Monster. Nightmare. Demeaning. Abusive. Rage issues.
These are the words that production members of Netflix’s Queer Eye recently provided Rolling Stone to describe Jonathan Van Ness, the hit reality show’s nonbinary grooming expert. Published on Tuesday, the magazine’s exposé painted an ugly picture of behind-the-scenes culture on the feel-good series, as well as the off-screen behavior of Van Ness, whose public image had been, until this point, far rosier. Van Ness, arguably the breakout personality from the contemporary reboot of the 2003 series, reportedly had a habit of yelling repeatedly at others on set—so much so that, per Rolling Stone, Netflix executives met with them about their behavior, to no avail.
“[There’s] a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry,” one person told the magazine. “It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them.” (Netflix representatives did not respond to a request for comment about the Rolling Stone story, and no cast members from the show gave a statement to the magazine.)
The Van Ness allegations—described as the star’s “mean too moment” by podcaster Angel Money on X, adopting a phrase that appeared in a 2021 New York Times piece about bullying in the media—are just the latest in a series of stories about abusive behavior by Hollywood figures. In recent years, production members have spoken out about the “toxic” work culture of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show, shocking fans of the cheery chat programs. Power producers like Oscar winner Scott Rudin and Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon have effectively become personae non gratae in the entertainment industry due to their alleged abusive treatment of others, while actors like Lea Michele and Bill Murray have also each been accused by co-stars of being bullies. And just last week, Dune star Rebecca Ferguson shocked fans when she revealed that an unnamed former co-star had once screamed at her so intensely on set that she subsequently refused to work with them.
“Because this person was No. 1 on the call sheet, there was no safety net … so no one had my back. And I would cry walking off set,” Ferguson said in an interview on the Reign With Josh Smith podcast. “I remember thinking, that time I was so scared—I feel it now when I’m saying it, but I thought, It shouldn’t have to be that way.”
Following the public reckoning with sexual misconduct sparked by #MeToo in 2017, a so-called second-wave movement has been slowly building steam—this time centered primarily on workplace bullying and general asshole comportment. This movement has exposed abusive behavior across a number of fields, including politics and sports, in countries including the U.S., the U.K., and South Korea. But it’s the entertainment industry that has come under particular attention, perhaps simply because of the public and media fascination with it. In a trade that has long been synonymous with dictatorial studio bosses or demanding diva actors of all genders, expectations are changing about what behavior is and is not acceptable.
“I think people are noticing there isn’t any reason to behave that way,” Maikiko James, senior director of programs at the advocacy group Women in Film, said. “We know there are plenty of bosses who can treat their reports kindly and with compassion, even if they’re under pressure and on a timeline. I think people understand the culture can change. It doesn’t have to stay this way, even in a highly pressurized industry like Hollywood.”
In January, the Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality, an organization founded in the wake of the #MeToo movement, released the findings of its 2022–23 industry survey of more than 5,000 entertainment professionals. The commission, which is headed by Anita Hill, found that overall rates of bullying behaviors were largely unchanged from its previous report, in 2020. Nearly 1 in 10 respondents reported being insulted, humiliated, or yelled at by a colleague, with rates highest among women and younger people.
Malia Arrington, executive director of the Hollywood Commission, said the increased attention to bullying in Hollywood can be linked to #MeToo. Although the two movements have different goals, Arrington said, she views them as “interrelated.”
“What we know is that the more you allow bullying, the more you allow a toxic culture, the more likely you are to see every other kind of harassment,” she said.
Three top Hollywood producers who spoke with Slate on condition of anonymity, in order to speak without fear of repercussion, said they too had noticed a broader cultural change in their industry following #MeToo. “When people started looking at bad behavior, they started looking at other kinds of bad behavior and saying, ‘Wait. Why do we have to tolerate this?’ ” said an award-winning film producer.
In addition to #MeToo, part of this change has been generational. In the past, there was a widely held expectation in Hollywood that low-ranking workers would put up with abuse from top figures in order to climb the ladder. James with Women in Film said many of her members have shared stories with her about this onetime norm. “Especially if you were a woman or someone from an underrepresented community, there were expectations that you would grin and bear it,” she said.
One television producer and showrunner said that enduring this kind of experience functioned as a “shadow résumé” of sorts. “People could look at places you’d worked, bosses you’d had, and the fact that you came out unscathed meant that you were a real trouper and a professional who can take what happens next,” this producer said.
