Karamo Brown reveals what ‘broke’ Queer Eye amid bullying claims during final press appearances
"It impacted me negatively, consistently," said Brown
By Aaron Sugg
Karamo Brown has opened up about missing press appearances for the final season of Queer Eye following fears of bullying.
Brown first broke his silence on his experiences during filming in a note to CBS Mornings on 20 January, absent from the Fab Five’s live in-person interview.
Explaining his absence, host Gayle King read his letter out loud: “I hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach them over the past decade, which is to focus on and protect their mental health and peace from people or a world who seek to destroy it; which is why I can’t be there today.”
Karamo Brown’s assistant said he was “worried about being bullied”
“His assistant also says he’s worried about being bullied,” King continued, before asking how the rest of his co-stars felt about his absence.
The segment included a video of Brown, in light of the show’s final series airing on 21 January 2026, sending a message of thanks to the crew, the fans and Netflix executives, but not his co-stars.
In his latest cover interview with People magazine, Brown spoke about why he chose to remain absent from the franchise’s final press opportunities.
He said tensions within the Fab Five began to deepen early in filming after a sexual harassment complaint was filed against him in the first few weeks of production, adding: “It broke us.” Brown said he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Whose peace am I protecting?” – Brown on why he stayed absent from final Queer Eye press appearances
The Queer Eye culture expert explained that he and his cast-mates “had always come together because of the fans,” but after having done “work” on himself, he asked: “‘If I stay quiet right now and pretend I’m sick or something, whose peace am I protecting?’”
People described Brown as having endured “years of toxicity” with his fellow Queer Eye members Antoni Porowski, Jeremiah Brent, Jonathan Van Ness and Tan France, something he described as “bullying”.
“Everyone would just say, ‘Well, that’s just that person,’ instead of saying, ‘This behaviour does not fly in a professional environment,’” he said. “It impacted me negatively, consistently.”
Brown claims his mother expressed concern over his treatment during Queer Eye
He said his concerns were deepened after his mother expressed disappointment over his treatment: “‘I thought they were your friends,’” he recalled his mother telling him.
In response, the show’s production companies ITV America and Scout Productions said they “strongly disagree” with the allegations made, claiming Brown’s concerns were not “ignored”.
“Throughout the series’ run, any issues brought to production leadership were taken seriously and addressed appropriately,” the statement continued.
Bobby Berk, former Queer Eye star, left the franchise in 2024, citing alleged “rage issues” with co-star Van Ness.
The show’s tenth and final season is available to stream now on Netflix.