Bobby Berk shocked The Rescuers fans in November when he announced that season eight would be his last, while the rest of the quintet — Karamo Brown, Tam France , Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness — will return for Season 9. Two months later, the interior designer revealed the reasons for his departure from the Netflix series and addressed rumors that he was feuding with France.
In an interview with Vanity Fair , Burke explained that the cast signed a seven-season deal with Netflix, which ends after they finish filming seasons seven and eight in New Orleans in September 2022 .
“The fivesome and the crew, we were all standing there, taking pictures and crying,” he said of what he imagined the last day of filming would be like. "We thought we were done. Mentally and emotionally, I think we were all moving on. I knew I did it, and then I started planning other things."
Why didn't Burke come back?
Amid the cast and writers' strike, Netflix decided to renew "The Rescuers" and offered the cast new four-cycle contracts. Burke decided to stick with his plan and not accept it, saying others considered following his lead.
"We just assumed that if none of us came back, the show wouldn't come back," he explained. However, the remaining four eventually changed their minds. "Since only one of us didn't come back, Netflix felt [it] could recast one person," he said. VF confirmed that Netflix is replacing Berk and that the search is currently underway.
Burke was initially hurt by their decision. "We each have our own reasons for doing what we do," he said. “I couldn’t be angry — and for a moment I was.”
However, that wasn't enough to make him reconsider. "I made all the plans when I thought we weren't going to come back, and I just wasn't willing to change those plans," he said. Those plans include his new book, " At Home: How Good Design Can Help the Soul," and expanding his home design company.
Burke's feud with France
While his rumored feud with France had nothing to do with his decision to leave, Burke admitted he did clash with his partner. In the fall of 2023, fans noticed he unfollowed France on Instagram and didn't tag him in photos of the fivesome, which he attributed to an unspecified "moment" between the two .
"There was a situation and it was between me and Tan and had nothing to do with the show," he said. "This is a personal thing that's been brewing - nothing romantic, just to clear the air."
Burke regrets that his decision led to their fight being discussed publicly. "Should I unfollow Tan? No," he said. "Maybe I should have muted him. But I got angry that day and that was the end of it. We became like siblings - and siblings fight all the time."
However, he said the fivesome hugged and congratulated each other at the Emmys on Jan. 7 after they won the award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program. Burke hopes they can repair their friendship soon. "I could see that six months or a year from now, Tam and I would be doing fine in each other's homes," he said.
