Queer Eye’s iconic “Fab Five” will officially be getting a new member when the show resumes filming later this year.
Last year, Bobby Berk revealed he was stepping down from the hit Netflix reality show after eight seasons as Queer Eye’s resident interior design expert.
Following Bobby’s exit, it’s been revealed he’ll be replaced by Jeremiah Brent when season nine begins production in Las Vegas in the spring.
As well as his interior design career, Jeremiah already has plenty of TV experience, most notably on Netflix’s Say I Do (a wedding show created by the team behind Queer Eye) and Nate & Jeremiah By Design, which he fronts with his husband Nate Berkus.
Jeremiah’s casting was celebrated by existing Queer Eye star Tan France, who urged his Instagram followers to “help us welcome him to the Fab Five”.
After Bobby announced his exit, speculation was rife on social media about his reasons for leaving the show.
When his final season of Queer Eye began streaming last month, he sat down for a wide-ranging interview, in which he opened up about the fact he thought he and his co-stars “were done” when their initial contract ran out, after which he began “planning other things”.
He was apparently surprised, then, when the rest of the team eventually decided to re-sign for more episodes, insisting: “All the plans that I had made when I thought we weren’t coming back, I just wasn’t willing to change those.
“I would have had to pump the brakes on multiple other projects that are already in process. We had mentally just prepared ourselves to move on – that’s why I left.”
The designer also spoke about a rift with cast member Tan, which he insisted was “nothing to do with the show” and “nothing romantic”.
“We became like siblings—and siblings are always going to fight,” he added.
Bobby previously told his fans: “It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that season eight 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.”