Tan France Says Some ‘Queer Eye’ Subjects Asked Him If He Was a Terrorist

Queer Eye was not all couture and trips to Target for the Netflix show’s resident fashion expert.

In a new interview with Refinery29 for its series Strong Opinions Loosely Held, France opened up about some Islamaphobic rhetoric he experienced while filming the show and what happened after the infamous scene of the Fab Five being pulled over by a cop.

“My accent throws people off. People don’t know where I’m from,” France told Refinery29. “When I made it clear that I was Middle Eastern, two of our heroes had asked, ‘Are you a terrorist?’ and it was a very honest question for them. They weren’t trying to be funny.”

He added, “Our show is about bridging those divides and we are meeting with a lot of Republicans, and this isn’t meant to be a liberals vs. Republicans show at all, but it gives an opportunity for a very honest conversation and we aren’t just talking to that person, we’re talking to everybody at home who’s watching, thinking, ‘We feel this way about gay people, Middle Eastern people, Black people.’”

France added that after the intense police officer scene, in which one officer who nominated another pulls the Fab Five over and asks Karamo Brown (who was driving) to step out of their car, France and Brown refused to film for a day.

Queer Eye tackled several social issues during its first season, especially related to Black Lives Matter. As France notes, the show did leave Islamophobia off the docket.

But Season 2 is coming, and with it more social issues to tackle and hopefully more queer affection on display.

Photo by Tasia Wells/Getty Images