“I mean, they were paying us basically nothing,” claims the interior designer, who starred on the show for eight seasons, while also revealing which season he “broke even.”
Bobby Berk is opening up about his experience starring on Queer Eye.
During an appearance on the Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF podcast, the interior designer got candid about his apparent lackluster payday during his years on the show, claiming that he “lost money” while shooting the first two seasons.
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Berk starred in the Netflix series for eight seasons from 2018 until 2024 alongside Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Karamo Brown, before announcing his departure in 2023.
When podcast host Vivan Tu asked Berk if he made a “lot of money” on Queer Eye, Berk replied, “The first two seasons, I definitely lost money being on the show.”
“Because, I mean, they were paying us basically nothing,” he continued. “And the amount of money that I was losing from not running my company and being gone because we had to move away. We were gone for five months, and so half the year we were gone, and then we were on just constant press tours. Which was great, but yeah, the first two seasons, I definitely lost money.”
The Emmy winner went on to note that the “probably broke even” during Season 3 and 4.
“To be frank, they never really paid us well. You know, compared to what they pay scripted stars, we made a single-digit percentage,” Berk continued, before adding, “Obviously, what it did, though, was open up doors for working with brands, working with companies.”
The home makeover expert noted how fans would complain about him and his co-stars promoting brands on the show.
“I remember over the years, fans would get annoyed with the Fab 5, because we were often promoting brands, promoting companies, doing brand partnerships,” Berk said. “They’re like ‘Oh, we’re just so sick of this.’ And we’re like, ‘Well, girl, we don’t make money off the show. Like, this is our form of income. How do you think we continue to do the show?'”
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When asked if he believed the exposure and opportunities Queer Eye brought him was ultimately “worth it” and a “win,” Berk said, “Absolutely.”
“It was tough the first few seasons, but the doors that it has opened for other things — absolutely,” he explained. “I mean, you can’t pay for that type of exposure. We got really, really lucky to find lightning in a bottle, and the show came out, you know, right at a very defining moment in the world.”
Berk noted that the first season was released during Trump’s first presidency when “people were really distraught and everybody was [at each] others’ throats,” emphasizing the show’s impact at the time.
“We were this happy feeling of five gays walking into red states and getting along and meeting people in the middle and being humans instead of political affiliations,” he recalled. “It really became a cultural phenomenon. I never regretted doing it.”
Berk announced his exit from Queer Eye in November 2023, a couple of months before of Season 8, which marked his final season.
He released a lengthy and emotional statement on Instagram at the time, expressing his gratitude toward the Queer Eye community.
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“The love that I have received from you all over the last 6 years has been absolutely surreal,” he wrote in part. “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.”
An alleged “situation” and rumored feud with his co-star Tan France aside, Berk said on the Networth and Chill podcast that he felt that it was “just time” for him to say goodbye.
“We had signed up for — including the season we did in Japan — nine seasons, and in my mind, that was always the end point,” Berk explained. “And that’s when I had made the decision to leave, and that’s when my husband and I decided that’s when I was going to leave. My castmates decided to keep going, which is great. Good for them.”
He stressed that it “wasn’t a financial decision,” jokingly bringing up his earlier point that he “didn’t make a ton of money from that show.”
Following Berk’s departure, he was replaced by Jeremiah Brent.
