Bobby Berk

Bobby Berk

Emmy Award-winning television host, writer and interior designer
Date of Birth: 25.08.1981
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Early Life and Adoption
  2. Teenage Struggles and Early Career
  3. Design Breakthrough and Bobby Berk Home
  4. Television Appearances and Queer Eye
  5. Other Projects and Recognition
  6. Personal Life

Bobby Berk: Emmy Award-Winning Design Expert and Television Personality

Early Life and Adoption

Bobby Berk was born in Houston, Texas, to a young mother. He was later adopted by his maternal aunt and her husband, Connie and Jerry Berk. Berk grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri, surrounded by Amish farms. He cites the challenges of being gay in the Bible Belt and attending the Assembly of God church as a child, experiencing both internal and external homophobia.

Teenage Struggles and Early Career

Berk left home at the age of fifteen. He landed in Springfield, Missouri, and worked at an Applebee's in Branson, sleeping in his car or crashing with friends. He attended Kickapoo High School as a junior and senior. He then worked as a telemarketer for MCI Communications, eventually meeting his biological father through a call he made. Shortly before turning eighteen, he relocated to Denver, Colorado, where he found work at the Bombay Company.

Design Breakthrough and Bobby Berk Home

In 2003, Berk moved to New York City. He found jobs at Restoration Hardware and Bed, Bath and Beyond before joining Portico, a high-end home furnishings company. Despite lacking a high school diploma or formal training, he rose through the ranks to become the creative director. Following Portico's closure in 2006, Berk launched his online store, Bobby Berk Home, and opened his first retail location in SoHo, Manhattan, a year later. Additional stores followed in Midtown Miami, Florida, and Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. He later founded Bobby Berk Interiors + Design, an interior design services firm headquartered in downtown Los Angeles.

Television Appearances and Queer Eye

Berk made frequent appearances on television networks such as HGTV, NBC, CBS, and Bravo. Since 2018, he has been featured as the design expert on Netflix's reboot of the series Queer Eye. He also appeared in Taylor Swift's music video for "You Need to Calm Down."

Other Projects and Recognition

Beyond interior design, Berk has a line of wallpapers, furniture, and artwork. He participated as the "Caterpillar" wildcard contestant in the sixth season of The Masked Singer in 2021. In 2022, he received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Otis College of Art and Design.

Personal Life

In July 2018, Berk and his husband, Dewey Do, a maxillofacial surgeon, relocated to Los Angeles, California, after spending 15 years in New York City. Berk endorsed Elizabeth Warren in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. He and his Queer Eye co-star Jonathan Van Ness have advocated for the passage of the Equality Act to expand civil rights protections for the LGBTQ+ community.

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