The Untold Truth Of David Bromstad

David Bromstad was propelled to fame in 2006 when he was crowned the inaugural winner of "Design Star," HGTV's attempt to muscle in on the talent show format pioneered by Simon Cowell's former stomping ground, "American Idol." Instead of a record deal and empowering debut single à la "Idol" winners, though, the interior designer was gifted a Mercury Mariner SUV and the chance to host his very own series. 

Since then, Bromstad has become a staple of the channel, lending his talents to everything from "Color Splash" and "My Lottery Dream Home" to "Design Star: All-Stars" and "Rock the Block."

But while we know that the Minnesota native is a dab hand with a paintbrush, what about his life away from America's premier — and some would say fakest — home renovation network? What did he do beforehand? How has he coped with fame? And why exactly was he sued by his ex-boyfriend? From Disney dreams and tattoo addictions to bank balances and fitness regimes, here's a look at the untold truth of David Bromstad.

Soon after graduating from Florida's Ringling College of Art and Design with a degree in illustration, David Bromstad landed a job at the company he'd dreamed of working for: Disney. Unfortunately, it wasn't a position within their animation team, which had been his goal, but instead was a visual merchandiser role at one of their many retail outlets.

"It wasn't that creative of work," Bromstad later told Ryan G. Van Cleave about his six-month experience. "Put those t-shirts here, move those boxes there." Luckily, the future HGTV star's boss soon recognized that his talents were being wasted and encouraged him to apply for a sculpting position elsewhere within the Mouse House empire.

Bromstad then spent 18 months at Orlando's Walt Disney World learning how to perfect the art of sanding before becoming a contractor, where he helped to originate instillations for the likes of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. "And there wasn't a store that I didn't have some of my own art or sculpture in," he explained with a sense of pride.

David Bromstad may have been gifted a Mercury Mariner SUV and the opportunity to become a HGTV regular when he won the first season of talent show "Design Star," but he sure had to suffer for his art. Well, if you count the lack of a cell phone as suffering, that is.

Bromstad certainly does, having often compared his experience on the 2006 season to a boot camp. Not only did they confiscate contestants' communication devices, but they also banned them from watching television, reading newspapers and magazines, and listening to the radio. Why the network felt they had to resort to such drastic measures is unclear — but the former Disney employee is now quite glad that they did.

"But taking all of that stuff away from you makes you really focus on what you're there to do," Bromstad told Design Blahg five years after being crowned the inaugural victor. "And really, it was one of the best things I've ever done. I loved it so much."

As anyone who follows David Bromstad's Instagram page (and anyone who's familiar with the copious amount of shirtless selfies he posts on there) will already know, the interior designer is one of HGTV's most heavily tattooed stars. In fact, the "Design Star" winner intends to cover at least 40% of his entire body with ink in the near future.

In an interview with Tattoo Co. Orlando, Bromstad revealed that his obsession with tattoos started when he was in high school. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't one shared by his Christian parents, who told him that if he ever made a trip to his nearest parlor, he'd have to financially fend for himself. The former Disney illustrator did take heed of such a warning, waiting until after he graduated Florida's Ringling College of Art and Design before getting his first tat, a dragonfly.

But he soon made up for lost time when he relocated to Orlando, adding everything from a scratch and sniff sticker to a dabbing unicorn to his own personal favorite, Mickey Mouse. "My tattoo addiction is shining bright with a rainbow of delicious colors," the star explained on Instagram, showing off his tatted limbs. "It symbolizes so much for me. The gay flag, my love for color, my first tv series, "Color Splash," freedom, and it's just plain happy. I encourage you all to embrace the core of who you are. I just happen to be a wacky colorful artistic weirdo and I love it. So much more to come!"

Since 2015, David Bromstad has hosted one of HGTV's most popular yet least relatable shows, "My Lottery Dream Home." The interior designer has presided over the makeover series for years. The show helps those who have suddenly enjoyed a huge financial windfall find their 'money is no object' ideal property.

You might expect, therefore, that having seen what a lottery winner can buy, Bromstad would be regularly buying tickets left, right, and center. But as he told The Wrap in 2018, he already feels like he's been granted his own oversized check. "No, I do not play the lottery because I've already won the lottery. I won "Design Star" and that was my lottery ... So I'm good. I've won it, that's my win."

There's also another reason why Bromstad doesn't try to follow in the footsteps of his TV clientele: he believes he's a desperately unlucky person. "It's hard for me to spend $30 on a scratcher, or $20, or even $10 on a few scratchers," he said, before adding rather randomly, "I just don't play enough. I'd rather buy canoes."

