Bobby Berk

Bobby James Berk (born August 25, 1981) is an American interior designer, reality television personality and author. He stars in the Netflix series Queer Eye as the interior design expert.[1]

Bobby Berk
Bobby Berk in 2020
Born (1981-08-25) August 25, 1981
Houston, Texas, U.S.
OccupationInterior Designer, Product Designer and Television Host
TelevisionQueer Eye
Spouse(s)Dewey Do (m. 2012)
Websitebobbyberk.com

Early life

Berk was born in Houston, Texas[2][3] to a young mother and then adopted by his maternal aunt and her husband, Connie and Jerry Berk. He currently has a good relationship with all three.[4] He grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri in the middle of Amish farm country.[5][6] 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.[7]

Berk left home at the age of fifteen. He landed in Springfield, Missouri and got a job at Applebee's, in Branson, sleeping in his car or staying with friends. He drove home for school as a sophomore and briefly enrolled himself at Kickapoo High School for junior year. He ended up working as a telemarketer for MCI Communications. It was through this job that he first met his biological father.[4] Just before he turned eighteen, he moved to Denver, Colorado, where he got a gig at the Bombay Company.[8][9]

Career

Berk relocated to New York City in 2003 with just $100 in his pocket.[9][10] 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.[11]

After Portico folded in 2006, Berk launched his online store, Bobby Berk Home, in 2006,[12] opening his first store in SoHo, Manhattan a year later.[11] Midtown Miami, Florida followed in 2010 as well as Midtown Atlanta, Georgia.[13][14] He later launched Bobby Berk Interiors + Design, specializing in interior design services, whose headquarters is in Downtown Los Angeles.[3] He has appeared on television networks such as HGTV, NBC, CBS, and Bravo.[3]

He has been the design expert on the Netflix series Queer Eye since 2018.[1] Berk appeared in Taylor Swift's "You Need to Calm Down" music video.[15]

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.[5][16]

Berk endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[17]

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.[18] 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."[18]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2018–presentQueer EyeHimselfMain, 47 episodes
2018Nailed It!HimselfEpisode: "3, 2, 1...Ya Not Done!!"
2019 Lip Sync Battle Himself Season 5, Episode 1
2019Big MouthHimselfSeason 3
2020Miss AmericanaHimself

Music videos
Year Song Artist
2018 "This Is Me (The Reimagined Remix)" Keala Settle, Kesha, & Missy Elliott
2019 "You Need To Calm Down" Taylor Swift

References
  1. "Netflix Press Release". Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  2. Locke, Charley (September 2018). "'Queer Eye' Designer Bobby Berk on Creating Space". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  3. "About Bobby Berk". Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  4. Juicy Scoop w Heather McDonald (10 December 2019). "Queer Eye Chat: Coming Out, Meeting Your Biological Dad, & More with Bobby Berk". Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  5. Fixsen, Anna (6 March 2018). "Queer Eye Host Bobby Berk on the Transformative Power of Design". Metropolis. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  6. McManus, John; Rossi, Kaitlyn. "Berk-i-tude: the New Term for Electrifying". Builder. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  7. "Camp Rules". Queer Eye. Season 1. Episode 5. Netflix.
  8. Berk, Bobby (23 August 2016). "The Chaise Lounge - Bobby Berk: Millennial interior design and product". Bobby Berk Interiors and Design Blog. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  9. Gleeson, Jill (27 November 2014). "A Home of Hope: Bobby Berk". EDGE Media Network. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  10. Vargas, Alani. "Who is Bobby Berk from Queer Eye?". Bustle. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  11. Bahler, Kristen (15 June 2018). "How Queer Eye star Bobby Berk paid off $600,000 in debt in just 6 months". Money. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. Anderson, Ashley (19 December 2013). "Bobby Berk of Bobby Berk Home". Apartment Therapy. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  13. Mulkerim, Tim (9 March 2018). "Bobby Berk from Queer Eye talks about his reputation as the hardest working member of the Fab Five". Mic. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  14. NewlyWish Spotlight: Bobby Berk Home. NewlyWish. October 18, 2010. 1:39 minutes in minutes in. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  15. TaylorSwiftVEVO (2019-06-17), Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down, retrieved 2019-06-17
  16. Fecteau, Jessica (July 17, 2018). "Queer Eye's Bobby Berk Shows Off the 'Homey and Lush' L.A. Loft He Shares with His Husband". Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  17. Horton, Alex; Wang, Amy B (October 2019). "'Why do guys feel so threatened by the idea of a woman president?' Warren-backing John Legend wonders". Washington Post.
  18. Martin, Annie (June 24, 2020). "'Queer Eye' stars say Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling is 'step in right direction'". United Press International. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.