District of Columbia
‘Queer Eye’ cast talk legacy — and filming final season in D.C.
The cast of Netflix’s Queer Eye visited Crush Bar to reflect on 10 seasons of the show and share what they discovered in D.C.
Four members of the Fab Five from Netflix’s “Queer Eye” brought their warmth, humor, and sharp insights to Crush Dance Bar in D.C. on Monday.
The appearance — organized by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the talent firm representing Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, and Jeremiah Brent — celebrated the work of the cast as they prepare to wrap the Emmy-winning series with its final season.
For seven years, “Queer Eye” has been a cultural touchstone. Since its 2018 reboot, the show has followed the Fab Five — members of the gay community and experts in their fields — as they transform the lives of “heroes” across the world. Through cooking, design, grooming, self-help, and style, the hosts offer more than just makeovers; they help their subjects embrace confidence, authenticity, and joy.
Absent from the evening was Tan France, the show’s style expert, who is not managed by CAA. Still, the four attending stars filled the room with energy during a 30-minute panel reflecting on their experiences both on the show and in the nation’s capital.
Antoni Porowski, the show’s food and wine expert, noted that D.C. has its own unique personality compared to other cities they’ve visited.
“Even amid all of the institutions, there’s something very grandiose about D.C.,” Porowski said. “I think there are beautiful little pockets that we’ve had a chance to film in that I’m really excited for everyone to see… When we’re in places like Kansas City and Atlanta, I feel like we go there and people are just welcoming us with open arms. We felt very welcome here, but you have to fight for people’s affection more in cities… they’ve seen some shit, and you have to kind of work a little harder, which I love.”
Karamo Brown, the culture and self-help expert, admitted he arrived in the capital with certain assumptions that quickly dissolved after meeting residents.
“D.C. has been amazing… I thought everybody was gonna be like, pretty serious and boring, and y’all know how to turn up. And I realized, oh, y’all deal with a lot, so of course you know how to have a cocktail to turn up. But then there was also this sort of quiet compassion… even if you don’t agree with what they’re doing, you’re still accepting and loving… I thought that was beautiful.”
For design expert Jeremiah Brent, the city’s artistic landscape was the standout surprise.
“I didn’t realize how beautiful D.C. was until we got here,” Brent said. “The architecture… so much Art Deco… beautiful parks… and bronze work and everything that’s going on with the statues. It’s so layered and so beautiful. There’s so much to see.”
Jonathan Van Ness, the grooming guru whose effusive personality has become a hallmark of the show, found themselves charmed by the city’s natural beauty.
“Not to be predictable, but the magnolia trees you got… the cherry trees… the trees are a 10,” Van Ness said. “The people have been a 10. The people in Maryland are maybe… grumpier… But D.C., no notes. Virginia, we love it over there. And there’s SolidCores everywhere!”
Filming in D.C., the cast said, makes it impossible to fully separate the city’s political identity from its day-to-day life. For Porowski, one particular shoot drove that home.
“We did a scene right in front of the White House– we were all kind of standing there, and I looked over at you guys [the rest of the cast], and it kind of dawned on me,” Porowski said. “As a kid, it was just… such a symbol of so much, depending on what the situation [inside] is going on. Sometimes it could be a symbol of hope and excitement, and other times it could just be kind of terrifying.”
Brown tied that observation to the importance of human connection in politically divided times.
“I think as we’re in these next three years, we [need to] continue to look to the person to the left and right of us and say, ‘I got you,’” Brown said. “We have to remember that a lot of these people are just in vacuums that their algorithm puts them in… I literally asked my ex’s mother and her three other friends… if I could see their phones, and I reset all their algorithms. Out of the four of them, three of them no longer support Donald Trump… what’s keeping us apart is misinformation.”
Van Ness expanded on that point, saying that the political climate under President Donald Trump has created real financial consequences for queer professionals.
“I’ve noticed this massive reticence of even brands wanting to work with micro queer creators… we really do need brands to stand by the queer community. Try to hire queer people when you can, because the community is struggling and when Republicans have made it their cornerstone to impact us monetarily… I’ve seen that from top to bottom.”
For Brent, the D.C. shoot was defined less by politics and more by the warmth of its LGBTQ community.
“I actually am obsessed with politics, and I was very excited about being here,” Brent said. “I was like, ‘This is gonna be so exciting’… but I would say that the thing that actually surprised me the most about D.C. is the queer community and how kind people are. I have my children here… people have been so generous and kind. D.C. feels like a little small town in some ways, which I think is the most beautiful part about it.”
