Bernice Burgos isn’t new to the spotlight. She emerged at the peak of the hip-hop video vixen era, then turned bartending at Starlets in Queens, NY, into a worldwide attraction.
Men flew in from Africa, France, and everywhere in between to see her behind the bar, and she built a reputation as one of the most recognizable women in the game.
Now, with 7.2 million Instagram followers and a growing brand, she’s not chasing attention. She’s protecting her privacy.
On Friday, October 3, Burgos appeared on The Ish Podcast and made it clear why her relationships won’t ever be a part of the online show. “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m in a relationship or not. I’m not. That’s none of your business,” she said.
It’s not that Burgos hasn’t shared before. She admitted that at one point, she used to post pieces of her love life—Valentine’s Day gifts, jewelry, birthday surprises. It didn’t take long for her to realize the problem.
“What I’m doing, I’m putting it out there for another woman to want my man. For what?” she said. “I’m not going to give my man to the streets. Not doing that.”
That lesson came from experience. Being outside in the hip hop scene—bartending, hosting, modeling—meant her every move was under a microscope. The video vixen era was about visibility, and Burgos became a blueprint for the kind of woman rappers wanted in their videos and fans wanted in their DMs.
With that visibility came speculation, rumors, and, in her words, “more girls and more girls” coming at whoever she was dating.
The shift for Burgos now is about control. She doesn’t deny people are curious about who she’s with, but she doesn’t feel the need to confirm anything. “I give you a little bit of what I want to give y’all. That’s it. The privacy is privacy,” she said on the podcast.
It’s a different move than many influencers and celebrities who monetize every aspect of their personal lives. Burgos has seen the fallout of putting too much online, and she’s not interested in repeating it.
Fans might see her cooking, hitting the gym, or running her Bold and Beautiful brand, but that’s where the access stops. “Y’all don’t need to see my man. Y’all don’t need nothing,” she said.
That doesn’t mean Burgos has stepped away from the culture that made her name. She still pulls massive numbers on Instagram, still moves product, still influences beauty standards that dominate social media. But she’s drawing a line where many others haven’t, showing that even after decades of visibility, there’s strength in leaving some things off the timeline.
“Keep on thinking I’m dating, I’m not,” she said with a laugh. “Listen, y’all see me on my Snapchat, in my bed, eating my food. That’s what you’re going to get. Nothing else.”