There’s a new member of the Fab Five, and it’s Jeremiah Brent.
Netflix announced on Tuesday that Brent is replacing Bobby Berk on Queer Eye for the upcoming season 9 in Las Vegas. The new casting comes just over a year after Berk announced he would be leaving the heartwarming show after eight seasons. Two months after going public about his exit, Berk spoke to Vanity Fair and opened up about his decision to leave.
Berk had said that after filming two seasons in New Orleans to close out their seven-cycle contract through September 2022, he had emotionally and mentally put the show behind him. He was also under the impression that everyone else felt the same way.
“We all stood there, and we took pictures and cried,” he recalled to the outlet of that last day of shooting. “We thought we were done. Mentally and emotionally, I thought we all moved on. I know I did, and I started planning other things.”
As it turned out, that wouldn’t be the end. Netflix ultimately decided to bring the show back and offered the Fab Five — comprising of Berk, fashion expert Tan France, culture and lifestyle coach Karamo Brown, food and wine guru Antoni Porowski and beauty maven Jonathan Van Ness — a new contract. Berk, however, decided not to sign the contract, which he said asked for a four-cycle commitment. He claimed that his co-stars had not planned on signing either.
“We’d just assumed that the show wouldn’t come back if we all didn’t come back,” he said. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to be having FOMO ’cause the show is not going to happen.’ I had become at peace with it.”
Shortly after, everyone but Berk signed the new deal.
“And with only one of us not coming back, Netflix felt [it] could recast one person,” Berk explained.
Enter Brent, who is married to Nate Berkus. Together, the interior designers flourished on the HGTV series, Nate & Jeremiah By Design.
In his interview with Vanity Fair, Berk offered his future season 9 replacement some advice.
“Open up your heart. Keep an open mind,” Berk said. “Don’t get discouraged. And have fun. Be nice to my siblings!”
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