What The Cast Of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy Looks Like Today

When the Emmy-winning series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy debuted in 2003, few expected it to last five seasons, let alone become a cult classic. The show's premise: five uniquely talented gay men transform socially and stylistically clueless heterosexual guys into head-turning prince charmings. Basically, Carson Kressley, Thom Filicia, Ted Allen, Jai Rodriguez, and Kyan Douglas served as straight men's fairy godfathers, to the amusement of millions. Their detailed advice was fantastic, and much of it is still relevant by today's standards. Over a decade has passed since this Fab Five bid adieu to viewers and went their separate ways, but with a reboot on the way, it's high time we check in with these gurus too see what they're up to today.

Kressley was the ringleader of the group. The Allentown, Pa. native performed many of the hosting duties of the show and often broke the ice when the Fab Five ambushed clients. His area of expertise was fashion. Kressley could single-handedly transform a guy's wardrobe from drab to fab with a lavish afternoon shopping spree. He taught men the basics about buying suits: fit, color, shape and quality. Beyond helping the guys pick out a great date night ensemble, Kressley helped his protégés develop a sense of style to take with them when the credits rolled. Kressley had a knack for forecasting trends. He also coined the term "tszuj," which, according to Urban Dictionary, means to tweak an item of clothing so it appears more appealing to the eye. On occasion, Kressley would also work his magic on the ladies of the show, sometimes taking them shopping for a romantic date-night makeover.

Since leaving the show, Kressley, whose area of expertise on Queer Eye was fashion, has transformed his brand into a budding fashion empire. He also recently appeared on The Celebrity Apprentice, on which he went above and beyond—and even gone out in the buff—to raise money for his chosen charity.

Before his apprenticeship, Kressley hosted his own makeover show called How to Look Good Naked on Lifetime, but that series, launched in 2008, lasted just two seasons. Despite its short run, the program was personal for Kressley. Kressley continued to work in the self-help market, publishing a book called Does This Book Make My Butt Look Big? in 2016. The page-turner is a guide to help women revamp their personal style and feel sexier in their own skin.

Kressley's brand appears poised to grow bigger in the coming years. An insider told Page Six in February 2017 that a celebrity psychic forecast an insanely busy future for the life and style coach. Fortune teller Thomas John reportedly "translated messages from Kressley's late relatives who predicted he will be planning his wedding in the next 24 months and hosting a TV show sometime in the future."

Douglas was the coif king of the Queer Eye squad. His primary focus was to raise grooming standards by teaching men how to get their hygiene under control. That typically meant taking subjects for their first manicure, pedicure and haircut, which often revealed years of neglect. Douglas would introduce these savages to the finer arts of manscaping, such as how to wax a grizzly bear's worth of back hair or how to treat toenail fungus. By the time the dust settled, Douglas had set these men up with an armful of products and a manageable, sustainable routine for their hair, faces, and bodies. Who says shaving a bear's nether regions doesn't make for good TV?

When the show ended, Douglas, aka the hair guy, left the spotlight in search of himself. He told Oprah's Where Are They Now? that he traveled extensively. "I think that I was looking for fame to validate myself and what I learned from Queer Eye is no amount of fame or money was going to sort of fill a part of me that was empty or missing," he said. "And so after the show I just went on a quest. I studied yoga, I traveled to Egypt and to India and South America, and moved to Mexico—I mean, I studied with the shamans, I did it all."

In 2009, Douglas briefly returned back to television to host TLC's 10 Years Younger, but he left the spotlight again to care for his ailing mother, who passed away in 2012. At the time of this writing, Douglas is hosting an online series called The American Barber. He's also fighting back against internet trolls, posting this "gentle rant" on his Facebook in 2016: "People, with some regularity, contact me here or comment about my weight—don't lose too much, don't gain too much, about my hair—wear it this way, not that way, my beard—shave it, trim it, grow it, my smile—smile more, take more shirtless selfies, etc etc. Don't," he said. "What you're doing amounts to a subtle form of image shaming."

Filicia's lane on Queer Eye was all about aesthetics. He could flip any man cave into a cozy den of love by tossing out nasty sofas, kitchen tables, rugs, bedding— essentially any item that was dingy, ruined, or soiled. What he uncovered while cleaning out these hombres' homes was often disturbing. From stacks of porn to used up towels and tissues, there was nothing Filicia couldn't handle. He'd organize the clutter, and sometimes even gift the guys new collections of flatware and wine glasses. Ultimately, Filicia made pig styes livable and inviting—the type of local where a man could pop the question or simply impress his friends and family.

