Bobby Berk is opening up about why he broke up with Netflix's success Strange eye Reboot and what's really going on with the alleged feud between him and his colleague Tan France.
in new Vanity gallery interviewThe beloved interior design expert explained that he, France, and fellow Fab Five members Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness initially signed a seven-cycle contract for the make-up show, which was fulfilled in September 2022 when they finished filming the two-part seasons in New Orleans. Although Burke “thought we were done” and “started planning other things,” he said Netflix chose to renew the series last fall due to a lack of content caused by a strike by Hollywood writers and actors.
Burke said he was offered a new contract by the Fab Five and decided not to sign, adding that his teammates initially considered going the same route. “We just assumed the show wouldn't come back if we didn't all come back,” Burke said. VF. “I was like, 'I'm not going to have FOMO because the show's not going to happen.' I've made peace with it.” But for reasons Burke did not explain, the actors eventually applied for new contracts.
Ilana Panish Lensman/Netflix
“And with only one of us not coming back, Netflix felt… [it] “It can reframe one person,” Burke said, admitting that the reversal bothered him at first.
“There were definitely feelings,” he said. “But each of us had our reasons for doing what we did. I can't get angry, I was just angry for a moment.”
Netflix did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment Thursday.
Burke said he did not reconsider his decision not to sign, because he was already preparing for what comes next. “All the plans I made when I thought we wouldn't come back, I wasn't willing to change them,” he said. “I had to hit the brakes on several other projects that were already underway. We had just mentally prepared ourselves to move forward — that's why I left.”
Burke also confirmed that there had been a rift between him and France, the show's fashion expert, though he said he was only commenting to “quell some speculation.” Eagle-eyed fans noticed last year that Burke unfollowed France on Instagram and didn't tag his personal account in posts. “Tan and I had a moment,” Burke said. “There was a situation between me and Tan, and it had nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that was brewing — and there was nothing romantic, just to make that clear.”
Iana Panich-Lensman/Netflix
He added: “Should I have unfollowed Tan? No. I probably should have muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that's the end of it. We have become like siblings – and siblings will always fight.” Burke said he “always has a very special place in my heart” for France. “I can expect that in six months or a year Tan and I will be in each other's homes doing well. The Emmy was really the first bandage on that wound.”
Burke, part of the since-rebooted Fab Five Strange eye He returned in 2018, and announced his departure before season nine last fall. “It was not an easy decision to be at peace with him, but it is a necessary decision,” he said at the time, promising fans that they would “see more of me very soon.” “We appreciate the heart and dedication of Bobby Berk,” Netflix said in a statement Strange eye Over eight amazing seasons. He will always be a member of the Fab Five family and we wish him the best.”
Strange eye It won another Primetime Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Structured Reality Program at the recent ceremony, bringing the show's Emmy total to 11.
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