Black Old Navy employees claim ‘Queer Eye’ shoot was ‘whitewashed’

Workers at Philadelphia Old Navy store claim that they and other employees of color were kept in the background during filming of a “Queer Eye” episode.

• Old Navy’s response: The company denied the “completely inaccurate” allegations.
• The claim: Monae Alvarado, who has worked at the store since February 2018, said she and other store employees worked overnight to tidy up the store in advance of the filming.
• The next morning: However, when she arrived at work the next morning, she found the that 10 to 15 store workers, all white, had been brought in from other stores in the area.
• Her job: Alvarado normally works to fulfill online orders from the store’s inventory, which includes pulling stock from the sales floor.
• Sent to second floor: She claims she was relegated to the second floor — away from the Netflix “Queer Eye” cameras.
• Couldn’t do her job: Even when she tried to head downstairs to gather items on display there for online orders, she was told to return to the upper level.
• The manager: However, the store’s black manager was “front and center” during filming.
• A question of waivers: Another worker also claimed that, besides the manager, only white employees signed waivers to appear on camera.