David Bromstad was transformed from a complete unknown to one of HGTV's most famous faces when he won the inaugural season of talent show "Design Star" in 2006. And even six years on — by which point he'd hosted five seasons of his own series, "Color Splash" — the interior designer was still getting used to the idea of fame.

"You're walking down the street and people are like, 'David!'" Bromstad told Room Fu in 2012. "I'm like, really? You know who I am?" The Minnesota native claimed that initially only the LGBTQ community and older women were familiar with his work, but that his shows have since developed a much more diverse following. "That is so bizarre and so fantastic and a great perk. Everyone is so happy to see me, it gives me tons of confidence. It's so lovely, but it's so strange."

So does this constant level of recognition make Bromstad a little self-conscious whenever he's out and about? Luckily, not so much. But he does acknowledge that there are times on his travels, particularly when he's forgotten his razor, that he longs for the days of anonymity. Referring to one such occasion at an airport, he recalled, "I was unshaven and my hair was all messy and before taking pictures with people I had to be like, 'Oh well, whatever. You'll get to see the real side of me!' Granted, I don't really want people to see that side, but ... "

Unlike many of his scandal-hit HGTV colleagues, David Bromstad had managed to avoid any major controversy in the decade after winning "Design Star." But that all changed in 2016 when news emerged that the openly gay star was hosting an event for an organization whose attitudes toward the LGBTQ community left a lot to be desired.

Bromstad came under fire when he agreed to work at a fundraiser for the Salvation Army at Fort Lauderdale's Red Shield ReDesign Bash, with hundreds of disgruntled Facebook followers taking to the comments to point out his hypocrisy since the Salvation Army's "Position Statement" (which has since been deleted from their website) "forbids sexual intimacy between members of the same sex," while the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce had recently crowned the interior designer as their Man of the Year.

The Minnesota native refused to apologize for aligning himself with the Army, however. Addressing his critics on the same social media platform, he wrote, "If we simply separate ourselves from those that we assume [oppose] us or our beliefs then we will never make strides in the right direction. I applaud the Salvation Army's symbolic handshake towards acceptance and would be foolish to not extend my hand in acceptance." Bromstad also later accepted that his response wouldn't be satisfactory to some but that he was "OK with that."

After several years working in various Disney departments, David Bromstad pivoted into becoming an interior designer specializing in kids rooms. And two decades on, the HGTV regular is hoping to create an awe-inspiring space for a child of his own.

When asked about the possibility of becoming a father by the Star Tribune in 2019, Bromstad answered, "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."

For now, though, Bromstad has to make do with being an uncle to his siblings' kids, a role he seems to embrace. At least twice every year, the Minnesota native will visit his various nieces and nephews in Prior Lake and Chanhassen for some quality family time, and in 2013, he excitedly revealed on Facebook that he was about to see one walking down the aisle.

It's fair to say that David Bromstad didn't have an easy time of it during his junior high years. The HGTV regular even shared that he was taunted during one particular lunch break by not only the entirety of his fellow 600 students, but by the school's principal, too!

The "Design Star" winner acknowledges that the latter may have been too interested in looking cool to understand exactly what he was joining in with, but nevertheless, the scars still ran deep. Luckily, however, Bromstad is now able to see that he had the last laugh. "The dork, dweeb, nerd, the unique, those are the people who rule the world!" he told Passport magazine.

The interior designer has also drawn upon his own harrowing childhood experiences to help others. "I was bullied and harassed continually through high school, and I know what hell that can be," Bromstad said in a 2013 statement (via Equality Florida) after gifting $5,000 to Safe Schools South Florida, an initiative designed to foster a positive environment for youngsters in the LGBTQ community.

David Bromstad's good guy reputation took a bit of a hit in 2015 when his former boyfriend of 11 years made several damaging allegations in a bitter legal battle.

According to In Touch Weekly, Jeffrey Glasko sued Bromstad for breaching a verbal cohabitation agreement relating to the condominium they used to live together in. Glasko also alleged that the HGTV star's apparent sex and drug addictions had impacted both his finances and his mental health. "Among the most scandalous I've ever reviewed," was how a Miami-Dade County circuit court judge described the accusations, though he immediately struck from the lawsuit.

But Glasko wasn't done there. In his revised complaint, he claimed that his ex had used shared funds to pay for both prostitutes and illegal substances. "These salacious claims were made by a desperate person," Bromstad's lawyer, William V. Roppolo, responded, and the judge appeared to agree, once again throwing out the allegations before dismissing Glasko's contract breach claim altogether.

