At the start of his Queer Eye episode, Tony Blanco wasn't sure he was prepared to be a father. His girlfriend Bri was due in a matter of days, but his house was a mess and nothing was ready. Fortunately the Fab Five stepped in and showed Tony that he was totally ready to be a dad, and, in fact, that he already had great preparation by helping care for Bri's daughter Kai from another relationship.
His episode was filmed back in August of 2018, and what Tony is doing now after Queer Eye shows what a long way he's come. At the end of his episode, Tony admitted that he finally felt prepared to welcome a new addition to their family. (Good thing, too, since Bri was about to pop.) "The Fab Five showed me that I'm a lot more capable than I give myself credit for," he said in a speech during the baby shower. "After this week, I know that I'm ready." But just because you're ready doesn't mean you also can't also ask for help from time to time. Tony tells Refinery29 via email that his biggest takeaway from the show was to not be afraid to seek support. "It's okay to feel overwhelmed, and everyone does from time to time. I know now that I have a great support system that will always help me, all I need to do is ask," he says.
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Armed with that knowledge, he's since made a very smooth transition into father of two, even starting an Instagram filled with pictures of his family.
"Sleepy baby had a big first day," he said in his first post. The sweet photo features him (dressed in the glasses Tan France picked out) gazing down at his little girl Rowan. The Fab Five was totally right that he was ready for this.
"Sweet dreams, little one," he captioned another photo of Rowan sleeping next to Bri.
The week he was on Queer Eye marked a lot of changes for Tony. Not only did his house, wardrobe, and life get transformed, he also proposed to Bri. According to Bri's Facebook, they're still enjoying being fiancées as of now and haven't yet tied the knot. But he only proposed a little over six months ago and they just had a baby, so it makes sense that they're taking their time.
Tony tells Refinery29 that he's just been enjoying exploring Kansas City with his family. "Life since the baby arrived has been crazy and fun. Bri is such an amazing person and mother and partner in crime. We make the best team together," he says, adding, "Kai is such a great big sister, she's absolutely in love with Rowan. Bri and I have been spending all of our time out together with the girls exploring Kansas City."
Bri was actually the one who nominated Tony in the hopes that it would help him be more confident and prepared to be her partner through this next stage of their life. The two seem very happy still today, with Bri excitedly posting on Instagram about the show's effect on her family. She wrote:
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"I’m so excited to share that our family not only got to meet these amazing guys this summer but we will also be in season 3!!! I can’t wait for everyone to see what a hot mess my pregnant self was and what an absolutely amazing guy I’ve been lucky enough to snag!! To the Fab Five thank you again from the bottom of my heart for helping us get our lives together before baby Rowan got here, I don’t know what we would have done without you!!!!!!!!"
Those exclamation points really send home the message of how grateful Bri is that her husband had this time with the Fab Five to really work on who he was. Tony also totally shocked Jonathan Van Ness and the other cast members when he shaved his beard at the end of the episode on his own volition. But in a sweet family portrait Bri posted to Facebook, it looks like he's since decided to let it grow back in a bit — albeit more groomed than before, so Jonathan would still be proud.
Tony always had it in him to be a father to Rowan, and step-father to Kai, he just needed some help to see that. Queer Eye was able to hold that mirror up for him. From the looks of his Dadstagram and all the photos with his wife and kids, he now knows what Bri and the Fab Five could always see.