Filicia didn't quit designing after Queer Eye ran its course. He continued to run his own design firm and launched his own line of furniture, rugs, bedding and more. "The biggest misconception about me...is that television design is my primary platform, which couldn't be further from the truth," he told The Huffington Post. "I have had an established design firm in New York City for many years."

According to The Daily Dish, Filicia's client list includes A-list celebs such as Tina Fey, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and big name clients such as the Grace Bay Club in Turks and Caicos.  Filicia has occasionally reappeared on the small screen, hosting the Style Network's short-lived programs Dress My Nest and Tacky House. He also penned multiple books, including American Beauty: Renovating and Decorating a Beloved Retreat, published in 2012.

Allen was the wine and food guru of the group, charged with combing through clients' cupboards to purge anything spoiled and replace it with decadent spirits and luxury bites. The shock factor served up with this portion of the show was significant. Many a fridge was harboring decomposing food and horrifying molds. After tossing out the hazmat, Allen could get a feel for his client's tastes, then take him food shopping. "I could introduce somebody to the different varieties of champagne, I could show you how to break down a lobster, I could show you how to make fried chicken. I did all those things," he told Eater Upsell. Allen was also known to teach the guys kitchen-savvy techniques, such as making fresh pasta, to impress a lucky lady. Even if the mentee's culinary execution left something to be desired, it made for delectable reality television and gave the dudes a decent foundation in the food department.

After his successful run on Queer Eye, foodie Allen stuck with television. According to his website, he appeared in a Iron Chef American on the Food Network and in Top Chef on Bravo. At the time of this writing, he's reportedly involved with All-Star Academy, Chopped and Best. Ever. Allen also published two cookbooks: The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes (2005) and In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks (2012).

While his career has been scorching hot for years, so has his personal life. Allen's engagement and subsequent marriage to designer Barry Rice made headlines in 2016 after the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was deemed unconstitutional. The duo had been together for more than 20 years. "But we've also felt for a long time that we weren't that interested in getting married until we could get the real deal—the same rights, the same protections, the same status and privileges as straight couples at the federal level," he told People.

Rodriguez was the culture king of the ensemble cast. Although Rodriguez, 37, didn't haven't any hard hitting areas that required torture or demolition like his co-stars, he was tasked with raising the guy's romance game and ensuring he remained thoughtful and engaged during his date. Rodriguez often thought of unique date-night ideas for the men and arranged special gifts on their behalf. His tasks sometimes taught guys proper dining etiquette or how to dance. While it may be easy to overlook Rodriguez's contributions, good manners and charming dating habits never go out of style. "Over the course of time – and part of what the audience liked – after the guy got beat up by the other four gentlemen, I'd take him under my gay wing and say, 'OK, we're going to do this together,'" Rodriguez told The Wrap. "It became less about giving him cultural advice and more about making him a well-rounded renaissance man. It became about how to behave in getting the job, getting the girl, getting the life he wants."

Once Queer Eye wrapped up, culture guru Rodriquez leaped into acting landing a role in the stage performance of Xanadu and a number of roles on television including guests spots on Not Looking, Eastsiders, How I Met Your Mother and Malibu Country, according to his IMDb resume and BroadwayWorld.com.

Looking back, Rodriguez wishes he could do the show over again. "I've worked with so many TV shows and I don't think I've ever had that kind of chemistry with any other casts ever in my entire adult career," he shared with The Wrap. "I took it for granted when we shot the show. I just thought that was innately part of doing television, that you would have that kind of magic, be able to create those kind of comedic moments that people struggle to write. And to think, it was all organic."

Outside of TV work, Rodriguez works to stop the spread of HIV. He says he was first inspired to raise awareness as his aunt and cousin both died from the disease. According to Ora.TV, he's since become a regular at HIV/AIDS events like AIDS WALK, APLA, R.E.A.F. and LIFE GROUP LA. He explained his mission saying, "My goal grew to not only raise awareness and funds for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, but to also help shed some of the stigma attached to the disease."

While the Fab Five no longer roams around New York City helping out slobs of every kind, the show is getting the reboot treatment. According to Entertainment Weekly, its being recast and is leaving the Big Apple to transform all of America. "In a time when America stands divided and the future seems uncertain, a team of five brave men will try to bring us closer together with laughter, heart, and just the right amount of moisturizer," read a statement from show producer. "The Emmy Award-winning Queer Eye is back and ready to Make America Fabulous Again. With a new Fab 5 and the show's toughest missions to date, Queer Eye moves from the Big Apple to turn the Red States pink — one makeover at a time."

But don't count out the original guys just yet. Insiders tell the site the crew may make an appearance.