Bobby Berk

{{short description|American interior designer, TV personality }}

{{Infobox person

| name = Bobby Berk

| image = Bobby Berk.jpg

| caption = Berk in 2020

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Houston, Texas, U.S.

| television = Queer Eye

| website = {{URL|bobbyberk.com}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Interior designer|product designer|television personality|author}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Dewey Do|2012}}

}}

Bobby Berk is an American interior designer, television personality, and writer. The recipient of one Primetime Emmy Award, and four nominations, he starred in the Netflix series Queer Eye as the interior design expert for its first eight seasons.{{cite web|title=Netflix Press Release|url=https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/120625|accessdate=February 18, 2018}}

Early life

Berk was born in Houston, Texas{{cite journal|title='Queer Eye' Designer Bobby Berk on Creating Space|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/queer-eye-designer-bobby-berk-creating-space|first=Charley|last=Locke|journal=Texas Monthly|date=September 2018|accessdate=November 2, 2018}} to a young mother and then adopted by his maternal aunt and her husband, Connie and Jerry Berk. He grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri in the middle of Amish farm country.{{cite journal|title=Queer Eye Host Bobby Berk on the Transformative Power of Design|url=http://www.metropolismag.com/interiors/bobby-berk-queer-eye-interview/|first=Anna|last=Fixsen|journal=Metropolis|date=March 6, 2018|accessdate=March 9, 2018}}{{cite journal|title=Berk-i-tude: the New Term for Electrifying|url=http://www.builderonline.com/design/consumer-trends/berk-i-tude-the-new-term-for-electrifying_o|first1=John|first2=Kaitlyn|last1=McManus|last2=Rossi|journal=Builder|date=November 6, 2015 |accessdate=March 12, 2018}} Berk cites that being gay in the Bible Belt and attending an Assemblies of God church throughout his childhood was difficult, and that he faced both internal and external homophobia growing up.{{Cite episode|title=Camp Rules|series=Queer Eye|season=1|number=5|network=Netflix }}

Berk left home at the age of fifteen. He landed in Springfield, Missouri, and got a job at Applebee's in Branson, sleeping in his car or staying with friends. He drove home for school as a sophomore and attended Kickapoo High School for junior year. He then worked as a telemarketer for MCI Communications. It was through this job that he first met his biological father.{{Cite web|url=https://youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=Jcy_5X_gx1E|title=Queer Eye Chat: Coming Out, Meeting Your Biological Dad, & More with Bobby Berk|first=Heather |last=McDonald|via=YouTube|date=December 10, 2019|accessdate=September 29, 2020}} Just before he turned eighteen, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he got a gig at the Bombay Company.{{cite web|title=The Chaise Lounge – Bobby Berk: Millennial interior design and product|url=http://www.bobbyberk.design/blog/2016/8/23/k8gwes9a1p7s6fyas6bbm9f5p63y8n?format=amp|first=Bobby|last=Berk|website=Bobby Berk Interiors and Design Blog|date=August 23, 2016|accessdate=March 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313092956/http://www.bobbyberk.design/blog/2016/8/23/k8gwes9a1p7s6fyas6bbm9f5p63y8n?format=amp|archive-date=March 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|title=A Home of Hope: Bobby Berk|url=https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/style/home//168738|first=Jill|last=Gleeson|journal=EDGE Media Network|date=November 27, 2014|accessdate=March 12, 2018}}

Career

Berk relocated to New York City in 2003.{{cite journal|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-bobby-berk-from-queer-eye-the-design-expert-turned-retail-jobs-into-a-home-decor-empire-8130052|title=Who is Bobby Berk from Queer Eye?|last=Vargas|first=Alani|accessdate=March 7, 2018|journal=Bustle|date=February 7, 2018 }} He found employment at Restoration Hardware and Bed Bath & Beyond before moving on to Portico, a high-end home furnishing company. With no high school diploma or formal training he worked his way up to creative director.

File:Bobby Berk Home - Design District (6140685095).jpg

After Portico folded, Berk launched his online store, Bobby Berk Home, in 2006,{{cite web|title=Bobby Berk of Bobby Berk Home|url=https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/bobby-berk-of-bobby-berk-home-2013-design-evenings-198173|first=Ashley|last=Anderson|work=Apartment Therapy |date=December 19, 2013|access-date=February 19, 2018|ref=Apartment Therapy}} opening his first store in SoHo, Manhattan a year later.{{cite web |last=Bahler |first=Kristen |date=June 15, 2018 |title=How Queer Eye star Bobby Berk paid off $600,000 in debt in just 6 months |url=https://money.com/how-queer-eye-star-bobby-berk-climbed-out-of-600000-in-debt-in-just-6-months/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928051553/https://money.com/how-queer-eye-star-bobby-berk-climbed-out-of-600000-in-debt-in-just-6-months/ |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |website=Money.com}} Midtown Miami, Florida followed in 2010 as well as Midtown Atlanta, Georgia.{{cite journal|title=Bobby Berk from Queer Eye talks about his reputation as the hardest working member of the Fab Five|url=https://mic.com/articles/188367/bobby-berk-from-queer-eye-talks-about-his-reputation-as-the-hardest-working-member-of-the-fab-five#.fg69oPCYd|first=Tim|last=Mulkerim|journal=Mic|date=March 9, 2018|access-date=March 12, 2018|ref=Apartment Therapy}}{{cite AV media|title=NewlyWish Spotlight: Bobby Berk Home|date=October 18, 2010|publisher=NewlyWish|minutes=1:39 minutes in|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsFZwrKlUgY|access-date=February 19, 2018}} He later launched Bobby Berk Interiors + Design, specializing in interior design services, whose headquarters is in Downtown Los Angeles. He appeared on television networks such as HGTV, NBC, CBS, and Bravo.{{cite web|title=About Bobby Berk|url=http://www.bobbyberk.design/about-1/|accessdate=February 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222104937/http://www.bobbyberk.design/about-1/|archive-date=February 22, 2018|url-status=dead}} Through his businesses, Berk has his own line of wallpaper, furniture, and art.

