Panic in New Orleans: How Carjacking and Crime Upended the Next Season of ‘Queer Eye’

A new season of Queer Eye hits Netflix on Jan. 24, and the rollout is underway with a boost last Sunday from a sixth straight Emmy win in the structured reality category. Series stars Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski and Tan France have also started teasing season eight on Instagram. Van Ness, the show’s hair guru, called it “on another level,” and food and wine expert Porowski posted, “back for more beignets” as a nod to New Orleans, the production headquarters for the previous season seven and the new batch of episodes. France shared, “Get ready folks, this season’s a great one.” But according to sources, it was also pretty scary.

Season eight of the reality show will no doubt showcase Queer Eye’s trademark mix of humor, heart and life-altering transformations, but there’s a storyline from New Orleans that audiences won’t see. A string of crime — including the carjacking of a production vehicle in which a production assistant was pulled from a luxury SUV — caused panic among staff and led producers to implement heightened security protocols to keep the hosts and the crew safe during the final weeks of filming in summer 2022, according to interviews with several people close to the show who wished to remain anonymous.

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The costs associated with increasing security led producers to trim the episode order from seven to six, a situation that caused friction among some over lost pay. Netflix’s Queer Eye — created by David Collins, produced by ITV America and Scout Prods. — filmed back-to-back seasons in New Orleans with principal photography running from June 16, 2022, through Sept. 2, 2022. As has been the case in previous seasons, two unarmed security guards were initially employed on location while filming with the hosts, known as the Fab 5, namely Van Ness, Porowski, France, Bobby Berk and Karamo Brown.

Things took a turn on July 2, 2022, when five men in ski masks attempted to steal a Queer Eye vehicle outside of a field production office while two crewmembers were unloading it. Cast and crew were notified of the unsuccessful carjacking attempt, and production approved 24/7-armed security for the production office that same evening. As for the staffers involved, they were offered time off and directed to available resources, including counseling, through the Employee Assistance Program. The following day, ITV America engaged Tectus Security and Private Investigations to provide armed security guards at the production office as well as an increased presence at field locations.

Five days later, on July 7, the situation escalated. During the mid-afternoon, two unknown assailants ran up to a production vehicle (described as “a fully decked out GMC truck,” as regularly seen on the show) and attempted to steal it but were unsuccessful as staff inside locked the doors. The perpetrators then allegedly sprinted to another Queer Eye vehicle nearby, where a production assistant who worked for one of the Fab 5 members was yanked from the vehicle. The men made off with the vehicle and police were called to the scene. The Hollywood Reporter attempted to contact the PA but did not hear back.

A New Orleans Police Department spokesperson confirmed the incident, which occurred in the 2900 block of Grand Route St. John at about 4:40 p.m. The victim told police that she had been seated in her vehicle when an unknown, unarmed Black male removed her from her vehicle, entered the SUV along with two accomplices and fled the scene. The vehicle was recovered about an hour later in the Seventh District, where a 17-year-old female was arrested for carjacking. On July 14, two additional suspects — an 18-year-old male and a 17-year-old male — were booked on charges of carjacking and identity theft, per the spokesperson.

The incident, coming so soon after the attempted carjacking, caused alarm on set and general anxiety over high levels of crime in New Orleans. Shortly afterwards, producers convened the cast and crew, including the Fab 5, for an “emergency meeting” held at the production headquarters, located near the Fairgrounds.

“The carjacking was such a serious thing, and everyone was on high alert,” explained a source. “Everyone huddled together, and a showrunner told us what had happened.” The individual described the meeting as “intense” because everybody “was really freaked out and upset” over the day’s events. An open conversation ensued, during which time everyone was asked to relay safety concerns and express their feelings about what had occurred.

During the meeting, staffers began sharing “New Orleans horror stories” that they had experienced during filming. Two crewmembers revealed that they were at a local McDonald’s at the time of a shooting and were nearly caught in the crossfire. Others described seeing suspicious individuals sneaking around parking lots and production headquarters before being chased away by security.

Statistics backed up the crew’s concerns. New Orleans finished 2022 with the highest murder rate in the United States, with 70 homicides per 100,000 residents. According to the city’s WDSU and statistics from data analyst Jeff Asher, there were 280 homicides, 482 shootings, 279 carjackings and 541 robberies in 2022. “It’s been a horrific year, and a horrific close to a horrific year,” Asher has said.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the emergency meeting praised the Fab 5 for stepping up and participating in the conversation at a high level to share concerns. One source added that there was “frustration and fear” among the hosts. They pressed producers and questioned the decision to shoot in New Orleans when it was widely known that crime was an issue in the city, particularly vehicle theft. The show is described as “a mobile production” that makes use of top-of-the-line GMC SUVs that tend to draw attention no matter the location, a source indicated.