As the panel wrapped, the conversation turned to the show’s legacy and what comes next for each of the stars.
Porowski said the experience has reshaped how he approaches both work and life.
“Queer Eye’s definitely, understatement for me of the century that it’s completely changed the way I navigate the world, the conversations that I have, how I approach work… I realized pretty quickly it’s really storytelling and connecting through food,” Porowski said. “Now [I’m] shifting into different territory with National Geographic and Disney, where the cities are their own characters.”
For Brown, the series has been nothing short of life-changing.
“This has been the greatest gift of my life… for 10 seasons, people have seen us, believed and trusted in us, and we have made a difference,” Brown said. He now brings that same mission to his daytime talk show, “Karamo.” “I just want to help people five days a week on a daytime talk show… to live that dream where five days a week I can just help people, I am so thankful for the training I got here with these three.”
Brent said whatever comes next for him will need to be as purposeful as “Queer Eye.”
“It’s been one of the biggest highlights of my professional career… more than a show, because what we’re able to do, the foundation of it is purpose… five people showing up and seeing you the way you want to be seen… through the process of the show and their friendship, I reclaimed parts of myself. They Queer-Eyed me… moving forward as I try to decide what that’s going to be has to be something rooted in that same purpose.”
Van Ness, who juggles multiple ventures including their haircare line JVN Hair and podcast “Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness,” reflected on the enormity of closing this chapter.
“We’re literally about to film our last episode, and that is this week — so surreal. This has been such a roller coaster… one that I’m so grateful for, that’s really surpassed every single wildest dream I could have possibly had… I think I will spend the rest of my life processing what this experience has meant to me.”
District of Columbia
‘Queer Love’ campaign launched to address domestic violence
D.C. event set for LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day on May 28
The D.C.-based Wanda Alston Foundation, which provides housing and support services for homeless LGBTQ youth, announced earlier this month that it has joined partner organizations to launch a Queer Love Shouldn’t Hurt campaign aimed at addressing domestic violence within the LGBTQ community.
In a May 18 statement, the Alston Foundation said the campaign involves a public awareness initiative leading up to LGBTQ+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day scheduled for May 28.
“Domestic and family violence in LGBTQ+ communities is real and too often invisible,” Cesar Toledo, the Alston Foundation’s executive director, said in the statement. “As a community, we do not talk about it enough, and that silence can leave survivors feeling isolated and alone,” he said. “We must break that silence.”
He added that culturally competent care for those impacted by domestic violence is available through a newly launched website, queerlove.org, “where people can safely access vital resources, educational toolkits, and support networks they need on their healing journey.”
The website announces one of the project’s first events, a Queer Love Community Social, was scheduled for Thursday, May 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center at 1827 Wiltberger St., N.W.
“Join us this LGBT+ Domestic Violence Awareness Day for a community social dedicated to visibility and survivor resilience,” the website statement says. “Let’s gather to strengthen our bonds, honor the path to healing, and share free resources,” it says of the May 28 event.
The website also announces a June 1 workshop called Empowering Survivors of LGBTQ+ Intimate Partner Violence, which it says will be presented by Jesse Wedell, an official with the D.C. LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative. The website provides an online form to register for the workshop upon which its location would be disclosed.
It identifies the partner organizations working with the Alston Foundation on the Queer Love Public Awareness Campaign as the LGBT+ Counseling Collaborative, Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center, and Equality Chamber.
The resources and information provided by the project can be accessed at www.queerlove.org.
District of Columbia
Man accused of threatening to shoot D.C. bar employee after making anti-gay slurs
May 24 incident took place near Black Pride events on U Street
D.C. police on Sunday, May 24, at around 4:20 p.m. arrested a Maryland man for allegedly threatening to shoot an employee while using anti-gay slurs at Ben’s Next Door restaurant and bar at 1211 U St., N.W.
According to a statement released by police and a police incident report, the arrested man, identified as Delonte Fraley, 32, of Accokeek, Md., made the threats after the employee told a bartender not to serve the man alcohol.
“The suspect overheard the employee and threatened to shoot the employee and used homophobic slurs against the employee,” the police statement says. “When the employee left the restaurant for the day, the suspect was standing near the employee’s vehicle,” it says.
“The employee returned to the restaurant and called the police,” the statement continues. “The suspect was apprehended by responding officers,” it says.
