Former Queer Eye star Bobby Berk claims he ‘lost money’ on show
Bobby Berk has spoken out about his income when he was on Queer Eye. (Olivia Wong/WireImage)
Former Queer Eye star Bobby Berk is spilling more tea on the series, and it’s piping hot. After stepping away from the series in 2023, the interior designer has claimed that he “lost money” filming the show.
Season nine of Queer Eye debuted earlier this year, and no longer featured Berk as he stepped away from the series during season eight amid accusations that he was “fired” and cast-member-fueled drama. Instead, a new member of the Fab Five was introduced in the form of Jeremiah Brent.
In a Wednesday (25 June) episode of the Networth & Chill podcast with Vivian Tu, Berk addressed his income from filming for the reality series.
He claimed: “[During] the first two seasons, I definitely lost money being on the show – they paid us basically nothing, and the amount of money that I was losing from not running my company and being gone.
“Season three and four, I probably broke even. To be frank, they never really paid us well, compared to what they pay scripted stars. We made a single-digit percentage.”
PinkNews has reached out to a representative of Netflix for a comment on the matter.
“You get paid by the episode in TV. It’s kind of like being a flight attendant,” Berk said. “If the cameras aren’t rolling, you don’t get paid.
“So, with Queer Eye, I would go out weeks before the other guys, and I wouldn’t get paid for that. I wouldn’t get paid until we were actually shooting an episode,” Berk claimed.
“[During] those first four seasons, I worked six-seven days a week, and my castmates, I don’t think they ever realised that because they were not there six or seven days a week.”
Berk also clarified on the podcast that Queer Eye provided a platform for himself and his castmates to attract other paid opportunities with brands and companies. “I remember over the years often fans would get annoyed with the Fab Five because we were often promoting brands… We’re like, ‘Well, girl, we don’t make money off the show. This is our form of income.’”
Berk also explained on the episode that he launched his own design company “long before” joining the series in 2018, as well as license partnerships with his artwork and interior design furnishings. The star also heads up a boutique resort in Palm Desert, California, and a second upcoming property in the region.
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