'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy's OG Fab Five: Where Are They Now?

All things just keep getting better!

Bravo's original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was a groundbreaking reality series for American television.

The first iteration of Queer Eye premiered in July 2003 and featured five gay men who were experts in their given fields. Together, they were labeled the Fab Five. The original cast consisted of Carson Kressley (the "fashion savant"), Jai Rodriguez (the "culture vulture"), Kyan Douglas (the "the grooming guru"), Ted Allen (the "food and wine connoisseur"), and Thom Filicia (the "design doctor").

In many ways, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was one of the first popular reality series to introduce several different types of gay men to mainstream audiences. For a country that still wrestled with accepting LGBTQ+ people, the OG Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show proved that hetero guys had no reason to feel threatened if they hung out with gay men — and they may even be able to learn a thing or two from them.

In 2018, Netflix rebooted the show with a slightly tweaked title, Queer Eye. The biggest reason for this name change was that the new Fab Five wouldn't just help straight guys anymore. Instead, they'd now help all kinds of people: women, other gay men, couples, and more. While the reboot has been very popular, certain viewers still feel a lot of nostalgia for the original Fab Five. Here's what the stars of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy are up to now.

Carson Kressley

There's no denying that Kressley has managed to stay in the spotlight more than any of his Queer Eye costars. Over the years, Kressley hosted Lifetime's How to Look Good Naked, competed on ABC's Dancing With the Stars season 13, and joined the judging panel of VH1's RuPaul's Drag Race starting in season seven.

The Queer Eye alum also appeared numerous times as a guest on talk shows like Live with Kelly and Ryan, Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show, and Watch What Happens Live. In 2017, Kressley competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice — during the only season hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger — and placed fifth. In 2022, Kressley competed on Celebrity Big Brother season three, placed sixth, and won the popular vote as America's Favorite Houseguest.

Jai Rodriguez

After appearing as the "culture vulture" on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Rodriguez decided to focus more on his acting career. For instance, he appeared in films such as The New Guy, The Producers, and Kiss Me, Kill Me. On TV, Rodriguez landed guest roles in shows like Nip/Tuck, How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Dollface, Grace and Frankie, Grey's Anatomy, and The Magicians.

Rodriguez has already appeared as an actor on two shows: Smothered and Bosch: Legacy. The OG star of Queer Eye also co-starred in Billy Eichner's all-LGBTQ+ rom-com Bros in 2022.

Kyan Douglas

Douglas had quite a few opportunities in Hollywood following the success of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Namely, he appeared a few times on shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Live with Regis and Kelly. He then landed a recurring guest spot on The Rachael Ray Show, where he worked for nearly 14 years.

In May 2022, Douglas announced his retirement from television on The Rachael Ray Show. He noted how grateful he was for Rachael Ray and her team, but explained that he's ready to tackle new opportunities in his life and career.

Ted Allen

Years before viewers thirsted over Antoni Porowski on Netflix's Queer Eye reboot (not always for his cooking skills!) Allen was the "food and wine connoisseur" of the OG Fab Five cast.

Allen has kept a steady job ever since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy came to an end. In 2009, he was picked to host the Food Network cooking competition Chopped. Little did he know that Chopped would become one of the most successful cooking shows in TV history.

55 seasons later, Allen is still the main host of Chopped and shows no signs of slowing down. He also hosted the nine seasons of Chopped Junior spinoffs on the Food Network.

Thom Filicia

Filicia has kept sort of a lower profile in comparison to his Queer Eye for the Straight Guy contemporaries, but he did appear on various TV shows over the years and is still very much active as an interior designer outside of the Hollywood bubble. Filicia also published a book, American Beauty: Renovating and Decorating a Beloved Retreat, in 2012.

Of note, Filicia made appearances on shows like Dress My Nest, Live with Regis and Kelly, and The Rachael Ray Show. In 2022, he also appeared as a guest on the Nick Canon daytime talk show. However, that show was canceled after just one season.