Is Doreen's Sweets still open? 'Queer Eye' fans curious after Doreen Ketchens accuses Netflix of property damage and exploitation
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: During filming, Doreen Ketchens, a musician from Louisiana who was featured on 'Queer Eye' Season 8, accused the production staff of causing property damage and abusing their position. Bobby Berk, a member of the Fab Five, gave her shop, Doreen's Sweets, a makeover. Fans are curious if the store is still running in spite of the drama behind the scenes.
On Reddit, fans wondered, "I tried looking up Doreen’s Sweet Shop as I was watching the episode but couldn’t find anything. I hope it’s still up and running and bringing her joy."
While another user chimed in, "I’m really curious to know what happened behind the scenes with the stolen/damaged property. They made over her shop not her house as I’d assumed before watching, so I’m wondering what property it was that got stolen or damaged."
Another asked, "Any updates on the damaged and stolen property?" A fourth person added, "Does anyone know if the sweet shop exists still? I can’t find any internet presence."
One fan seemed to confirm, "It's like it doesn't exist anymore. Maybe they sold it?" "I can’t find anything indicating that it still exists," wrote another.
As per Doreen's social media platforms and her website, there seemed to be no sign of the existence of Doreen's Sweets, as of the time of the writing. Doreen, one of the Heroes from Season 8, also took the stage to discuss the mishandling and abuse of the 'Queer Eye' production team by Netflix.
Doreen Ketchens called out Netflix's 'Queer Eye' for property damage
On January 13, a screenshot of a post, Doreen had written on Instagram went viral, accusing the local clarinet queen and 'Queer Eye' producers as well as Netflix of larceny and property destruction. She said in her piece that the production staff was content to take advantage of the artists and had refused to accept any accountability for the losses.
Heartbroken fans shared their thoughts on the Reddit discussion thread. "As a Nola Native who walks past the clarinet queen (almost) every day," a fan remarked, "I really hope this isn’t true. Very sad."
It appears, though, that Doreen may have taken down the post from her Instagram profile.
Bobby Berk offered to help 'Queer Eye' Season 8 hero Doreen Ketchens
It was brought to attention by a Reddit user that Bobby had left a helpful remark under Doreen's post. "Can you please DM me the details so I can see if I can help. I don’t have much to do with the show anymore, but will do what I can to help ❤️."
"Maybe this is why Bobby left, the lack of critical thinking skills & professionalism on the side of the production/bosses?" a fan speculated, drawing a connection between the entire incident and Bobby's departure from 'Queer Eye'. "Since I’ve been following this page, I have seen more posts about the shadiness & laziness of this television show’s production team, than some celebrities have attached to their names."
It's unclear if Bobby or the production team got in touch with the musician to offer assistance.
New Orleans production of 'Queer Eye' was halted due to crew member's carjacking
According to insiders on site, the Fab Five threatened to skip filming for a forthcoming season of 'Queer Eye' when a production vehicle was carjacked, leaving the crew feeling insecure. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the successful carjacking came after two failed attempts to take production cars in 2022 while filming the hit Netflix show's eighth season, which is set in New Orleans.
Tan France threatened to leave production unless more security measures were implemented, and the remaining four hosts—Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Bobby, and Karamo Brown—agreed, according to many anonymous sources.
After five masked men attempted to steal a 'Queer Eye' car on July 2, 2022, ITV America, the production company behind the popular series, approved 24-hour armed security for their production headquarters and additional police at field sites, sources informed THR. Previously, they had just employed two unarmed security personnel to shoot alongside the five hosts.
But five days later, two people attempted to steal another production car, according to the report. When the workers inside shut the doors, the perpetrators ran to a nearby vehicle, dragged an employee out, and fled, according to a source who corroborated the report with the New Orleans Police Department.
The car was retrieved, but the episodes had the personnel on edge. During a post-event discussion, staff expressed their concerns about violence in New Orleans, according to THR.
Tan stated he didn't think a TV program was worth dying for and threatened to walk out. Filming was stopped for two days.
When it restarted, 20 off-duty law enforcement personnel were added to the security unit, along with a 24-hour detail for the five program hosts, according to THR. However, escalating security expenses prompted producers to truncate the season, according to THR.
'Queer Eye' Season 8 is currently streaming on Netflix in its entirety.