After nearly a decade working on the same show, Antoni Porowski, who says he enjoys the unknown, is experiencing a remarkable transition in his career.
In his first post-Queer Eye adventure, he traveled the world, visiting Mexico City, London, Paris, and New York for his new show, Best of the World With Antoni Porowski, which he hosts and produces for National Geographic. The show premieres on June 7, and will be available on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
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Four months after ending the "Queer Eye" phase of his life, which introduced him to a legion of LGBTQ+ fans and foodies, Porowski admits he still has more questions than answers. Karamo Brown, who co-hosted the Emmy-winning show with Porowski in 2018, abruptly exited a "CBS Mornings" segment in January over concerns about bullying, saying in a statement that he felt he had been "mentally and emotionally abused for years." Brown's actions fueled reports of behind-the-scenes tensions following a 2024 Rolling Stone investigation into alleged emotional abuse by showrunner Jonathan Van Ness. (Van Ness denies the allegations.)
«"For those who followed how it all ended, I was saddened that I felt it took away from honoring the countless people who worked on the show from day one to the very end, as well as those who came and went—both in front of and behind the camera," Porowski says in an interview. Variety . "Honestly, I'm left with more questions than answers, but I hope that people who appreciate this show will understand how much help we provided and how dedicated we were.".
Created in 2003 for Bravo, the Netflix reboot of Queer Eye began airing in 2018. It featured a cast of five hosts—Porowski, Van Ness, Brown, Tan France, and Bobby Berk (replaced by Jeremiah Brent in season 9)—who performed makeovers on people. The show celebrated community and inclusivity, and many of the cast members were meeting openly LGBTQ people for the first time.
Acknowledging the validity of those "Queer Eye" fans who felt the drama and scandal overshadowed the final season, Porowski says, "I refuse to let the way it ended distract me from the core message, because that message, I promise you, was always genuine and rooted in truth. That's what I take away from all of this.".
Porowski says he currently only keeps in touch with "a few" of the show's cast members, though he won't name names, saying rhetorically, "Who knows what the future holds?" When asked if he's keeping up with his former co-star's projects since "Queer Eye," he said he was impressed by Brent's new Portuguese farmhouse, which he renovated with his husband, Nate Berkus: "He's done such a beautiful job. I know how obsessive [he is] about preservation and attention to detail.".
The transition from working as part of an ensemble cast to hosting a show on his own happened quickly; about three months after filming Season 10 of Queer Eye wrapped in Washington, D.C., Porowski began his globe-trotting adventure.
In "Best of the World," Porowski explores different cultures and, of course, tastes delicious dishes. He asks locals in all four locations he visits to tell the story behind each exquisite dish. This makes the show a clear continuation of his previous project at National Geographic, "There's No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski" (2025), and the Netflix cooking competition he hosted in 2022, "Easy-Bake Battle.".
Porowski says that during this transition, he's interested in telling "human stories. I learned this importance from 'Queer Eye,' connecting with other people, and understanding other perspectives and ways of doing things.".
Traveling around the world during a period of political unrest, particularly in the United States, opened Porowski's eyes to the life experiences of others.
«"I experience terror, anxiety, and stress every day, in small and serious ways, whenever I open my phone and look at social media and see all the atrocities happening [here]," he says. "That doesn't diminish the fact that it's all very real and it's happening. But when I travel the world and suddenly turn on a local news channel, I learn that atrocities are happening everywhere. And everywhere, there are people thriving.".
The Netflix reboot of Queer Eye quickly found widespread appeal, particularly among the LGBTQ+ community; in 2019, it won the GLAAD Award for Best Reality Program. In the episode "Best of the World," Porowski continues to draw on his own queer identity and desire for community. The London episode, most memorably, ends in a sizzling drag bar during a night out.
«Part of my history, my identity as a queer person, and the fact that I'm a public figure, the attention that comes with that, and the energy in the room, can sometimes make me anxious if I'm not completely at peace with myself,» he says. «But being there was such a beautiful and chaotic experience.».
«"Some of the drag queens and kings were incredibly refined, their moves perfectly choreographed, while others were simply wild and unpredictable," he adds. "There were several moments when I forgot the cameras were rolling and just screamed at the top of my lungs, wasting no energy. The next day, I literally couldn't speak because I'd been screaming so much. That night in the London hotel, I drank a lot of tea with honey, ginger, and chamomile.".
Reflecting on the show that introduced the actor to millions of people around the world, Porowski wants "Queer Eye" fans to remember that the Fab Five "were cast as complete strangers.".
«"The only person I've ever heard of is [Jonathan Van Ness] from Game of Thrones, because I watched him," he says. "We didn't know who we were, and we're very different people, different in how we see the world. We were all thrown into this situation together, and we all dealt with it differently. Yeah. I think I'll leave it at that.".
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