Queer Eye star Karamo Brown appears to confirm new romance with Jussie Smollett
The pair's public appearances comes shortly after Smollett and his fiancé, Jabari Redd, called off their year-long engagement
By Aaron Sugg
Estranged Queer Eye star Karamo Brown has been spotted kissing actor and filmmaker Jussie Smollett, sparking relationship rumours.
In photos obtained by TMZ, the pair looked smitten as they said their goodbyes at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday (1 July), before Brown caught his flight.
According to the outlet, the pair are officially dating after an all-day date on Monday (29 June), during which Brown introduced Smollett to his mum over lunch before the couple went for a hike through Runyon Canyon.
Karamo Brown and Jussie Smollett look smitten following the end of Smollett’s engagement
The pair’s public appearances comes shortly after Smollett and his fiancé, Jabari Redd, called off their year-long engagement.
The Empire actor announced they were to wed in an Instagram proposal post with the caption: “I’ll be spending my birthday with my fiancé… He said YES.”
Brown has also been making headlines in recent months following the release of the final season of Netflix series Queer Eye, in which the Fab Five became four after Brown refused to do press.
Brown breaks his silence on Queer Eye bullying
Brown first addressed his absence in a note to CBS Mornings on 20 January, where the rest of the cast were sitting live on TV, claiming he feared being bullied.
Explaining why he wasn’t there, host Gayle King read his letter aloud: “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.”
“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.
“Whose peace am I protecting?” – Brown explains why he didn’t attend Queer Eye final press
The segment included a video of Brown, released to coincide with the show’s final series airing on 21 January 2026, in which he sent 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 explained further why he chose to remain absent from the franchise’s final press opportunities.
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?'”