Tan France Reflects on Queer Eye Legacy and Launches New Digital Comedy 'Honorable Gays'

Tan France, the fashion expert best known for his role on Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot, has embraced a new chapter in his career following the show’s historic 10-season run, which concluded in January 2024. Just three months after the finale, France is already diving into a slate of new projects, including Season 2 of 'Deli Boys' on Hulu, 'Clashing Through the Snow' for Amazon MGM, 'The P Word' in London, and his latest venture, the digital comedy series 'Honorable Gays'.

The series, co-created with Rob Anderson and Eric Sedeño, marks France’s first major project under his own production company. Despite the opportunity to work solo, France emphasized his preference for ensemble projects.

"I work really well as an ensemble, it’s my preference. I like working with people more than I like working on my own. I just bounce off people well and I have more fun."

France praised Anderson and Sedeño’s work, calling Eric Sedeño’s performances "ludicrous in the best way" and highlighting his long-standing friendship with Rob Anderson.

"I loved their work, both of them. I thought Eric was just ludicrous in the best way, and then with Rob, his friends are my friends, so I’ve known him for a long time and he does these wrap-ups of like his take on ’90s movies or sometimes ’80s and how ludicrous the storylines were. So with both of them, I was already a fan."

France starred alongside Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van Ness for all 10 seasons of Queer Eye, as well as the special event series We’re in Japan. Jeremiah Brent replaced Bobby Berk for the final two seasons. Reflecting on the show’s unprecedented success, France noted that despite its global reach and critical acclaim—including multiple Emmy wins and the title of Netflix’s longest-running unscripted series—queer talent still faces uncertainty in the industry.

"After nine years, I felt like, ‘Oh, we’re pretty much part of the establishment.’ We won every Emmy that one could win, our show was successful, it was a global hit, the longest-running show on Netflix. It should have felt like an easy thing for all of us to be like, ‘Okay, we’re set.’ But it just goes to show how much the tide has turned, because we’re still, at the end of the day, queer talent; Brown and queer foreign talent. There’s no guarantee."

France also expressed concern about the direction of unscripted television, particularly the industry’s shift toward safer, more commercial content.

"In 2018 when it came out, it felt like there was hope for niche queer shows, shows that showed people of color who were also queer, shows about non-binary folk, drag queens — there seemed to be an excitement of what could be when it came to unscripted projects and what we’re served. That seems to have really changed over the last three or four years, maybe even since COVID. The industry’s really going through it, so they’re doing what they think is commercial: ‘Let’s make it as white as possible, straight as possible, so that it’s an easier sell.’ But I think people are turning away from streamers because it no longer represents the many."