Bobby Berk Says He Heard Who Will Replace Him on“ Queer Eye” and He Approves (Exclusive)
“If it is who I think it is, I think they're gonna be amazing,” the design expert tells PEOPLE
Bobby Berk announced the current season of Queer Eye Would be his last as the show's home design guru.
He is the only member of the original reboot cast to exit the show in its 7-season run.
His replacement has not yet been announced by Netflix but fans (and Berk) are speculating.
When Bobby Berk announced he was leaving Queer Eye in November, fans began wondering who would replace the design expert on the Netflix series.
Berk told PEOPLE on Sunday, he now has a good idea of who will take over his spot.
“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 says.
Berk adds that he enthusiastically approves of the choice.
“I can't say who because it's not my place to do so, but I've known them for years,” he explained. “And I think they're gonna do great.”
Berk spoke with PEOPLE at Steven Tyler’s Jam for Janie Grammys viewing party, which benefits Janie's Fund, a non-profit Tyler created to help girls who have experienced abuse and neglect.
The TV personality also shared that he’s “excited” for the future, and has plenty keeping him busy, including scripted and unscripted projects, and partnerships with his design firm.
Berk said he’ll “absolutely” continue watching Queer Eye, which released its eighth season Jan. 24, and noted of the Fab Five, "They'll always be family."
He admitted he does find it less stressful to be solo.
“It's funny, I was walking the carpet at the Emmys and, on one hand, I missed my castmates because it was at primetime,” he says. “But on the other hand, I was like, it's actually — because I'm always the one to rally everybody. I'm always the wrangler. I'm always the one that’s like, ‘Okay, all right, let's keep moving.' It was kind of nice to just only worry about myself.”
Berk announced his exit from the popular reboot, which premiered in 2018, with a heartfelt note to the show’s community of fans on Instagram.
“The love that I have received from you all over the last 6 years has been absolutely surreal,” he wrote. “You have tuned in and been dedicated fans and together we were able to share the healing powers of design. I learned from you all about kindness, love and acceptance and that has changed my life for the better. The way you have embraced me and accepted me for who I am is something that l will truly carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Related: Queer Eye's Bobby Berk Offers to Decorate Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s House: 'Slide Into My DMs'
He thanked the "die-hard fans" of Queer Eye and praised the show’s “wonderful, loving, amazing, and brave” heroes before he officially confirmed he was parting ways with the series: “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.”
He concluded, “I love you all so so much and I’ll meet you all in Nola for one final season. #foreverthefab5”
In a January interview with Vanity Fair, Berk revealed that there had been a "situation" with his costar Tan France, but that the two had resolved things amicably.
“I hope this interview will help extinguish some of the speculation,” Berk said. “I want people to know that Tan and I — we will be fine.”
While he did shed light on a "situation," he said the two have moved past the issue.
“Tan and I had a moment. 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.”
“Should I have unfollowed Tan? No,” Berk continued. “Maybe I should have just muted him. But that day, I was angry, and that’s the end of it. We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight.”
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Netflix confirmed to PEOPLE in November that Queer Eye is renewed for a ninth season that will be set in Las Vegas.
“We appreciate the heart and dedication Bobby Berk brought to Queer Eye over eight amazing seasons,” ITV Entertainment, Scout Productions and Netflix told PEOPLE in a statement. “He will always be a member of the Fab Five family and we wish him the very best.”
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Read the original article on People.