Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye’ is the epitome of feel-good makeover reality shows owing to the sheer compassion involved at every step of the way. After all, it revolves around five incredibly talented professionals as they lend their respective expertise in culture, design, fashion, food, and grooming to help people lead their best possible lives. So now that it’s been five years since this production first premiered on our screens in 2018, let’s find out precisely what the leading features (aka heroes) from this time are up to these days, shall we?
How Did Tom Jackson Die?
When we first came across Thomas “Tom” Leon Jackson in season 1, he was a 57-year-old divorcee looking to start a different chapter of his life by righting some wrongs through reconciliation. It was thus a pleasant surprise when his efforts actually resulted in him getting back together with his ex-wife Abby Parr, only for them to happily tie the knot for a second time a few months later. Unfortunately, though, not only did the couple part ways for good in 2019, but the Federal Express retiree turned proud dump truck driver also passed away at the age of 63 on March 3, 2023.
According to Tom’s obituary, a highlight of his life was being a part of this original series as he genuinely “enjoyed the notoriety [it offered] and shared his experiences with whoever would listen.” We should even mention he brought significant care, joy, as well as love to his daughter and his two young grandsons’ lives despite struggling with lupus, but it was cancer that ultimately took his life. The 63-year-old sadly just lost his battle with metastatic adenocarcinoma, following which his family simply requested everyone to rewatch his episode in his honor instead of sending them flowers.
Neal Reddy is Thriving in His Professional Journey Today
While then-36-year-old programmer Neal was initially quite apprehensive of the entire ‘Queer Eye’ process, he opened up upon realizing everyone genuinely cared about his well-being. Neither his loved ones nor the Fab Five or executive producers wanted him to spiral into the emotionally detached path he was on, so that’s precisely what they worked on for his episode. Therefore, we’re glad to report the progress he’d made has since only evolved in positive ways, and it goes way beyond mere outwardly or superficial aspects like his everyday appearance.
In fact, from what we can tell, Neal is now sober and has continued to work as a developer, all the while blossoming as an actor, comedian, as well as host — he even presented at the 2021 Golden Trailer Awards. The last year has admittedly been quite challenging for him on a variety of levels, yet him now being a proud dad dog and understanding the whole concept of accountability has helped him a lot on bad, depressive days. His continued communication with the Fav Five has seemingly also played a role in his intense self-improvement journey, especially as they give him hope.
Cory Waldrop is Leading his Wellness Business
Although former President Donald Trump-supporting local police officer Cory was undeniably one of the most talked of heroes in the debut season, it was his openness that intrigued us the most. After all, he had a direct conversation with culture expert Karamo Brown regarding race as well as the Black Lives Matter movement before conceding such talks were key to moving forward in life. The fact he was then able to improve his style, realize he needed to make more efforts with his family and give himself permission to self-care were obviously significant facets of his narrative too.
As for Cory’s current standing, it appears as if the retired police officer is now an entrepreneur proudly running a health & wellness business by the name of Herbalife USA in northern Georgia. It’s also imperative to note he’s still blissfully married to Jennifer Lackey Waldrop, with whom he shares two adorable daughters; 17-year-old Olivia Waldrop and 12-year-old Allie Waldrop. The sports plus fitness enthusiast has seemingly even continued to be involved with the Netflix production by recently gifting items from its furniture line to a well-deserving person in his community.
AJ Brown is Diligently Working and Focusing on Health
If we’re being honest, AJ’s episode was arguably the most emotional of the entire season since it essentially revolved around his coming out to his stepmother at the relatively mature age of 32. The fact he was never able to discuss his sexuality with his father before he passed away from cancer was something he actively struggled with, too, leading to his emotions being at a high at every stage. Yet it all ended on a positive note as he not just learned he’d have the love as well as the support of his surviving parental figure no matter what, but he was also soon able to marry his partner Andre.
However, it looks like AJ alone has since happily moved into a new condo in Atlanta’s “gayborhood” because he and Andre separated for good following nearly 2½ years of marriage in 2020. Coming to more private matters, as per the last reports, he recently overcame a serious cancer scare (the same kind that his father had) and is hence focusing a bit more on his health these days. In fact, this Georgia Institute of Technology graduate is actually doing so while devoting himself to his career as a Senior Project Engineer at Robert & Company consultancy as well.
Bobby Camp is Skillfully Maintaining Youthful Style
With six children, two jobs, and a myriad of church duties to take care of, Bobby undeniably had a lot on his plate when his loving wife nominated him for a makeover as a way to say thank you. Thus, the fact they were able to end their week with a potluck-turned-wedding reception to make up for the one that had gone awry years prior was just a cherry on top of the cake for him.
As for Bobby’s present standing, his social media suggests the devout Christian has kept up with the styling tips he’d been offered by both Tan France and Jonathan Van Ness to look at least a few years younger than his reality of the mid-50s. Plus, according to reports, the Camp family had moved out of their Bobby Berk renovated home in 2018 itself, but it was solely to upgrade to a much bigger, 3-bedroom space.
Remington Porter is Traveling and Nurturing Self-Care
As a then-27-year-old comfort creature with limited cooking skills and his grandmother’s decades-old unrenovated place to call home, Remington definitely needed help to bring out his potential. That’s when the Fab Five came in to completely transform him into a more cultured, family-oriented being — facets he himself expressed were not just his core desires but also instilled deep within his unpolished roots.
Remington was actually able to achieve everything he’d hoped for, as well as much more, which is why it comes as no surprise he still prioritizes self-care in the form of both fitness and books. Moreover, the Atlanta-based real estate/home improvement entrepreneur is even conscious about expanding his perspective by traveling all across the globe these days, whether it be to Brazil, Thailand, or France.
Joe Gallois is Pursuing a Stand-Up Comedy Circuit Now
It was back in 2017 when Joe’s parents/roommates nominated him for ‘Queer Eye’ upon realizing just how low his self-esteem had gotten despite having recently lost a lot of weight. In other words, since the then-33-year-old still lived at home, they worried if his confidence level or self-presentation were connected to something else entirely and hoped to offer him some help.
The Gallois’ succeeded as Joe ended up with not only an adult space in his parents’ basement but also a makeover of a lifetime to guide him down the right path as a man and an aspiring comedian. Coming to his current standing, it appears as if he’s doing quite well for himself at the moment through the stand-up comedy circuit, yet he has since taken down the website Karamo Brown had built to give him a strong online presence within the entertainment industry.
Jeremy Holmes is Serving as Covington’s Fire
If there’s only one word we can use to describe Jeremy, it would have to be honorable, owing to everything he has done for the Covington, Georgia, community ever since he became a firefighter. The truth is he’s a prankster yet takes his job as a first responder as well as a family man exceptionally seriously, which is why his admiring loved ones nominated both him and the firehouse for a transformation.
Therefore, we’re happy to report that both Jeremy and the Covington Fire Department seem to be doing well at the moment, especially because he was appointed the City’s Fire Chief in July 2018. Nevertheless, it looks like he himself currently resides in a beautiful, tasteful home in Oxford, Georgia, which he shares with his wife of nearly 19 years Bonnie Holmes and their five adopted children (all biological siblings).
