Tan France Speaks Out on Queer Eye Drama, Denies Campaigning to ‘Replace’ Bobby Berk

Taking to his Instagram page on Friday, the stylist addressed a claim from a Rolling Stone article detailing the alleged fallout between some of the show’s cast and Bobby Berk’s recent exit from the series.

Per the piece, “Unbeknownst to Berk, at some point castmate France — with alleged support from [Antoni Porowski] — campaigned to replace Berk with interior designer and friend Jeremiah Brent, three sources say, with one calling it ‘mean-girl antics.'”

Per France, that’s not what happened.

“Good morning. Yes, I’ve heard what’s going on and I just want to address one point, real quick. My former colleague getting fired had nothing to do with me trying to get my friend hired,” he began, interestingly using the word “fired” regarding Berk’s exit — when he’s claimed he turned down the streamer’s offer to return.

“Netflix, the production companies did a full on casting, I didn’t put my friend up for the job. They ended up getting it because they were the best person for the job,” France continued. “Am I so happy they have the job? Uh huh, I really am. I think they’re gonna be incredible on the show, but I didn’t get them hired by getting rid of somebody else.”

“And this all started because of a comment on a gossip blog that just got reposted and reposted and then it’s almost become gospel,” he concluded. “So, from the horse’s mouth, I’m telling you that’s not at all how it went down and that’s all I’ll say on the matter. If you need to dig deeper, if you still don’t believe me, so be it, but that’s it.”

According to Berk — who spoke about his exit with Vanity Fair in January — he and costars France, Porowski, Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness felt the show was over once they wrapped filming season 8 in New Orleans. He said they were offered another 4-season deal, but he turned it down, thinking his colleagues were doing the same. They, however, signed back on and Netflix decided they “could recast on person,” he added.

Berk also addressed rumblings of a feud between him and France, after Bobby unfollowed his costar on Instagram.

“Tan and I had a moment. There was a situation, and that’s between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that,” he told VF.

“Should I have unfollowed Tan? No,” he continued. “Maybe I should have just muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that’s the end of it. We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight.”

The two were together at the Emmys with the rest of the cast — where they won for outstanding structured reality program — with Berk saying the pair “both embraced each other, and we both said congratulations. And that’s where we are right now.”

While they clearly haven’t hashed everything out just yet, Berk added, “I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other’s house being good,” saying the Emmys moment “was already the first bandage on that wound.”