But younger people have shown themselves to be less likely to accept behaviors that had previously been considered normal and have instead been more willing to push for change, according to Arrington at the Hollywood Commission. “This next generation of creatives and workers who are coming up through the industry have a very different idea and a very different set of expectations about how they want to be treated in the workplace,” she said.
Social media has given workers an additional platform to find others who have experienced similar behavior or to speak out about abuse, in turn drawing media attention that might not have previously been there. “There are more outlets for people to speak and more safety in numbers,” said a second television showrunner.
Amid a year marked by long-running strikes by both actors and writers, the growing power of labor unions has also been felt in recent years as they push for broader workplace protections.
The media’s increasing willingness to now report out this workplace bullying is fueling much of the fear and culture change in Hollywood. Krystie Lee Yandoli, a Rolling Stone reporter who in 2020 broke the news about the culture at The Ellen DeGeneres Show while she was working for BuzzFeed News (where I served as her editor, although not on that story), said the #MeToo movement emboldened her sources to feel confident speaking with her. But ultimately, she said, the public’s interest in these stories is what will continue to push journalists to expose bad behavior.
“I think readers will always be interested in learning about what goes on behind the scenes with their favorite celebrities and public figures in entertainment,” Lee Yandoli said. “There’s also a lot of interest in uncovering unknown truths and learning something new about something they previously didn’t realize was happening.”
The producers who spoke with Slate said there were several factors baked into the industry that contribute to why bad behavior by top talent had been tolerated for so long. First and foremost is the financial pressure people are under to produce a finished product. Tens of millions of dollars may be invested in some projects, meaning that once actors—especially big-name ones—have signed contracts, their power effectively multiplies.
“Talent owns you. Once you sign on the dotted line and they are fitting costumes, the actors are in charge. They can do almost anything,” said the first showrunner. “We sort of go through this charade with HR and propriety and standards about what’s allowed and not allowable, but once you have millions of dollars on the table, the talent can really pull the leash, and it is your job to jog at their pace.”
Financial imperatives also play into the willingness of others to endure bad behavior from on-set bullies, perhaps out of fear that by speaking up they will be pushed out of a show or that it might end entirely. “I’ve seen cast members put up with abuse because they don’t want to rock the boat and be told that they’re difficult and lose out on the next job,” this first showrunner said. “They don’t want the show to get canceled and lose out on a badly needed second season. People just learn.”
Second, top talent might lash out because they can be under enormous pressure as the faces of a production whose fate may depend on them. Crew members aren’t likely to have trouble finding work if a project flops, but actors, as the public face of a film or series, might. “Its fate rises and falls on whether an audience falls in love with them or is interested in them or not, and that’s a lot of weight to put on people,” said the second showrunner.
Combined with the stress of long hours on set and strict deadlines, this can result in what this showrunner described as a pressure-cooker situation in which tempers flare easily. “By no means do I think that it’s the right thing to do to let off steam publicly,” this showrunner said. “I’m just saying, when it happens I’m not surprised.”
Lastly, while angry outbursts can occur in any industry, there are several factors that are unique to Hollywood, especially the celebrity factor. Top stars might snap at fans who request autographs or selfies at inappropriate moments or feel pressure to constantly maintain a public image that’s at odds with their true selves.
Additionally, James at Women in Film said many newcomers, drawn to fame and glamor, are desperate to break into the notoriously tough industry, making them ripe for all kinds of abuse. “Something that was mentioned in #MeToo, especially for young actresses, was the capacity to take advantage of them because they were ‘willing to do anything’ just to get a role in a film,” James said. “I do think that that mentality is also changing. People realize they don’t need to be exploited to get ahead. They don’t have to endure bullying or bad behavior from a boss in order to have work.”
Although the stories that have emerged about abusive behavior by Hollywood figures continue to grow, the three producers said these reports are just the tip of the iceberg, meaning there are many more left for the media to expose. They described an underground network of sorts in the industry whereby, prior to signing a star for a project, producers will call others to get honest feedback on what their experience was really like working with that person. “There are certain people where what you hear is a ‘life’s too short’ conversation,” said the movie producer.
The first showrunner recalled texting an actor who had worked with a star they were interested in signing for a show. When a message came back reading “Call me,” the showrunner said they knew that this would be “spicy.”
“I picked up the phone and he goes, ‘Absolutely fucking not. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.’ And he told me stories that took the paint off that you’ve never heard about this person,” the showrunner said. “Because where are you going to hear them?”
