Jeremiah Brent Addresses His 'Queer Eye' New Guy Status, Says He'll 'Earn People's Respect'

Recalling the original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" in his conversation with EW, Brent called the 2003 show, which aired on Bravo for four seasons, "instrumental for a lot of us in the queer community. It was access to friends that most of us didn't have, and a level of toleration and acceptance and awareness and kindness that, at least when I was young and closeted, was super important to me."

The designer also talked about why he wasn't part of the Netflix reboot from the very beginning – though, he said, he'd "spoken with them briefly when they had started things up about coming to do the show, but we had just had our daughter, Poppy, which was another dream completely actualized. And there was just no way that I could pry myself away to do it. The timing wasn't right. And that is my priority to this day."

"But when this opportunity came up, it was just the perfect timing," Brent added, "and I'm already good friends with everybody. I have to tell you, it's one of the best decisions I've ever made."

Indeed, critical response to the new season, and its new addition to the cast, has been positive, with EDGE's Timothy Rawles saying that Brent "make[s] a great addition to the show, mostly because he adds his voice to it.... Brent is more vocal in the edit of this series, whereas Berk seemed reserved."

The Mirror noted that social media reaction was also positive.

"New dude on Queer Eye has me BAWLING," The Mirror quoted one fan posting on X, referring to how funny Brent is.

"Jeremiah appears to be well-received by 'Queer Eye' fans," The Mirror relayed, "which is a good sign being that Jonathan was such a prominent figure on the show and had been for years until he left."

Season 9 of "Queer Eye" premiered Dec. 11 on Netflix. Watch a trailer for the new season below.