One the most beloved heroes from season 3 of Queer Eye (although, it's impossible to rank them) just got a little extra help from fans. Jess Guilbeaux, whose emotional episode detailed her estrangement from her family after coming out as a lesbian, won the hearts of 67.3 thousand Instagram followers and counting, who decided to give back after they learned that Guilbeaux had to drop out of the University of Kansas for financial reasons.
Due to her estrangement, Guilbeaux paid her way to college all on her own.
"College was a different ball game," she told CBS. "But supporting myself at that time was really just me doing what I need to do. There wasn't any other option. It was either that or not survive."
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But fans weren't content with those being the only two options, so last month they started a GoFundMe that has so far raised $99,501 — just shy of its $100,000 goal.
"I never thought going back to school was something that I would ever be able to do just because I was just drowning in debt," Guilbeaux continued. "And I haven't gone back to school, but I have paid off my student loans and all my debts so I plan to go back to school really, really, really soon."
She also plans to use any leftover money from the fund to give to charity, specifically the LGBTQ+ support organization GLAAD.
"I'm really excited to go to school, but I'm also really excited to give back because I've never been in a position where I've been able to do that," she said.
Fab 5 member Tan France had his own touching words, reportedly telling Guilbeaux, "Have the best time at college. Be sure to study very, very hard, however, I want you to play hard, too. I want you to use this experience to build that friend group, to build that chosen family."
Season 3 of Queer Eye is on Netflix now.
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