Bobby Berk Is Leaving Netflix’s Queer Eye After 8 Seasons
Queer Eye co-host Bobby Berk has announced his exit from Netflix’s lifestyle reality show following its upcoming eighth season.
“The love that I have received from you all over the last 6 years has been absolutely surreal,” Berk wrote on Instagram Monday. “You have tuned in and been dedicated fans and together we were able to share the healing powers of design. I learned from you all about kindness, love and acceptance and that has changed my life for the better. The way you have embraced me and accepted me for who I am is something that l will truly carry with me for the rest of my life.
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“It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that Season 8 will be my final season on Queer Eye. It’s not been an easy decision to be at peace with, but a necessary one. Although my journey with Queer Eye is over, my journey with you is not. You will be seeing more of me very soon.”
Berk has hosted the streaming giant’s reboot with Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown and Tan France since it began in 2018. Season 8 is set to release in full on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024.
“We appreciate the heart and dedication Bobby Berk brought to Queer Eye over eight amazing seasons,” ITV Entertainment, Scout Productions and Netflix said in a statement. “He will always be a member of the Fab Five family and we wish him the very best.”
Berk later explained his departure in a Vanity Fair interview, revealing that he thought the series was ending after they wrapped filming on Season 7 and “I started planning other things.” When Netflix unexpectedly renewed the show for four more seasons, Berk wouldn’t sign on, and his Fab Five co-stars were considering doing so as well: “We’d just assumed that the show wouldn’t come back if we all didn’t come back.” But the other four eventually decided to return, and “Netflix felt [it] could recast one person,” Berk notes. But he never reconsidered: “All the plans that I had made when I thought we weren’t coming back, I just wasn’t willing to change those.”
He also admitted to an off-camera rift with France: “Tan and I had a moment. There was a situation, and that’s between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that… We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight.” But the two began mending fences at this month’s Emmys: “I want people to know that Tan and I — we will be fine.”
Berk emphasized how grateful he is for the Queer Eye experience: “Queer Eye has been the most amazing gift that I couldn’t have ever imagined. It’s been a life-changing moment. I’m leaving something that is a huge part of my life. Even though it’s my decision, it still wasn’t an easy one.”
On the heels of Berk’s exit, Netflix has announced the series’ Season 9 renewal, reports our sister site Deadline. The show will change locations from New Orleans to Las Vegas, though Berk’s replacement has yet to be announced.
How are you feeling about Berk leaving and a Season 9 of Queer Eye? Let us know all of your thoughts in the comments below.
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