High school bullies, an uneasy time in the spotlight, and an obsession with body ink. For nearly 20 years, David Bromstad has been a constant presence on HGTV — but even his most diehard fans don't know the whole story.
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00:00High school bullies, an uneasy time in the spotlight, and an obsession with body ink.
00:04For nearly 20 years, David Bromstad has been a constant presence on HGTV, but even his
00:09most diehard fans don't know the whole story.
00:12Soon after graduating from Florida's Ringling College of Art and Design with a degree in
00:16illustration, David Bromstad landed a job at the company he'd dreamed of working for,
00:21Disney.
00:22Unfortunately, it wasn't a position within their animation team, which had been his goal,
00:25but instead as a visual merchandiser role at one of their many retail outlets.
00:29Luckily, Bromstad's boss recognized that his talents were being wasted, and encouraged
00:34him to apply for a sculpting position elsewhere within the Mouse House empire.
00:38Bromstad then spent 18 months at Orlando's Walt Disney World, learning how to perfect
00:41the art of sanding before becoming a contractor.
00:45Bromstad may have been gifted an SUV and the opportunity to become a HGTV regular when
00:49he won the first season of Design Star, but he sure had to suffer for his art — well,
00:54if you count the lack of a cell phone as suffering, that is.
00:57Bromstad certainly does, having often compared his experience on the 2006 season to a boot
01:01camp.
01:02Not only did they confiscate contestants' communication devices, but they also banned
01:06them from watching television, reading newspapers, and listening to the radio.
01:09Why the network felt they had to resort to such drastic measures is unclear, but the
01:13former Disney employee is now quite glad that they did.
01:16Bromstad told Design Blog,
01:17"...but taking all of that stuff away from you makes you really focus on what you're
01:21there to do.
01:22And really, it was one of the best things I've ever done.
01:24I loved it so much."
01:25"...and if this show didn't happen, then I don't know where I would be."
01:30Bromstad swiftly avoided the need to make any grand statements about his sexuality during
01:34his stint on Design Star when, after being asked by a fellow contestant if he was gay,
01:38he answered in the affirmative.
01:40And in a sign of the more enlightening times, HGTV didn't push him back into the closet
01:44after his victory, either.
01:45Speaking to Room Fu several years later, Bromstad revealed that his new workplace had actively
01:50encouraged him to be as gay as he liked, in the wake of his talent show success.
01:54While noting how the first job they gave him was a hosting gig for an Out magazine party,
01:58he told the outlet,
01:59"...that just set the tone right there.
02:00It was like, please, be yourself.
02:02We love you for who you are and never want you to hide yourself."
02:04Bromstad went on to add that he felt instantly accepted by HGTV as a result, and he was able
02:09to show his support for the rest of the LGBTQ community, too.
02:13But he's also determined not to let his sexuality define him.
02:16He told Room Fu,
02:17"...I'm a designer and an artist, and I just happen to like boys.
02:20It's not the other way around.
02:21I'm not some flaming queen, and I'm not the butchest thing in the world, either.
02:24I'm kind of teetering on this little ledge of fabulousness that people seem to really
02:28enjoy."
02:29"...I can't express how much I love my community."
02:32Anyone who follows Bromstad's Instagram page will already know that the interior designer
02:36is one of HGTV's most heavily tattooed stars.
02:39In fact, the Design Star winner intends to cover at least 40 percent of his entire body
02:44with ink in the near future.
02:45In an interview with Heart & Huntington Orlando, Bromstad revealed that his obsession with
02:49tattoos started when he was in high school.
02:52Unsurprisingly, it wasn't one shared by his Christian parents, who told him that if he
02:55ever made a trip to his nearest parlor, he'd have to financially fend for himself.
03:00Bromstad did take heed of such a warning, waiting until after he graduated Florida's
03:03Ringling College of Art and Design before getting his first tat.
03:06But he soon made up for lost time when he relocated to Orlando, adding everything from
03:10a scratch-and-sniff sticker to his own personal favorite, Mickey Mouse.
03:14While showing off his tatted limbs, the star wrote in an Instagram caption,
03:17My tattoo addiction is shining bright with a rainbow of delicious colors.
03:20It symbolizes so much for me.
03:22The gay flag, my love for color, my first TV series, Color Splash, freedom, and it's
03:26just plain happy.
03:27I encourage you all to embrace the core of who you are."
03:31Bromstad certainly isn't shy about showing off his body on social media, whether it's
03:35uploading a sweaty post-workout pic or debuting the results of his latest trip to the tattoo
03:39parlor.
03:40But would the buff interior designer be such a fitness enthusiast if he wasn't an HGTV
03:44regular?
03:45Well, probably not.
03:46In an interview with the now-defunct Fit Celeb, Bromstad admitted that regularly being beamed
03:50into people's homes provides an extra level of motivation for staying in shape.
03:54But the Minnesota native has also insisted that he doesn't hit the gym at least three
03:57times a week, solely for aesthetic purposes.
04:00He told Chicagoist,
04:01You know, if I go a week without working out, it is really hard for me because 1.
04:05I am exhausted and 2.
04:06My creativity is lost.
04:08Having that feeling of being physically fit, it's not even about whether or not I look
04:11fit.
04:12It's more about confidence and feeling good about myself."
04:14After winning Design Star in 2006, Bromstad was transformed from a complete unknown to
04:19one of HGTV's most famous faces.
04:21Since then, he's become a staple of the channel, lending his talents to everything from My
04:25Lottery Dream Home to Design Star All Stars.
04:28But years after he was catapulted into the spotlight, the interior designer was still
04:32getting used to the idea of fame.
04:33He told Room Fu in 2012,
04:35You're walking down the street and people are like, David!
04:37I'm like, really?
04:38You know who I am?