France, who fronts the style portion of the series, is said to have been particularly passionate during the conversation. He explained that, as a new father, he didn’t believe a TV show was worth dying over. France then threatened to walk away from filming if additional security measures were not taken, not just for the stars of the show but for all staff, and his fellow hosts backed him up on the threat to abandon the shoot. “The Fab 5 was very much about making sure that their colleagues felt safe,” said one insider. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to reps for France, Van Ness, Brown, Porowski and Berk and none offered comment.

A decision was made to wrap for the day and send everyone home while producers huddled to figure out a best way forward. “Our concerns were taken very seriously. It was a really thoughtful response,” indicated a source who praised show leaders for focusing on everyone’s comfort levels. Filming paused for July 8 and 9 while ITV America called upon security and crisis management firm Crisis24 to review what had transpired, develop a security plan and engage additional security vendors. On July 9, the head of Netflix security and Crisis24 held a meeting in New Orleans, after which 20 off-duty law enforcement officers were brought on board to secure filming locations and crew hotels. The Fab 5 were given round-the-clock security detail.

Filming resumed July 10, and within the week a full-time security coordinator was added in the field. Crewmembers were also provided escorts to and from their hotels or places of residence. By all accounts, the additional measures were successful.

“Following the attempted carjacking and carjacking during Queer Eye filming in New Orleans, production took immediate and extensive action to secure the safety of all personnel,” a representative for ITV America told THR. “Measures were taken not only to provide ample security, but also so everyone would feel comfortable continuing to film in the city. Due to the collective steps taken, Queer Eye was able to resume filming safely and without further incident.”

A rep for Netflix declined to comment.

Carroll Morton, director of Film New Orleans, an organization that supports film and TV shoots in the city, confirmed that her office was in touch with the Queer Eye team at the time of the incidents in 2022. “We were devastated that this occurred,” she explained. “For our community, it’s not what we find acceptable.”

Morton said that New Orleans faced “an unprecedented increase in crime in 2022,” much like other major U.S. cities in the wake of the COVID pandemic. “As a result, increased measures were put in place over time to ensure that we were moving in the right direction.” She cited a new Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, and a new police superintendent, Anne Kirkpatrick, a veteran police official sworn in last November after having served as chief of Oakland’s police department. Morton credited Kirkpatrick for using technology and increasing personnel online as well as in person by training new officers to beef up the ranks.

Things are leveling out. Total crimes against persons fell 22 percent in 2023, while the city saw murders down 28 percent, armed robbery drop 36 percent and carjackings decrease by 44 percent, indicating 167 fewer incidents, according to data provided by John Lawson, press secretary for the city of New Orleans and the office of Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “We are pleased,” said Morton of the dips in 2023. “It’s so important for crews and productions to feel safe in the city. We look forward to the decrease in crime continuing.”

New Orleans is now hosting a handful of Hollywood productions including the Prime Video series Leverage and AMC’s Mayfair Witches. “As a film director for the city, I would love people to know that we are committed as a city office to working alongside all of our partners to ensure that productions are here and they are feeling safe. If there are any concerns whatsoever, we would like to be made aware and we would like to address them.”

A reduced episode count for Queer Eye led to a shortened production schedule of one week, and filming wrapped slightly earlier than had been planned in 2022. The response to that decision was mixed. Some crewmembers expressed frustration over losing money while others were not only unfazed but excited to be done after a long run. “We got paid a couple of weeks less than we would have. I definitely wanted the paycheck, but at the same time I was relieved to be able to get out of there sooner,” said a source. “But I’ll say that I’ve loved working on Queer Eye. I love our crew, and we have a great team.”

Another source expressed sorrow over the situation in New Orleans, which has long been a high-profile production hub for films and television shows over many years thanks to lucrative tax credits and desirable locations. “It’s a special place that has its own kind of magic. The city has opened and embraced many of us and it’s sad that people on that crew didn’t feel the same way because of these experiences.” (Coincidentally, New Orleans deli owner Dan Stein of Stein’s Deli, a beloved figure of the local community, appeared on season seven. He was carjacked in July of last year.)

The staffer who praised the Queer Eye team has come away from the shoot with less affection for the Crescent City. “I love New Orleans, always have, and I never experienced any crime up until the season of Queer Eye. I believe we were targeted because people saw us in these big fancy cars, and knew we were filming. That amped up the danger that’s already there. New Orleans is a very poor city and people are desperate. It’s such a beautiful, fun city and there’s so much to look out for and enjoy, but after my experience, I don’t think I will ever go back again. It’s too risky.”

Queer Eye is moving on from New Orleans, too. Netflix announced that it had renewed the show for season nine — without beloved interior design expert Bobby Berk, who has departed the show — with its sights set on a new location: Las Vegas, aka Sin City.

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