Jai Rodriguez teases never-before-told stories about “straight” guys he’s known

It’s officially been two decades since the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy graced TV screens, and now the original Fab Five are gearing up for a 20th Anniversary reunion. Ahead of that, “culture vulture” Jai Rodriguez has teased that there’s plenty of tea to look forward to. “I feel like after 20 years, it’s safe to tell,” Rodriguez said.

The series first aired on Bravo in 2003 and its hosts consisted of Carson Kressley (“fashion savant” who now serves as judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race), Kyan Douglas (“hair/grooming guru”), Ted Allen (“food connoisseur”), Thom Filicia (“design doctor”), and Jai Rodriguez. The Fab Five will be reuniting for an in-person event on December 16 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

According to the event page, “fans will have the opportunity to see their favorite OG ‘Fab Five’ together once again as they share behind-the-scenes stories, memorable moments from the show, discuss the impact of Queer Eye on culture and society, participate in Q&A, and [conduct] live audience makeovers.”

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The series was groundbreaking for introducing everyday reality show viewers to a cast of gay professionals through uplifting makeover content. But in hindsight there were limitations, namely that the “queer” eye could have represented more genderqueer folks even back then. But it also turns out the “straight guys” weren’t all exactly straight either….

Speaking to Philadelphia Gay News on an Instagram Live, Jai Rodriquez teased what fans can look forward to at the reunion.

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First, he brought up the 10th anniversary special, which Andy Cohen hosted on Bravo back in 2013. One question Andy never quite got an answer on was whether the guys they made over were all straight. At the time, the group unanimously handed the question over to Rodriguez, implying that he alone had some insider knowledge, so to speak. “They were all like, ‘Jai, you want to field this one?’”

While he didn’t go into details then, the live audience will get the unfiltered version this Saturday. “I do have a story there, but I only gave a soundbite on Andy,” Rodriguez said. “You’ll get the full story at the reunion show. I feel like, after 20 years, it’s safe to tell.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rodriguez discussed the reasons behind choosing a live stage reunion as opposed to a televised one, saying the cast wanted something more interactive. In addition to giveaways and live makeovers, Rodriguez is going to perform musical numbers from his cabaret act.

For those of us who can’t attend the show in person, we’ll look forward to the full details leaking on Gay Twitter the next day.