Queer Eye star Antoni’s hugely ‘personal’ TV show will leave you sobbing
The TV star reveals the moment there 'wasn't a dry eye in the room'.
You might be used to crying with Antoni Porowski when he breaks down on episodes of hit series Queer Eye, but he’s vowed that his new ‘personal’ show will also leave you a sobbing mess.
For the past seven years, Antoni has become known around the world as the food expert on Netflix’s heartwarming Queer Eye, one fifth of the charismatic Fab Five.
For his latest project, the 40-year-old has ventured out on his own to create No Taste Like Home with National Geographic on Disney Plus, a programme that delves into celebrities’ ancestries with a particular focus on the connections that they and their families have with food, recreating delicious dishes along the way.
Metro had the chance to speak to him about the series, which features major stars including Florence Pugh, Awkwafina, Issa Rae and Justin Theroux in its upcoming first season.
The episode starring Crazy Rich Asians and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Awkwafina, real name Nora Lum, is a particularly emotional watch, as the actress visits South Korea while remembering her late mother, who died when she was four years old.
‘That was arguably the most emotional of all the episodes,’ Antoni told us. ‘All of them are very personal, but for her, especially, having lost her mother at such a young age and going back to a country that she hasn’t been to since her mother passed away – I wanted to be extra careful and sensitive in how we approach that journey.’
He continued: ‘For the most part, with all of our guests, we really genuinely did not tell them where we were going. We kept it very much a surprise. They knew what city they were in, but that’s it, and they were all game. Thankfully, we found a really good crew, and hopefully that continues with all our future seasons.’
In Awkafina’s episode, Antoni explained how there was one particular moment when she smelt a broth made with kelp that left her ‘shaking’ as it evoked such a strong memory from her childhood.
‘I felt that energy kind of vibrating off of her. I get emotional, I started crying. I didn’t know why the hell I was crying. And then I look at her, and it’s like she remembers that smell of when she was four years old,’ he shared.
Antoni recalled how there ‘wasn’t a dry eye in the room’ in that moment, adding: ‘It was just so beautiful and real. With her journey, in some ways, it probably deepened her grief in some moments, but then in other ways, it kind of helped her understand a little more.’
Antoni revealed that Awkwafina’s episode on No Taste Like Home is ‘arguably the most emotional’ (Picture: National Geographic) As well as her acting performances, Florence Pugh is well known for her passion for food (Picture: National Geographic/Chris Raphael)In the first season of No Taste Like Home, Antoni was able to travel to incredible locations with his celebrity guests including Italy, Senegal and Borneo – and he admitted to us that one of the reasons he wanted to make the programme ‘from a personal self-seeking standpoint’ was his love of travel.
‘It always piqued my curiosity about what’s out there in the world,’ he said. ‘I also feel like storytelling through food is something that can happen in so many different ways.
‘I caught that bug on Queer Eye with exploring people’s relationship with food. With this, it’s just such an evolution of that. We get to do it in a global way with the beautiful visuals of what comes when you’re in the Nat Geo family and going to places that normally, as a tourist, you probably wouldn’t have access to, which is such an interesting thing I think for people to see, and also always being the people pleaser that I am trying to figure out what the hell viewers want to see.’
Antoni emphasised how ‘exciting’ it was to be a part of his guests’ journeys as they explored their family histories, stating: ‘There’s something beautiful in building the trust with someone, but also being able to be part of that journey with them as they discover things about themselves and they learn more about why they are the way they are.’
Antoni travelled to Senegal with Issa Rae on the programme (Picture: National Geographic) He was also shown how to make tortelli with Justin Theroux in Italy (Picture: National Geographic)The TV star has already proven how much of a people-person he is on Queer Eye, the reboot of the early 2000s show that’s garnered tens of millions of views since its launch in 2018.
In December last year, the latest ninth season marked the debut of new interior design expert Jeremiah Brent, who took over after Bobby Berk announced that he had made the shock decision to leave the series and the Fab Five.
Addressing Jeremiah joining the team, Antoni remarked: ‘Families change. I was confident that everyone was going to love him, because as soon as you meet him… To know him is to love him. He brought such an interesting, different perspective.’
The star stressed how ‘deeply’ the new home expert cares, hailing his ‘beautiful’ work as he said: ‘ To see him do that with the details of really trying to give someone not only the home or the space of their dreams, but also making it so deeply personal to who they are as individuals. Yes, visually, it was stunning, and it came out really well, but it was actually so deeply personal, and that’s just beautiful.’
The No Taste Like Home host outlined how Jeremiah has ‘reminded us that what we do have value’, an attribute that he was able to bring with a ‘fresh set of eyes and a fresh heart in the mix’.
Jeremiah Brent (right) is the newest member of Queer Eye’s Fab Five (Picture: John Nacion/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust) Fans were shocked when Bobby Berk (second from right) announced he’d be leaving (Picture: Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix)He also admitted that while he’s often known as the crier on Queer Eye, it appears that his new co-star has since taken the crown, telling us: ‘I’ve met my match crying wise.’
When we spoke to Antoni, we were just a couple of days away from February, which marks LGBTQ+ History Month, and the TV personality told us what the month means to him.
‘I think activism comes in a lot of different ways. I think, for the most part, there’s no wrong way to be an activist and to raise awareness for something. I think for some people, it manifests itself in showing up to marches and parades and posting on social media,’ he said.
‘I’m more of an introspective type, and I feel like my message for viewers and readers is figure out what that means to you.’
He continued: ‘It can mean having a difficult conversation with a family member who may not understand something. If you’re an ally, it may be educating yourself or making sure that you’re showing up for a community that isn’t your own, because you’re also human, and we have responsibility to stick up for each other, irrespective of a faith, gender, colour.
‘But for me, I tend to take the more introspective route of sort of being like, what’s the literature I can read? How can I educate myself so that I can empower myself with the tools that I need to navigate a very complicated world that we’re living in right now? It’s still beautiful, but it’s really complicated.’
No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski premieres on Monday February 24 on Disney Plus.
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