What We Know About HGTV Star David Bromstad's Sexuality

"HGTV" star David Bromstad has always been very open about his sexuality. Ever since winning the first-ever season of "HGTV Design Star" in 2006 — where a group of aspiring designers vies for a chance to land their very own HGTV show — the 50-year-old Minnesota native has become a familiar face to thousands of television viewers, hosting programs like "Color Splash," "Beach Flip" and, most notably, "My Lottery Dream Home." Speaking with The Rage Monthly in 2017, Bromstad reflected on his long journey from being a hopeful contestant to one of HGTV's biggest stars. "I love my career, I love where it's been and where it's gone. After 'Design Star,' it all changed. It became a totally different animal and I'm grateful for that," he said. "I love where it's going and that things will continue to change and that's okay. Though in television, things tend to change a little more rapidly," he added. 

As an openly gay host, Bromstad is eternally grateful to HGTV for not only embracing but celebrating his sexual identity. "The network has always been so supportive, it's been amazing," he told Room Fu in 2017. He shared that upon winning "Design Star" in 2006, his first assignment with the TV network was hosting a party for the LGBTQ+ magazine Out. "That just set the tone right there," Bromstad said. "It was like, please, be yourself. We love you for who you are and never want you to hide yourself." Indeed, that's what he did. 

Since joining "HGTV Design Star" in 2006, David Bromstad has made no secret of the fact that he identifies as gay. "I was like, 'I'm not playing it straight. I'm playing it me,'" he said on the "HGTV Obsessed" podcast while discussing his decision to come out of the closet early into the competition. "And that was so liberating. Usually, TV will either break you or make you, and that made me because I was now being my authentic self and being celebrated by the network by being that person. And that was the start of everything." Before letting the world know about his sexual identity, Bromstad had already come out as queer to his family and friends back when he was 22 years old. Speaking to Room Fu in 2017, Bromstad expressed his desire to be recognized for his personal and career achievements rather than simply for his sexuality.

"I'm David Bromstad... I'm a designer and an artist and I just happen to like boys," he said. "It's not the other way around. It's not, 'I'm David Bromstad and I'm gay.'" He added, "It's not something that defines you. It's just something that you are." Of his sexuality, Bromstad said, "I'm not some flaming queen, and I'm not the butchest thing in the world either. I'm kind of teetering on this little ledge of fabulousness that people seem to really enjoy." Additionally, Bromstad has been open with fans about his dating life and relationship status.

Although David Bromstad has kept things relatively low-key when it comes to his dating life, the "My Lottery Dream Home" star has been open about being in a romantic relationship with ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Glasko. Speaking to South Florida Gay News in 2012 (via Distractify), Bromstad said he and Glasko first met at a Valentine's Day party in Orlando, Florida, in 2004. "I had a crush on him for years and years but was never formally introduced," he recalled. "We both were always in relationships and then we were single and we fell in love immediately." A former police officer, Glasko served as the project manager and COO of David Bromstad LLC before working for Rock Solid Real Estate in 2010. He and Bromstad were together for close to a decade before the two split in 2015, upon which they got involved in a nasty legal battle after Glasko accused the television host of breaching their co-habitation contract and of being "caught up in a dark world of sex and drugs," according to In Touch Weekly. (The case was ultimately dismissed.)

Since their breakup, Bromstad has remained largely mum about his romantic life but has opened up about his desire to settle down in an interview with Star Tribune. "I would love to have kids myself, but I need a boyfriend first. Being single has served its purpose. I'm ready to settle down and have that regular life — or as regular as my life can be," he said.