David Bromstad swiftly avoided the need to make any grand statements about his sexuality during his stint on "Design Star" when, after being asked by a fellow contestant if he was gay, he answered in the affirmative. And in a sign of the more enlightening times, HGTV didn't push him back into the closet after his victory, either.

Speaking to Room Fu several years later, Bromstad revealed that his new workplace had actively encouraged him to be as gay as he liked in the wake of his talent show success. "The network has always been so supportive, it's been amazing." Noting how the first job they gave him was a hosting gig for an Out Magazine party, he continued, "That just set the tone right there. It was like, please, be yourself. We love you for who you are and never want you to hide yourself."

Bromstad went on to add that he felt instantly accepted by HGTV as a result, and he was able to show his support for the rest of the LGBTQ community, too. However, he's also determined not to let his sexuality define him: "I'm a designer and an artist and I just happen to like boys. It's not the other way around ... 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!"

While coasting to victory on the 2006 first season of HGTV talent show "Design Star," David Bromstad also had to deal with some family trauma — his beloved dad, Richard, was battling cancer at the time. Luckily, he pulled through, but 10 years later, the interior designer revealed that his father had been dealt another major health blow.

In 2016, Bromstad shared that Richard had been admitted to the hospital over concerns about his heart. "His valves are freaking out and is having major fluttering, his resting heart rate was at 136 which is very high," David told his Facebook followers. "They are monitoring him for seizures and a heart attack."

The "Color Splash" host didn't seem too optimistic about his pop's chances of survival, asking his fans to keep him in their prayers. Thankfully, Richard defied the odds and made a full recovery. Since then, David has continually taken to Instagram to tell the world how much his dad means to him. For Father's Day 2018, he captioned a snap of the pair, "My hero, best friend, and inspiration. Oh and the guy who taught me goofy facial expressions." Alongside another photo three years later, Bromstad wrote, "Thank you for teaching me to be compassionate, kind, confident, and, of course, silly!"

David Bromstad certainly isn't shy about showing off his body on social media, whether it's uploading a sweaty post-workout pic or debuting the results of his latest trip to the tattoo parlor. But would the buff interior designer be such a fitness enthusiast if he wasn't an HGTV regular?

Well, probably not. In an interview with the now defunct Fit Celeb, Bromstad admitted that regularly being beamed into people's homes provides an extra level of motivation when it comes to giving the ripped Hemsworth brothers a run for their money. But the Minnesota native has also insisted that he doesn't hit the gym at least three times a week solely for aesthetic purposes.

"You know, if I go a week without working out it is really hard for me because 1) I am exhausted and 2) my creativity is lost," he told Chicagoist. "Having that feeling of being physically fit — it's not even about whether or not I look fit — it's more about confidence and feeling good about myself."

Don't expect to hear too many political opinions from David Bromstad if you find yourself invited to his home for dinner. The HGTV star freely admits that he lives in a bubble, one where the Mouse House takes precedence over the White House.

In an interview with Star Tribune, Bromstad revealed that he never watches the news and so he's not equipped or interested enough to hold a conversation about any kind of current affairs: "If my friends get into a political conversation, I say, 'Good for you. Good stress on you.' None of it's related to me. I am Disney. I am magic. That's all my life is about."

The Minnesota native is also undoubtedly glad that his workplace is distinctly non-political, too, describing HGTV as a "happy network" that allows audiences to forget any troubles going on elsewhere: "You know nothing is going to be bad for your kids. It's a positive light, it's a rainbow, it's a sea of fabulous. And no one else can touch us when it comes to that."

David Bromstad has claimed he doesn't play the same game that helped his "My Lottery Dream Home" clients win an absolute fortune because he's not particularly lucky. But according to reports, he's already risen to multi-millionaire status thanks to his numerous hit shows as a HGTV host.

Yes, Bromstad apparently has $2 million in his bank account, an impressive figure that has been accrued through things like sponsorship deals with the likes of Grandin Road and Miele, as well as gigs on shows such as "Color Splash" and "Design Star: All-Stars." So where does that put the Minnesota native on the network's rich list?

Well, he's allegedly HGTV's 14th wealthiest star, with his net worth a million dollars short of those in joint-12th place, "Deserving Design" host Vern Yip and "Windy City Rehab" favorite Alison Victoria. While Bromstad may be able to creep closer toward the Top 10 in the near future, he has one almighty job on his hands to usurp the network's richest: Drew and Jonathan Scott, aka the Property Brothers, have amassed a colossal fortune of $200 million!