Months after Bobby Berk revealed he was leaving "The Rescuers" after eight seasons, the show has found its replacement as anchor. On February 27, Netflix announced that interior designer Jeremiah Brent would join the five-man team, replacing Burke.
Brent will join the rest of the cast, including stylist Tan France, chef Antoni Porowski, beauty expert Jonathan Van Ness and culture coach Karamo Brown, in Season 9, which is scheduled to begin filming in Las Vegas this spring. Neither the actors nor Brent have commented on the news yet.
In addition to his design expertise, Brent also has extensive reality TV experience. He has become part of the Netflix family since his role as an interior design expert in the 2020 series Say I Do. Brent also co-hosts "Home Made Simple" on the Oprah Winfrey Network and stars with his husband, Nate Burkus, on their HGTV show , "The Nate & Jeremiah Home Project."
Burke announced his exit from The Rescuers on Instagram in November, thanking fans and the heroes he met with the Five before saying "with a heavy heart" that season eight would be his last. "This is not an easy decision to accept, but it is a necessary one," he wrote. "Although my journey with the Pink Hero Soldiers is over, my journey with you is not over yet."
At the time, the designer did not give an exact reason for his departure, leading to rumors that he had clashed with actor France. Burke set the record straight in a January interview with Vanity Fair , saying that the cast believed "The Rescuers" would end after filming wrapped on Season 8, so he made future plans for his business.
The Netflix renewal was a surprise, but Burke chose not to return. "I made all the plans when I thought we weren't going to come back, and I just wasn't willing to change them," he explained. He said his cast members considered following his lead, but ultimately they all agreed to a new deal, leading Netflix to recast him. “I couldn’t be angry — and for a moment I was,” he said.
While his decision was not related to any dispute, Burke did confirm that he and France did have a falling out. "There was a situation and it was between me and Tan and had nothing to do with the show," he said. However, the two are working on repairing their friendship, and Burke said, "I can see that six months or a year from now, Tan and I will be getting along just fine in each other's homes."
