Former 'Queer Eye' Star Bobby Berk Cries Foul After Netflix Deleted His Icon

Everyone who's ever watched Queer Eye knows that the show occasionally brings the drama. Both on screen and off, the show's main stars are no stranger to big feelings and expressing them. The reality makeover series is a reboot of the 2003 hit series Queer Eye For the Straight Guy, and if possible it's even more popular than the original.

But now, the "Fab Five," including Antoni Porowski (the food and wine expert), Tan France (quintessential fashion expert), Karamo Brown (a suave culture expert), Bobby Berk (the show's home and design expert), and Jonathan Van Ness (personal grooming expert) looks a bit different.

Bobby left the show in November 2023 and found himself more than a little upset after learning that Netflix deleted his icon. Here's what he had to say about it.

Whether you believe Bobby left the show because of infighting over who's the most popular or because he felt iced out, as some fans theorize, it's easy to imagine that he thought his legacy would remain untouched.

That is perhaps while he was so upset to discover that Netflix had removed his icon from its app. After Netflix unveiled their new Queer Eye icons, Bobby responded.

He wrote, "Wow... Y'all really went and erased my icon instead of just adding Jeremiah? D**n. I'm done."

It must have felt like a punch in the gut after leaving behind the rest of the Fab Five and all they had built together. However, some fans on Reddit pointed out that it makes sense to remove him since he's no longer an active cast member.

While fans were sorry to see Bobby go, it's no surprise. As far back as 2021, Bobby was opening up with Distractify about feeling "burnt out" before the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

In an exclusive interview, he explained, "For us, being away from filming during the pandemic kind of gave us a moment to recharge. We had been going pretty hard for about two and a half years filming six seasons ... So we had honestly gotten a little burnt out. And so to have that time off, to come back, and really realize what is important and to kind of, you know, fill our emotional coffers."

And more impactful perhaps than the burnout, there was drama.

In late 2023, Bobby wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "It’s with a heavy heart that I announce that season 8 will be my final season on ‘Queer Eye.’ It’s not been an easy decision to be at peace with, but a necessary one. Although my journey with ‘Queer Eye’ is over, my journey with you is not. You will be seeing more of me very soon.”

At the same time, Rolling Stone revealed that sources told them all was not as peaceful as it seems in public. Despite their tight-knit appearance, the Fab Five were plagued by “petty disputes and competition over who is considered the show’s top star." And these grievances "were increasingly spilling out into the public.”

Yet despite Bobby's departure, the ups and downs, the infighting over star status, and day-to-day drama, it seems as though the five are actually genuinely good friends.