Queer Eye Confidential

The firings! The budgets! The filthy bathtub! Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Fab 5 and their two equally fab producers spill the beans on how reality TV’s queerest twist turned into the hottest show of the summer

BY Michael Giltz

August 18 2003 12:00 AM ET

REMAKING THE FUTURE

So what’s
the next step for gay reality TV? A reality show about a
group of gay people who help someone come out?
Something even more political?

“This is
such an exciting time in gay America,” says Ted,
referring to June’s victories at the U.S.
Supreme Court and with marriage in Canada. “So
much has happened. Before we had any idea of what was going
to happen to this show, we get the Supremes, we get
Canada—”

Carson butts in:
“The Supremes are getting back together?”

"You know what I
mean by the Supremes,” says Ted.

“The
Supremes are gay?” asks Carson.

Kidding aside,
the Fab 5 all look forward to the day when gay people on
TV are not a novelty.

“That’s why I’m very excited for Ellen
[DeGeneres],” Kyan says. “She’s
got this talk show that’s coming out. It’s not
being marketed as a gay show by a gay person.
It’s just Ellen DeGeneres.”

Adds Carson:
“Snaps to Ellen for coming out and paving the
way.”

And the Fab 5 all
snap their fingers.