antoni was in the other group of 5. They came in and said, ‘You’re the Fab 5.’ I was like, holy shit.”

However, the joy was short-lived for O’Keeffe.

O’Keeffe’s Journey Amidst Contract Delays

Despite bonding with Karamo Brown and Bobby Berk, and being informed that filming would commence in a month, O’Keeffe began to sense something amiss when he discovered that the other guys had all received their contracts. 

“[I was] like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re working on it. We’re working on it.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s fine. Like, whatever.'”

O’Keeffe expressed growing concern a week later when he met up with Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness for a celebratory dinner in Los Angeles, but noticed the absence of Tan France.

The Irish chef asked about France’s absence, stating, “I’m like: ‘Why is he not coming to dinner?’ Something’s up. Somebody knows something. He was kind of being a bit of a dick, and I was just like, ‘Oh, this is weird.’”

O’Keeffe’s claims have come less than a fortnight after Rolling Stone published a revealing exposé on the recasting of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” reboot. on the recasting of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” reboot. Several sources have alleged instances of Jonathan Van Ness being “emotionally abusive” and displaying “rage issues” on set. 

Instagram Heartbreak: O’Keeffe’s ‘Queer Eye’ Rejection 

Following that dinner, O’Keeffe revealed that he received another audition call: “And two days later, I get pulled out and Antoni gets pulled in.”

“The worst part was I found out on Instagram I didn’t get it. I was like, ‘Fine, I’ll just cry for the next year.'”

Stuart O’Keeffe recounted a conversation with his agent, revealing, “He was like, ‘Look, I know this sounds totally kind of shitty but they said you kind of have done too much stuff’”.

“Like, I was on the Today show, I was on Rachel Ray, ’cause I had a cookbook out and I had done multiple shows before, whereas the other four hadn’t, so they kind of wanted everyone on the same level. That’s kind of a lame excuse by fine, I guess I’ll take it,” he said.