Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski addresses relationship with former co-star Bobby Berk

Queer Eye’s culinary expert Antoni Porowski has reflected on the “evolving and changing” dynamic of the Fab Five, following the departure of his co-star Bobby Berk.

Interior design master Bobby Berk announced in late 2023 that he would be stepping away from the hit Netflix show after the eighth season, as he and the other Fab Five members – Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Karamo Brown – had reached the end of their contract.

He explained that he had “moved on emotionally” and “started planning other things”, and expected his four co-stars to leave the show too. However, they didn’t, and Berk was replaced by Say I Do interiors expert, Jeremiah Brent.

Brent stars in the recently released ninth season, and has been praised by his new co-stars for bringing “so much love” to the show.

While the Queer Eye team have played down rumours of a rift between Berk and his co-stars, particularly fashion icon Tan France, Porowski recently admitted that he is “not really in touch” with his former colleague.

“The show is evolving and changing, and our family has changed, and it’s still really exciting… Look, I’ve said this before, but we’re a middle-aged boy band, and we’ve experienced this really bizarre phenomenon together,” he told Red magazine, while promoting his new cooking travel show, No Taste Like Home.

“I think I try to lean into the impermanence and just have faith that everything is as it should be, even if there’s sadness or joy that comes with it,” he continued.

Reflecting on his relationship with Berk now, Porowski confirmed that the pair don’t talk at the moment, but said that doesn’t take away from the “beautiful memories” they made together.

“I support anything that he chooses to pursue. I did have some really wonderful years with him; no matter what happened or happens, we will always have these memories and these things that we experienced in the endless press junkets, where one of us is falling asleep from jet lag, and the other one would pick up the other’s slack… And so we always have those beautiful memories,” he explained.

“Right now, there isn’t too much communication, but I don’t have any resentment or ill-will or anything like that.”

New Queer Eye recruit Brent also recently revealed that he and Berk didn’t speak before Brent took over his role, though the latter said he has a “tremendous amount of respect” for how Berk helped to shape the Netflix series.

Queer Eye is streaming now on Netflix.

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