Did Bobby Berk Intentionally Announce His New Show After Queer Eye’s Cancellation?

It was just announced last month that Netflix would be bringing its successful makeover series Queer Eye to a close. The streamer announced that the beloved reality TV show would conclude filming with its tenth and final season, bringing the reboot to its official end.

Even though the last season of the show has been confirmed, the drama behind it is still going on. Fans noticed that one of the former cast members, Bobby Berk, happened to announce his own show the day after the cancellation news, and now he’s spoken out to clear the air about the timing of it all.

Bobby Says Netflix Didn’t Give Him A Heads Up About The Announcement

Longtime viewers of Queer Eye will know that Bobby was one of the original cast members, collectively known as the Fab Five. Bobby’s area of expertise was in design, and he worked with clients each episode to help them redo their homes, making the space feel stylish and refreshed while still reflective of the guests’ tastes.

There were rumors about tensions between members of the Fab Five as the seasons wore on—and, by Bobby’s own admission, he had some conflict with fellow cast member Tan France. After several years on the show, Bobby announced that Season 8 would be his last with Queer Eye, and that he’d be parting ways with the franchise afterward. For the final two seasons, Bobby was replaced by another designer, Jeremiah Brent, and the show moved forward without giving much of an explanation for Bobby’s departure from the show.

In light of the cancellation news, Bobby claims that he wasn’t made aware that the press release was coming out. His new show, Junk or Jackpot?, which will air on HGTV, was announced the very next day, drawing criticism from some fans, finding the timing in poor taste.

In response to the criticism, Bobby spoke out (via a conversation with People) to clarify that he wasn’t aware of the cancellation announcement, nor could he control the timing of his own series announcement:

I have to say, I swear on my mother’s life, my show announcement date was set. No, this was planned. Show announcements don’t happen on a whim.

Bobby went on to share some details about the show’s concept. As the name indicates, the designer will help folks sort through their belongings and decide whether they’re worth hanging onto. “We go out and we find people who are collectors, but these collections have really taken over their lives and sometimes in a very negative way. So I go in, I help them get it under control,” he explained. “I’m excited to help passionate people sift through their cherished items and give them reimagined spaces that will best honor what they hold dear,” he added.

Considering how different the premise is from that of Queer Eye, it makes sense that Bobby wouldn’t have deliberately chosen to time his announcement around the time of his former show’s cancellation. He doubled down that the announcement decision was bigger than just him, and that it had already been decided far ahead of time. “Some people were like, ‘Couldn’t you have waited?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, yes, but no,'” he noted.

The Rest Of The Fab Five Was Thrown By Bobby’s Announcement

On top of the criticism he drew from fans, Bobby also had to deal with backlash from some of his former cast members. In the aforementioned conversation with People, Bobby admitted that other members of the Fab Five were thrown by the Junk or Jackpot? announcement, similarly wondering if his timing had been on purpose.

Bobby joked that one of the Fab Five members, Karamo Brown, had called him out for the coincidental timing. He recalled the exchange that the pair had shared:

Karamo was like, ‘Girl, the day after?’ I’m like, ‘No, no, no. I promise you it was already planned.’

If anything, it seems like Bobby is a little salty that his former employer didn’t reach out to him about the cancellation. “I mean, [Netflix] could have easily given me a heads-up on when that was going to be announced. I mean, I was on the show for [a total of eight] seasons, but yeah, it’s fine,” he teased.

Until then, it seems like Bobby is looking ahead to the next steps of his solo career. Junk or Jackpot? will contain six episodes, making it his very first project with HGTV. Prior to announcing his own show, Bobby previously made an appearance as a guest judge on Rock the Block, which aired earlier this year.