Karamo Brown Drops Out Of Queer Eye Cast Interviews, Citing Mental And Emotional Abuse And Bullying
Karamo Brown, one of the "Fab Five" stars of Netflix's "Queer Eye," abruptly dropped out of multiple TV interviews promoting the show's final season today, with his assistant stating that Brown "has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years."
In an interview with "CBS Mornings" on Tuesday, the four other "Queer Eye" cast members — Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Jeremiah Brent — were there to discuss the final season, but host Gayle King revealed that producers were informed less than an hour before taping that Brown would not be attending, adding that Brown "is worried about being bullied," according to his assistant. (TVLine has reached out to Netflix for comment.)
Brown did send a statement: "I hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach over the past decade, which is to focus on and to protect their mental health/peace from people or a world who seek to destroy it; which is why I can't be there today." In another interview with NBC's "Today," which Brown also did not attend, host Sheinelle Jones noted that Brown's assistant said that "Karamo has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years, and he has been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending."
His Queer Eye co-stars responded to Brown's absence
The other "Queer Eye" stars seemed stunned by Brown's decision, with Porowski telling "CBS Mornings": "'Surprised' is a fair understatement. I will say our 'Queer Eye' family... families are complicated, and we're definitely not excluded from that." But "we're also here to showcase these incredible heroes that we have and really honor the legacy of this past decade of our lives."
Brent — who joined the show in Season 9, replacing original cast member Bobby Berk — chimed in to say: "My experience with this cast has been transformative... I have felt safe and supported by the people up here." Van Ness applauded Brown for taking care of himself: "I'm actually really proud of him... I think we do need to center what's best for us sometimes."
Regarding Porowski's "families are complicated" comment: Berk admitted to an off-camera rift with France when he left the show in 2023. "Tan and I had a moment. There was a situation, and that's between Tan and I, and it has nothing to do with the show. It was something personal that had been brewing — and nothing romantic, just to clarify that... We became like siblings — and siblings are always going to fight."
"Queer Eye," a reboot of Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," premiered on Netflix in 2018, with the Fab Five helping people transform their lives by giving them a makeover, inside and out. The show became a hit, running for 10 seasons and winning seven Emmys for best structured reality series. The tenth and final season, with the Fab Five heading to Washington, D.C., premieres this Wednesday on Netflix.
Watch the "Queer Eye" cast's interview on "CBS Mornings" below, and hit the comments to share your thoughts.