Kellye SoRelle, the acting president of the Oath Keepers, the far-right anti-government militia whose members participated in the attack on the United States Capitol, sparked laughter on social media after she used a green screen background from Netflix's Queer Eye while testifying remotely before the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.
The image was first highlighted by political columnist and podcaster Erin Ryan, who hosts Hysteria on the Crooked Media podcast network and regularly contributes to The Daily Beast.
Ryan noted that SoRelle had green-screened herself in front of an image of a loft-kitchen the hosts of Queer Eye had redesigned in Kansas City, Missouri during the show's third season.
You can see it below.
\u201cOath Keepers attorney Kellye SoRelle green screened herself in front of the Queer Eye loft kitchen for her January 6th committee interview\u201d— Erin Ryan (@Erin Ryan) 1657651851
Queer Eye, which debuted to rave reviews in 2018, is a reboot of the Bravo eponymous series, featuring a new "Fab Five": Antoni Porowski, food and wine expert; Tan France, fashion expert; Karamo Brown, culture expert; Bobby Berk, design expert; and Jonathan Van Ness, grooming expert.
Each episode features the hosts using their expertise to transform the lifestyle – from clothing choices to even the design of their homes – of individuals who need a confidence boost and want to improve their overall quality of life.
According to People, which reviewed the episode in which the loft kitchen appears after the show's third season premiered in 2019, the kitchen features "six brown and black bar stools lined up at the eat-in counter and patterned wallpaper on the wall."
The image quickly went viral and social media users couldn't resist making quips.
\u201cAttorney for right-wing insurrectionists also digs Queer Eye. Yup, nothing odd going here.\u201d— John Davis (@John Davis) 1657717424
\u201cYet another reason why I keep coming back to Twitter. This is elite investigation.\u201d— Andrew Seiler \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f (@Andrew Seiler \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\u26a7\ufe0f) 1657660293
\u201cWhatever Twitter is asking for in the lawsuit isn't enough. This place is priceless.\u201d— Brown Anthony\u2122 (@Brown Anthony\u2122) 1657662467
\u201cShe was SoRelle for this\u201d— Cody Dericks (@Cody Dericks) 1657673120
\u201cThis is the worst game of madlibs we've ever played and if we don't win we get fascism so we have to keep playing, help\u201d— Bree (half of @kitrocha) (@Bree (half of @kitrocha)) 1657673233
\u201cThis is great. Toxic masculinity gets slapped twice in one day.\u201d— Snarkastic Ginger With Shenanigans & Tomfoolery (@Snarkastic Ginger With Shenanigans & Tomfoolery) 1657682304
\u201cDuring the hearing, I noticed this beautiful kitchen. HILARIOUS that it was green screened.\u201d— Jaelithe (@Jaelithe) 1657656440
\u201cWell I guess she didn\u2019t want us to see all her kkk and anti-America decor.\u201d— Yvonne Chisholm (@Yvonne Chisholm) 1657677389
\u201cThe most entertaining part of today\u2019s hearing. \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Lisa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b\u262e\ufe0f (@Lisa \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf3b\u262e\ufe0f) 1657678126
The image is particularly notable because the Oath Keepers – whose more prominent members, including leader Stewart Rhodes, were indicted for seditious conspiracy in January 2022 as part of the January 6 investigation – have received criticism for being a homophobic, racist, and fascist organization.
The Oath Keepers have regularly appeared at events in the company of the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo Boies, the Three Percenters, all groups that have been designated hate groups and terrorist entities by foreign governments and organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups as well as for its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations.
