Heavy/Getty Bobby Berk and Jeremiah Brent, with the remaining "Queer Eye" cast in the background
Ever since Bobby Berk confirmed in November 2023 that he won’t return for a ninth season as the interior design expert on Netflix’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” rumors have been flying about who might take his place. One name that keeps popping up is Jeremiah Brent, who co-stars with his husband, famed designer Nate Berkus, on HGTV‘s “The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project.”
When People asked Brent, 39, directly about the “Queer Eye” rumors in an interview published on February 20, 2024, the designer didn’t confirm or deny joining the cast. But he said he’s definitely “open” to it and that he loves the show and cast members.
Meanwhile, Berk has been seen hobnobbing with “Property Brothers” star Jonathan Scott recently and said he’s working on some new shows, sparking curiosity about whether he might make a move to HGTV.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jeremiah Brent & Nate Berkus are Longtime Friends of Tan France, Who Had a Falling Out With Bobby Berk
GettyNate Berkus, Tan France and Jeremiah Brent attend Nate + Jeremiah For Living Spaces at HNYPT on April 11, 2019
The second season of Brent and Berkus’ HGTV show premiered in February 2023, but there’s been no official word on whether the series has been renewed.
In the meantime, Berk’s departure from “Queer Eye” has left a big opening for a new cast member to swoop in and handle space design alongside culinary expert Antoni Porowski, therapist Karamo Brown, stylist Tan France, and grooming guru Jonathan van Ness.
The eighth season, still featuring Berk, debuted on Netflix in January. A ninth season set in Las Vegas has already been confirmed, so the show’s producer, ITV, has been vetting people to feature there in recent weeks, according to KTNV.
Brent has been friends with France for years, but rumors about him joining the “Queer Eye” cast ramped up on New Year’s Eve, when Brent and Berkus spent time at the home shared by Tan and his husband, artist Rob France. Three weeks later, on January 25, Berk confirmed to Vanity Fair that there was some truth to a rumored feud between him and Tan, though he insisted it didn’t lead to his departure from “Queer Eye.”
“Tan and I had a moment,” Berk told Vanity Fair. “There was a situation, and that’s between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing —and nothing romantic, just to clarify that.”
He continued, “I will always have a very special place in my heart for him and Rob (France’s husband) and the kids. I can foresee in six months or a year, Tan and I at each other’s house being good.”
On February 1, an anonymous caller to DeuxMoi’s entertainment gossip podcast claimed that France had been campaigning for a while behind the scenes at Netflix for his friend, Brent, to replace Berk on “Queer Eye.”
When People asked Brent to weigh in on the rumors of him joining the series, he replied, “I’m open to anything. I love those boys. I’m friends with them, and I’ve got a lot of respect for what the show does and what it represents. It’s what matters most to me about design, so you never know. I’m open to anything that life presents.”
Will Bobby Berk Find a New Home at HGTV?
Jonathan Scott and Bobby Berk attend the Jam for Janie Grammy Awards Viewing Party on February 4, 2024
While buzz continues about Brent potentially replacing Berk, there’s also a possibility that Berk will jump over to HGTV.
Four days after the DeuxMoi podcast was posted, Berk spent a February 4 Grammy viewing party dining at the same table with HGTV’s Jonathan Scott and his fiancée, Zooey Deschanel. Scott and Berk were photographed together, both posing on the red carpet and engaged in conversation at their table.
Scott not only stars in multiple HGTV shows, but is one of the network’s biggest content producers alongside his twin brother Drew Scott. Together, the two oversee Scott Brothers Entertainment, which creates their “Property Brothers” programs like “Celebrity I.O.U..” But the company also develops and produces shows for other stars, many of which air on HGTV — including “Trixie Motel,” “The Great Give-Back” and, interestingly enough, “The Nate and Jeremiah Home Project.”
The night of the event with Scott, Berk told People that he had an inkling about who will be replacing him on “Queer Eye,” and that he was already working on other shows.
“I hear somebody – I can’t say who, because I don’t know 100% — but if it is who I think it is, I think they’re gonna be amazing,” he said of his replacement. “I can’t say who because it’s not my place to do so, but I’ve known them for years. And I think they’re gonna do great.”
People also reported that Berk said he’s “excited” for the future, adding that he’s hard at work on new scripted and unscripted projects and new partnerships with his design firm.
When Berk announced on social media that he was leaving “Queer Eye,” he promised fans, “Although my journey with Queer Eye is over, my journey with you is not. You will be seeing more of me very soon.”