04:39Bromstad claimed that initially only the LGBTQ community and older women were familiar
04:44with his work, but that his shows have since developed a much more diverse following.
04:47He went on to add,
04:48That is so bizarre and so fantastic and a great perk.
04:51Everyone is so happy to see me.
04:53It gives me tons of confidence.
04:54It's so lovely, but it's so strange."
04:56I'm blessed, beyond words.
04:58So does this constant level of recognition make Bromstad a little self-conscious whenever
05:02he's out and about?
05:03Luckily, not so much.
05:04But he does acknowledge that there are times on his travels, particularly when he's forgotten
05:08his razor, that he longs for the days of anonymity.
05:11Referring to one such occasion at an airport, he recalled,
05:13I was unshaven and my hair was all messy, and before taking pictures with people I had
05:17to be like, oh well, whatever, you'll get to see the real side of me.
05:21Granted, I don't really want people to see that side, but...
05:24Unlike many of his scandal-hit HGTV colleagues, Bromstad had managed to avoid any major controversy
05:30in the decade after winning Design Star.
05:31But that all changed in 2016, when news emerged that the openly gay star was hosting an event
05:36for an organization whose attitudes toward the LGBTQ community left a lot to be desired.
05:42Bromstad came under fire when he agreed to work at a fundraiser for the Salvation Army
05:45at Fort Lauderdale's Red Shield redesign bash.
05:48As a result, hundreds of disgruntled Facebook followers took to the comments to point out
05:52his hypocrisy since the Salvation Army's position statement, which has since been deleted, forbids
05:57sexual intimacy between members of the same sex.
06:00Bromstad refused to apologize for aligning himself with the organization, however.
06:03Addressing his critics on Facebook, he wrote,
06:05If we simply separate ourselves from those that we assume oppose us or our beliefs, then
06:09we will never make strides in the right direction.
06:11I applaud the Salvation Army's symbolic handshake towards acceptance and would be foolish to
06:16not extend my hand in acceptance."
06:18Bromstad also later accepted that his response wouldn't be satisfactory to some, but that
06:22he was okay with that.
06:24It's fair to say that Bromstad didn't have an easy time of it during his junior high
06:28years.
06:29The HGTV regular even shared that he was taunted during one particular lunch break by not only
06:33the entirety of his fellow 600 students, but by the school's principal, too.
06:37Bromstad acknowledges that the latter may have been too interested in looking cool to
06:40understand exactly what he was joining in with, but nevertheless, the scars still ran
06:44deep.
06:45Luckily, however, he is now able to see that he had the last laugh.
06:48He told Passport magazine,
06:49The dork, dweeb, nerd, the unique — those are the people who rule the world.
06:53The interior designer has also drawn upon his own harrowing childhood experiences to
06:57help others.
06:58He said in a 2013 statement,
06:59I was bullied and harassed continually through high school, and I know what hell that can
07:03be."
07:05Bromstad's good-guy reputation took a bit of a hit in 2015 when his former boyfriend
07:08of 11 years, Jeffrey Glasgow, made several damaging allegations in a bitter legal battle.
07:14Glasgow sued Bromstad for breaching a verbal cohabitation agreement relating to the condo
07:18they used to live together in.
07:19Glasgow also alleged that the HGTV star's apparent sex and drug addiction had impacted
07:24both his finances and his mental health.
07:26But Glasgow wasn't done there.
07:28In his revised complaint, he claimed that his ex had used shared funds to pay for both
07:32sex workers and illegal substances.
07:35Bromstad's lawyer denied the allegations, telling In Touch Weekly,
07:38These salacious claims were made by a desperate person.
07:40The judge appeared to agree, once again throwing out the allegations before dismissing Glasgow's
07:45contract breach claim altogether.
07:47While coasting to victory on the first season of Design Star, Bromstad also had to deal
07:51with some family trauma.
07:53At the time, his beloved dad, Richard, was battling cancer.
07:56Luckily, he pulled through.
07:57But ten years later, the interior designer revealed that his father had been dealt another
08:01major health blow.
08:02In 2016, David shared that Richard had been admitted to the hospital over concerns about
08:07his heart.
08:08He told his Facebook followers,
08:09His valves are freaking out and is having major fluttering.
08:12His resting heart rate was at 136, which is very high.
08:14They are monitoring him for seizures and a heart attack.
08:17The Color Splash host didn't seem too optimistic about his father's chances of survival, asking
08:22his fans to keep him in their prayers.
08:24Thankfully, Richard defied the odds and made a full recovery.
08:27Since then, David has continually taken to Instagram to tell the world how much his dad
08:30means to him.
08:31For Father's Day 2018, he captioned a snap of the pair,
08:34My hero, best friend, and inspiration.
08:36Oh, and the guy who taught me goofy facial expressions.
08:40Alongside another photo three years later, David wrote,
08:42Thank you for teaching me to be compassionate, kind, confident, and, of course, silly.
08:46My favorite word is family.
08:49Bromstad has claimed he doesn't play the same game that helped his My Lottery Dream Home
08:53clients win a fortune because he's not particularly lucky.
08:56But according to reports, he's already risen to multimillionaire status thanks to his numerous
09:00hit shows as an HGTV host.
09:03Yes, Bromstad apparently has $2 million in his bank account, an impressive figure that
09:07has been accrued through things like sponsorship deals, as well as gigs on shows such as Color
09:11Splash.
09:12So where does that put him on the network's rich list?
09:14Well, he's allegedly HGTV's 14th wealthiest star.
09:18While Bromstad may be able to creep closer toward the top 10 in the near future, he has
09:22one almighty job on his hands to move past the network's richest, Drew and Jonathan Scott,
09:26a.k.a. the Property Brothers.
09:27The brothers have amassed a colossal fortune of $200 million.