A ‘Queer Eye’ superstar is leaving the Fab Five!
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Ever since Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was rebooted as just Queer Eye in 2018, the beloved series has been one of Netflix’s most emotional and entertaining shows of all time.
For seven seasons – and an eighth season on the way – we’ve fallen in love with the new Fab Five consisting of Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, and Tan France. Alas, interior design and home organization expert Bobby Berk has now announced that he is leaving Queer Eye after filming season eight.
“To the Queer Eye Community who have become family to me,” Berk wrote in an Instagram post. “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. Throughout these years, you, the die-hard fans of Queer Eye, have all shared so many stories with me about how the show has touched your lives and I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you for being brave enough to share your experiences.”
He continued, “To all our wonderful, loving, amazing, and brave heroes, there is so much I want to say, and so much gratitude I want to express to you all for letting me into your homes and hearts. 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. I’m so very proud of all of you! Being able to help guide you to find the best version of yourselves is something I never took for granted and never will.”
By the end of the caption, Berk officially announced his exit from the series. “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that season 8 will be my final season on Queer Eye,” he wrote. “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. I love you all so so much and I’ll meet you all in Nola for one final season.”
This announcement means that Queer Eye season nine will have to find a replacement for Berk. While it breaks out hearts that the original Fab Five from this reboot won’t be back for that ninth season, we do have some fabulous names to suggest as replacements!
Scroll through to find out which LGBTQ+ designers could potentially replace Bobby Berk in season nine of Queer Eye!
Brian Patrick Flynn
Brian Patrick Flynn is a HGTV star who’s appeared on shows like Point of View: A Designer Profile, Mind for Design, and HGTV Dream Home 2023. He also starred on the TBS show Movie & a Makeover. All things considered, Flynn would be a great addition to season nine of Queer Eye.
Instagram: @bpatrickflynn
Jenna Lyons
After making her reality TV debut on Max’s Stylish With Jenna Lyons and landing a role on The Real Housewives of New York City reboot, Jenna Lyons clearly has an interest on television. With that said, it doesn’t seem like she’s entirely interested in Real Housewives drama. Now that she’s entering the home décor space, who knows? Maybe there’s a multiverse where Jenna Lyons is a perfect choice to replace Bobby Berk on Queer Eye!
Instagram: @jennalyonsnyc
Carmine Sabatella
Carmine Sabatella is another great LGBTQ+ interior designer who would fit right in with the rest of the Fab Five on Netflix’s Queer Eye. When it comes to media experience, Sabatella appeared in the Inside Out series and on HGTV’s Home Town Kickstart.
Instagram: @realdesigncarmine
David Bromstad
David Bromstad is a longtime HGTV superstar who appeared as a judge on shows like Brother vs. Brother and HGTV Design Star. He starred in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and narrated My Lottery Dream Home. There’s no doubt that Bromstad would be a great replacement for Bobby Berk on Queer Eye.
Instagram: @bromco
Teri Moore
Teri Moore is a fabulous “quite gay” interior designer from Nashville, Tennessee. Over the years, her work has been featured on outlets like HGTV Magazine and Apartment Therapy. Moreover, bringing in a queer woman to join the Fab Five cast would be a really cool addition. We think Moore should totally be considered to replace Bobby Berk!
Instagram: @tmoorehome
Nate Berkus
Nate Berkus describes himself as “husband, interior designer, dad” on Instagram, where he has a whopping 1.8 million followers. On TV, Berkus appeared on shows like Nate & Jeremiah By Design, Nate & Jeremiah Save My House, and Home Town Kickstart. So why not have Berkus join the Fab Five starting in season nine?
Instagram: @nateberkus
Adair Curtis
Adair Curtis was already a Netflix star by appearing on shows such as Styling Hollywood and Instant Dream Home. As someone who’s clearly very talented in interior designing, Curtis is another great name who could get cast on Queer Eye.
Instagram: @adair_curtis
Jonathan Adler
Author, potter, and interior decorator Jonathan Adler is a huge name that could replace Bobby Berk on Queer Eye season nine. Over the years, Adler was featured as a judge on shows like Top Design and Design Star: Next Gen. He also has nearly a million followers on Instagram, which demonstrates how popular he already is.
Instagram: @jonathanadler
Carlos Huber
Carlos Huber is a talented and famous interior designer who runs his own businesses and has worked on high-profile collaborations. He is also rather easy on eyes, which is something that definitely resonates with the Queer Eye audiences. Thus, his name should definitely be considered for the cast following Bobby Berk’s departure.
Instagram: @arquistecarlos
Dabito
Dabito is an author, designer, and artist who recently published the book Old Brand New. He’s immensely popular on social media, with 234,000 followers on Instagram alone. Altogether, we definitely think Dabito would be a no-brainer, wonderful addition to the Fab Five!
Instagram: @dabito