Bobby Berk


Bobby James Berk is an American interior designer and reality television host. He stars in the Netflix series Queer Eye as the interior design expert.

Early life

Berk was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri, in the middle of Amish farm country. He was adopted. Berk cites that being gay in the Bible Belt and attending an Assemblies of God church throughout his childhood was difficult, and that he faced both internal and external homophobia growing up.
Berk left home at the age of fifteen. He landed in Springfield, Missouri, sometimes living on the street. When times were good – after he got a job at Applebee's, in Branson, Missouri – Berk would sleep in his car after working double shifts four days in a row, then drive back to Springfield to try to find somewhere to sleep. Just before he turned eighteen, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he got a gig at the Bombay Company.

Career

Berk relocated to New York City in 2003 with just $100 in his pocket. He found employment at Restoration Hardware and Bed, Bath and Beyond before moving on to Portico, a high-end home furnishing company. With no high school diploma or formal training he worked his way up to creative director.
After Portico folded in 2006, Berk launched his online store, Bobby Berk Home, in 2006, opening his first store in SoHo, Manhattan a year later. Midtown Miami, Florida followed in 2010 as well as Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. He later launched Bobby Berk Interiors + Design, specializing in interior design services, whose headquarters is in Downtown Los Angeles. He has appeared on television networks such as HGTV, NBC, CBS, and Bravo.
He has been the design expert on the Netflix series Queer Eye since 2018. Berk appeared in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video.
Berk currently has his own line of wallpaper, furniture, and art. He also runs a full service interior design business.

Personal life

In July 2018, Berk and his husband, Dewey Do, a maxillofacial surgeon moved to Los Angeles, California after living in New York City for 15 years.
Berk endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.
On June 23, 2020, Berk and Queer Eye co-star Jonathan Van Ness praised recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions which ruled that LGBT employment discrimination was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, both of them still urged the United States Congress to pass the proposed Equality Act, which Berk claimed would amend the Civil Rights Act so it "would really extend healthcare and housing rights."

Filmography

Music videos