The police statement says the arresting officers charged Fraley with Felony Threats (Hate/Bias).
D.C. Superior Court records show prosecutors with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C., which prosecutes D.C. criminal cases, escalated the charge to Threatening to Injure or Kidnap a Person (Bias-Related Hate Crime).
The incident occurred during Memorial Day weekend when thousands of visitors and D.C. area LGBTQ advocates and supporters were attending D.C. Black Pride events held in locations across the city, including Black Pride parties hosted by LGBTQ bars in the U Street entertainment area near Ben’s Next Door.
Among the nearby LGBTQ bars hosting D.C. Black Pride events were Nellie’s Sports Bar and Thurst Lounge. Ben’s Next Door is located next to the popular longtime U Street eatery Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Court records show that Judge Robert R. Rigsby at a May 25 presentment hearing released Fraley on personal recognizance with a stay-away order — the details of which were not publicly disclosed pending a June 4 preliminary hearing.
A more detailed arrest affidavit filed in court by D.C. police says Fraley allegedly confronted the employee at Ben’s Next Door with anti-gay slurs on the day prior to his arrest.
“The complainant told the defendant that because he used homophobic slurs towards himself previously on May 23, 2026, and his hostess, as well as making threats to the complainant and calling him a faggot, he was unable to stay in the establishment,” the affidavit states.
It adds, “The defendant became irate stating, ‘I know where your Tesla is at. See me outside faggot, I will slap your ass’ and ‘I will shoot your ass.’” The affidavit says the complainant confirmed to police the Tesla referred to by Fraley was his vehicle. It says as the victim walked toward his car after getting off work, he saw Fraley standing directly in front of the car.
“The complainant stated he felt unsafe while the defendant was standing in front of his vehicle because he felt the defendant was capable of carrying out those threats,” says the affidavit. It says the victim then decided to return to the restaurant and call police without the defendant having seen him.
“The defendant was placed under arrest for Felony Threats Hate/Bias and was transported to the Third District Station for processing,” the affidavit concludes.
It couldn’t immediately be determined whether the victim identifies as LGBTQ or whether any of the Ben’s Next Door patrons had been involved with D.C. Black Pride.
“Established in 2008, Ben’s Next Door is a family-owned and operated restaurant and bar on U Street, Northwest in Washington, D.C.,” a statement on its website says. “As a Black-owned establishment, it’s our goal to deliver a warm, welcoming, familiar, and communal vibe to all guests,” the statement says.
District of Columbia
Doc on Blade reporter Chibbaro scores Emmy nomination
‘Lou’s Legacy’ chronicles 50-year career
“Lou’s Legacy: A Reporter’s Life at the Washington Blade” has been nominated for a Capital Emmy in the “Documentary – Historical” category by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
“Our members include all of the video content producers who serve our local audiences in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia—from the Atlantic to the Appalachians, from Bristol to Baltimore,” said Capitol Emmys President Adam Longo in a press release.
Broadcast last June by WETA PBS in Washington, D.C. and MPT in Maryland, the documentary was directed and produced by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Patrick Sammon in association with the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. Additional nominees who worked on the film include producer Julianne Donofrio and editor Amir Jaffer.
“Lou’s Legacy” tells the story of two D.C. icons — legendary Washington Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro Jr. and beloved drag performer Donnell Robinson, known to generations of Washington audiences as “Ella Fitzgerald.” Through Chibbaro’s nearly five-decade career at the Blade and Ella’s return to the stage after a three-year hiatus following COVID, the 29-minute documentary explores the history of Washington’s LGBTQ community and today’s rising backlash against LGBTQ rights, including laws targeting drag performers.
“We’re honored that Lou’s Legacy has been recognized alongside such an impressive group of historical documentaries,” said Sammon. “This nomination is especially meaningful because the film preserves and celebrates the stories of people who helped shape queer history in Washington, DC — often without recognition from mainstream institutions. We’re deeply grateful to the Mattachine Society, Lou Chibbaro Jr., Donnell Robinson, WETA PBS, and everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
“Lou’s Legacy” premiered on WETA PBS in June 2025 during Pride month. The documentary also broadcast on Maryland Public Television and is streaming nationally on PBS.org. WETA will rebroadcast “Lou’s Legacy” several times during Pride month, including June 15 th at 9 p.m. Winners of the Capital Emmy Awards will be announced at the Capital Emmy Gala on June 20 at the Bethesda Marriott Hotel.
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