What happened to Queer Eye star Bobby Berk and who is his replacement?-Sabrina Barr, Meghna Amin and Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro

Netflix ‘s hit makeover reality show Queer Eye has returned today for its ninth season – but with a different line-up for the Fab Five.

Last year, Bobby Berk, 43, announced his departure from the programme as the original contract expired and he had ‘mentally and emotionally’ moved on.

However, when Netflix renewed Queer Eye, Bobby opted not to rejoin the cast as it would involve him ‘pumping the brakes’ on multiple other projects he had in the pipeline.

Instead, earlier this year the streamer announced it had replaced Bobby with fellow interior designer Jeremiah Brent, who joins fashion expert Tan France, culture and lifestyle expert Karamo Brown, grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness, and food and wine expert Antoni Porowski.

Here is everything you need to know about why Bobby quit Queer Eye and his replacement Jeremiah.

Who is new Queer Eye star Jeremiah Brent?

Jeremiah Brent, 40, is an interior designer who founded his design firm Jeremiah Brent Design (JBD) in 2011. The company is based in New York and LA.

Jeremiah has taken over from Bobby on Queer Eye (Picture: Netflix)

He got his big break in TV the same year when he became a styling associate to celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe on her show The Rachel Zoe Project.

Six years later, Jeremiah started presenting TLC series Nate & Jeremiah By Design with his husband Nate Berkus. In the show, they help homeowners remedy renovation disasters.

His other TV credits include The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project and Home Made Simple, as well as Say I Do, the wedding version of Queer Eye.

Jeremiah shares two children daughter Poppy, nine, and son Oskar, six, with Nate and the family lives in Manhattan.

Why did Bobby Berk quit Queer Eye?

On November 13, 2023, Bobby shared a post on Instagram announcing that his time on Queer Eye was drawing to a close.

Bobby’s exit sent shockwaves through Queer Eye fans (Picture: Netflix)

Sharing a variety of pictures from his time on the beloved series, he wrote in his caption: ‘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.’

The interior designer continued, explaining how over the years since the launch of the Queer eye reboot in 2018, dedicated fans of the programme ‘have all shared so many stories with me about how the show has touched your lives’.

‘I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you for being brave enough to share your experiences,’ he stated.

Bobby decided not to renew his Queer Eye contracted when it expired (Picture: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

‘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!’

Bobby outlined how being able to help the ‘heroes’ who appear on the programme to ‘find the best version’ of themselves is something he ‘never took for granted and never will’.

‘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.’

In a report published by Us magazine, it was claimed by a source that ‘there were many challenges with scheduling’, in addition to ‘a loss of interest from Bobby filming the show’.

However, according to the publication, another source said that Bobby ‘was not asked to leave’ and the ‘decision was amicable’.

How did the Queer Eye cast react to Bobby leaving the show?

When Bobby shared his Instagram announcement last November, Karamo responded by commenting underneath: ‘@bobby we are #ForeverTheFab5 | no matter what. I’m about to be a Netflix’s door & e-mails telling them you can’t leave! Who is coming with me? 😢😍 I love you!’

Bobby’s Queer Eye co-stars were supportive of his exit (Picture: Ilana Panich-Linsman/Netflix)

Jonathan left a row of heart emojis, while Antoni added: ‘#foreverthefab5 indeed, and don’t forget it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.’

At the time of writing, Bobby and Tan are the only members of the Queer Eye Fab Five who don’t follow each other on Instagram, in what could be perceived as a ‘snub’ between the co-stars.

However, he’s now opened up about the alleged feud, in the hope of ‘extinguishing speculation’.

‘I want people to know that Tan and I – we will be fine,’ Bobby said in an interview with Vanity Fair.

Opening up about the suggested tension, he went on: ‘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.

Bobby admitted he and Tan ‘had a moment’ on the show (Picture: John Nacion/Getty Images)

‘It was something personal that had been brewing—and nothing romantic, just to clarify that.’

He added that he should not have unfollowed Tan, ‘but that day, I was angry, and that’s the end of it.’

‘I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other’s house being good,’ he said.

In a post shared on Instagram in November last year, Bobby teased that he had an exciting project on the horizon, hinting that his very own TV show was on the way.

‘I’ve heard you, and it’s gunna happen😘,’ he wrote in the caption, as Queer Eye’s Jonathan responded: ‘👏👏👏 give the people what they want queen!!’

A version of this article was first published on January 24, 2024.

Metro.co.uk has contacted Netflix and Bobby Berk’s representatives for comment.

Queer Eye is available to watch on Netflix.

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