What David Bromstad Is Really Like In Real Life, According To His Fans

David Bromstad is known for his bubbly on-screen persona, but if fans' accounts are to be believed, "persona" might not be the right word. According to those who've met him IRL, he's actually pretty consistent whether HGTV's cameras are rolling or not. 

Depending on how big of a Bromstad fan you are, you may recall that in early 2023, his off-duty niceness actually made headlines. This, after a group of hairstylists spotted him and his "My Lottery Dream Home" production crew in Somerset, Kentucky. They waited outside the restaurant he was in — and even though he was busy, they shared that he was open to chat to them briefly. "He was working and looked like he had a lot going on, and I guess we kind of interrupted that. But he was very kind to us," one of the fans recounted to Commonwealth Journal. She added, "He was just like what he is on the show."

Bromstad's willingness to chat to fans seems to be something of a trend, because around a year after the Commonwealth Journal article, another fan took to Reddit to share that they'd seen him at Disney World and had a similar experience. "Incredibly nice. Posed for a picture with my daughter," they wrote. No word on whether the daughter was impressed with Bromstad's tattoos, many of which are pop culture (and specifically Disney)-themed. That still wasn't the last we'd hear about Bromstad's real-life warmth, though. In a June 2024 Facebook post, yet another fan shared that they'd seen him at a supermarket, and the HGTV star happily obliged a selfie request. "He is down to earth, a wonderful adorable man," they penned, adding that they'd since lost the selfie. Something tells us Bromstad wouldn't be opposed to a redo if they did bump into each other again. 

Unfortunately for David Bromstad, even though he has a massive fanbase (one which surely outnumbers his detractors), some HGTV fans can't stand him. One of the reasons given for the hate? As one critic wrote on a DC Urban Moms and Dads forum that asked people to name the HGTV host who annoyed them the most, they didn't find him genuine. In their case against him, they named his larger-than-life personality as the chief offender. One critic, who clarified that they actually did like Bromstad, wrote, "He doesn't act natural." Well, now that a whole host of fans who have actually met the "HGTV Design Star" winner IRL have shared that their experiences with him are exactly what they expected from the show ... this is a little awks. 

While we certainly wouldn't say that social media holds the keys to seeing exactly who someone is in their day-to-day lives, it is worth noting that Bromstad's social media has always seemed pretty consistent with his TV personality, too. Though it's been a while since he's used Instagram to share regular updates (these days, he tends to use his platform to share clips from "My Lottery Dream Home"), back when he did, the language he used in the captions was the same he'd use on the show. "Happy friday my sweet cutie pies!" anyone? 

Once again, we refer to one of Bromstad's DC Urban Moms and Dads haters, who complained that there was no way everyone he met warranted being called "'adorable' and 'cute'; 'cuties.' etc." Clearly, Bromstad feels otherwise. Hate or not, Bromstad isn't leaving HGTV anytime soon, so perhaps his critics should find something else to watch.