Bobby Berk Reveals Why He Left ‘Queer Eye’, Confirms Tan France Drama

Bobby Berk opens up about why he parted ways with the Netflix hit strange eye reboot and what’s really going on with the alleged feud between him and his co-star Tan France.

in a new vanity fair interview, the beloved interior design expert explained that he, France and fellow Fab Five members Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness initially signed a seven-cycle contract for the renovation program, which was completed in September 2022. when they finished filming two. seasons in New Orleans. Although Berk “thought we were done” and “started planning other things,” he said Netflix opted to renew the series last fall due to a shortage of content caused by strikes by Hollywood writers and actors.

The Fab Five were offered a new contract, Berk said, and decided not to sign, adding that his co-stars initially considered going the same route. “We just assumed the show wouldn’t come back if we didn’t all come back,” Berk said. V.F.. “I thought, I’m not going to have FOMO because the show isn’t going to happen. I felt at peace with that.” But for reasons Berk did not elaborate on, his co-stars ultimately moved forward with new contracts.

“And since only one of us wasn’t coming back, Netflix felt like they could recast one person,” Berk said, admitting that the change initially bothered him.

“There were definitely emotions,” he said. “But each of us had our reasons why we did what we did. I can’t be mad, for a second I was.”

Netflix did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment on Thursday.

Berk said he did not reconsider his decision not to sign, as he had already been preparing for what would come next. “All the plans he had made when I thought we weren’t coming back, he just wasn’t willing to change them,” he said. “I would have had to stop many other projects that are already in process. We had mentally prepared ourselves to move forward, that’s why I left.”

Berk also confirmed that he and France, the show’s fashion expert, had a small fight, although he said he was commenting only to “extinguish some of the speculation.” Eagle-eyed fans noticed last year that Berk unfollowed France on Instagram and had not tagged his personal account in posts. “Tan and I had a moment,” Berk said. “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 clear that up.”

He added: “Should I have unfollowed Tan? No. Maybe I should have silenced him. But that day he was angry and that was the end of it. We became like brothers, and brothers are always going to fight.” Berk said he will “always have a very special place in my heart” for France. “I can foresee that in six months or a year, Tan and I will be fine at each other’s houses. The Emmys were already the first bandage on that wound.”

Berk, part of the Fab Five reboot since strange eye He returned in 2018, announcing his departure before season 9 last fall. “It wasn’t an easy decision to be at peace with, but it was a necessary one,” he said at the time, promising fans that they would “see more of me very soon.” Netflix said in a statement: “We appreciate the heart and dedication that Bobby Berk brought to strange eye for eight incredible seasons. He will always be a member of the Fab Five family and we wish him the best.”

strange eye won another Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the most recent ceremony, bringing the show’s total of Emmy wins to 11.

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