In 2018, Berk began starring as the interior design expert on the Netflix reality series Queer Eye. During his time on Queer Eye, he appeared alongside his castmates in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video.{{Citation|last=TaylorSwiftVEVO|title=Taylor Swift – You Need To Calm Down|date=June 17, 2019|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkk9gvTmCXY|access-date=June 17, 2019}} Berk announced in 2023 that he would be departing the series after its eighth season, which aired in January 2024.{{Cite journal|url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/bobby-berk-leaving-queer-ey-1235789396/|title=Bobby Berk Leaving Netflix's 'Queer Eye' After Season 8|journal=Variety|first=Jordan|last=Moreau|date=November 13, 2023|accessdate=February 9, 2024}} He elaborated on his decision when the season released, explaining that he had already planned his next projects and thus chose not to re-sign his contract upon Netflix's decision to renew Queer Eye a year after their original contracts ended in 2022.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/bobby-berk-leaving-queer-eye|title=Bobby Berk Explains Why He's Really Leaving Queer Eye|magazine=Vanity Fair|first=Paul|last=Chi|date=January 25, 2024|accessdate=February 9, 2024}}

In 2021, Berk competed in season six of The Masked Singer as the wild card contestant "Caterpillar". He was eliminated alongside Willie Robertson as "Mallard" in the Group B semi-finals.

In 2022, Bobby was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design.{{Cite web|url=https://www.today.com/parents/parents/evan-spiegel-miranda-kerr-student-debt-otis-college-rcna29041|title=See the moment this college graduating class found out their loans will be paid off|date=May 16, 2022|website=TODAY.com}}

Personal life

Berk and his husband Dewey Do, a maxillofacial surgeon, met online in 2004 and married in 2012 "as soon as it was legal to get married".{{Cite journal|url=https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/entertainment/a44189367/bobby-berk-husband-dewey-do-relationship-timeline/|title=Everything We Know About Bobby Berk and Dewey Do's Relationship|journal=House Beautiful|first=Kelly|last=Allen|date=June 26, 2023|accessdate=February 9, 2024}} In July 2018, the couple moved to Los Angeles, California after living in New York City for over a decade.{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/home/queer-eye-bobby-berk-los-angeles-home-details/|title=Queer Eye's Bobby Berk Shows Off the 'Homey and Lush' L.A. Loft He Shares with His Husband|first=Jessica|last=Fecteau|date=July 17, 2018|access-date=June 9, 2020}} In 2023, they began living part-time in Portugal with their dog Bimini, whom they adopted in 2021.{{Citation |title=Bobby Berk on 'Queer Eye,' Moving to Portugal, and 20 Years with His Husband | date=February 12, 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhng-vkQDjI |access-date=February 25, 2024 |language=en}}

Berk endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/10/28/john-legend-chrissy-teigen-endorse-elizabeth-warren-shes-best-candidate-running-today/?outputType=amp|title='Why do guys feel so threatened by the idea of a woman president?' Warren-backing John Legend wonders|newspaper=The Washington Post|first1=Alex|last1=Horton|first2=Amy B|last2=Wang|date=October 2019}}

On June 23, 2020, Berk and Queer Eye co-star Jonathan Van Ness praised recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions which ruled that LGBT employment discrimination was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, both of them still urged the United States Congress to pass the proposed Equality Act, which Berk claimed would amend the Civil Rights Act so it "would really extend healthcare and housing rights."{{cite news|url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2020/06/24/Queer-Eye-stars-say-Supreme-Court-LGBTQ-ruling-is-step-in-right-direction/9271593004960/|title='Queer Eye' stars say Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling is 'step in right direction'|first=Annie|last=Martin|agency=United Press International|date=June 24, 2020|accessdate=June 24, 2020}}

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
2018–2024	Queer Eye	Himself	Main (Seasons 1–8), 58 episodes
2018	Nailed It!	Himself	Episode: "3, 2, 1...Ya Not Done!!"
2019 \|Lip Sync Battle \|Himself \|Season 5, Episode 1
2019	Big Mouth	Himself	Season 3
2019	Alexa & Katie	Annoyed Mini Golf Customer	Part 3, Episode 8
2020	Miss Americana	Himself
2021	The Masked Singer	Himself/Caterpillar	Season 6 contestant
2021	Blown Away	Himself	Guest judge, Host
2023	Hell's Kitchen	Himself	Chef's Table guest diner for the Red Team; Episode: "Citizens of Hell's Kitchen"

=Music videos=

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Song ! Artist
2018 \| "This Is Me (The Reimagined Remix)" \| Keala Settle, Kesha, & Missy Elliott
2019 \| "You Need to Calm Down" \| Taylor Swift

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Song

! Artist

2018

| "This Is Me (The Reimagined Remix)"

| Keala Settle, Kesha, & Missy Elliott

2019

| "You Need to Calm Down"

| Taylor Swift