Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Netflix’s ‘Queer Eye‘ star and original Fab Five member Bobby Berk really is a Design expert who can do wonders with any sort of space. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an entire home, a small office area, a business shop, or even university zones; he has such magic in his hands he makes everything beautiful, livable, and practical. Thus, of course, fans were utterly devastated when he announced his departure from the aforementioned makeover reality series on November 13, 2023 — just ahead of his final stint in season 8.
Bobby Berk is Leaving with a “Heavy Heart”
Ever since its premiere in 2018, ‘Queer Eye’ has followed Bobby alongside Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, and Tan France as they help people change their lives for the better. However, things won’t be the same anymore because although these respective food & wine, beauty, culture, as well as fashion experts are set on continuing, the former has said his final goodbye. Yet the truth is this was not an easy decision for him, which he also made evident during his penned Instagram statement roughly two months prior to season 8’s official launch, as seen below.
As someone who has admittedly had his own fair share of emotional, familial, and mental struggles in the past, Bobby wrote, in part, “To the Queer Eye Community who have become family to me. The love that I have received from you all over the last 6 years has been absolutely surreal. 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.”
He then added he couldn’t be more grateful about being on the receiving end as fans also shared their experiences before going on to express his gratitude towards the brave heroes he helped. “It’s all because of you that I’ve kept going all these years and each and every one of you have changed me for the better,” he wrote prior to ultimately, clearly concluding, “… 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.”
Bobby actually ended his post with “#foreverthefab5,” to which Jonathan replied with three hearts while Karamo commented, “we are #ForeverThe Fab5 | no matter what… I love you!” Even Antoni as well as Tan expressed similar supporting sentiments but then came the rumors that the former was in fact “asked to leave” the show “because he wasn’t vibing with the” rest of the group.
According to a source, per US Weekly, “There were many challenges with scheduling [and] there was a loss of interest from Bobby filming the show. .. His heart was not in it and the rest of the cast started to resent him bec ause of that.” Yet another insider later told this same publication that the incredible interior designer’s departure was indeed his own decision and was truly amicable.
Bobby Berk is Still Thriving
Despite all the speculations swirling around, it was only recently that Bobby came forward to iterate that although he’d had an argument with Tan sometime prior, the reason he actually said goodbye to ‘Queer Eye’ was contract issues plus his simple desire to move forward with additional, new, more challenging projects. After all, he has since evolved into a best-selling author with his 2023 debut book ‘Right at Home’ as well as relocated part-time from California to Portugal alongside his husband, Dewey Do.
In other words, Emmy-Award winner Bobby currently splits his time across two continents thousands of miles apart and appears to be growing on both a personal plus professional level on his own terms, making him perfectly content, which is all that matters in the long run.
Read More: Queer Eye: Where is the Fab Five Now?
