{"id":421640,"date":"2026-01-21T22:23:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/421640\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T22:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T22:23:11","slug":"karamo-brown-backs-out-of-queer-eye-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/421640\/","title":{"rendered":"Karamo Brown Backs Out Of \u2018Queer Eye\u2019 Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rollout for the final season of Netflix<\/a>\u2019s \u201cQueer Eye<\/a>\u201d got off to a shaky start this week when cast member Karamo Brown<\/a> backed out of a pair of TV appearances at the last minute Tuesday, citing \u201cmental health\u201d concerns. <\/p>\n

Brown had been slated to appear on \u201cCBS Mornings<\/a>\u201d alongside co-stars Jeremiah Brent, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness to promote Season 10 of \u201cQueer Eye,\u201d which debuts Wednesday and is set in Washington, D.C. As the interview kicked off, however, host Gayle King<\/a> shared a statement from Brown, in which he addressed his absence. <\/p>\n

\u201cI hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach them 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\u2019t be there today,\u201d the statement read. <\/p>\n

King said Brown\u2019s assistant had also told her that the culture guru was \u201cworried about being bullied,\u201d but did not elaborate. <\/p>\n

Karamo Brown, one of the \u201cFab Five\u201d of Netflix\u2019s \u201cQueer Eye,\u201d did not participate in this morning\u2019s interview with the cast, writing to CBS Mornings that he hopes people remember to \u201cprotect their mental health\/peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s assistant told CBS Mornings that the expert was\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/oDDtlo8Y7v<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 20, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The four remaining \u201cQueer Eye\u201d stars seemed caught off-guard by Brown\u2019s announcement, and held one another\u2019s hands for the duration of the interview. <\/p>\n

\u201cI will say, our \u2018Queer Eye\u2019 family … we\u2019ve been doing this for almost a decade, which is pretty wild to believe, and families are complicated and we\u2019re definitely not excluded from that,\u201d Porowski said. \u201cBut I think two things can exist at the same time, and while that is definitely true, we\u2019re also here to showcase these incredible heroes that we have and really honor the legacy of this past decade of our lives.\u201d <\/p>\n

Brent, France, Porowski and Van Ness had to contend with Brown\u2019s absence yet again on NBC\u2019s \u201cToday With Jenna & Sheinelle<\/a>.\u201d This time, however, Brown shared a video message thanking Netflix, the \u201cQueer Eye\u201d crew and the show\u2019s fans, but notably made no mention of his co-stars. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust like the themes of this season, I\u2019m modeling what I believe is most important, which I want to remind you all: Love yourselves and protect yourselves,\u201d he said in the clip. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m here, at home, and not there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Co-host Sheinelle Jones also shared a statement from Brown\u2019s assistant, which read in part, \u201cKaramo has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years and he\u2019s been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending.\u201d <\/p>\n

Watch a clip of the Queer Eye cast on \u201cToday With Jenna & Sheinelle\u201d below. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s co-stars again held hands and appeared more visibly emotional than they had been on \u201cCBS Mornings,\u201d but nonetheless shifted the conversation to the series itself. <\/p>\n

\u201cLook, we\u2019re so sorry that he\u2019s not here,\u201d Porowski said. \u201cWe fully support, I think, as a collective unit, him taking care of himself. And to echo what he\u2019s saying, we\u2019re here to honor the legacy of a decade, which is so wild to think about.\u201d <\/p>\n

HuffPost reached out to representatives for Netflix for comment on Brown\u2019s absence from the \u201cQueer Eye\u201d press tour, but did not immediately hear back. <\/p>\n

\u201cQueer Eye,\u201d a reboot of Bravo\u2019s \u201cQueer Eye for the Straight Guy<\/a>,\u201d premiered on Netflix in 2018 to critical acclaim. Over the course of nine seasons, the makeover series won 12 Emmy Awards and turned its five stars into household names. <\/p>\n

\"FromFrom left: Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown and Jeremiah Brent in a new episode of “Queer Eye,” which returns to Netflix for its 10th and final season Wednesday.<\/p>\n

In November 2023, however, original cast member Bobby Berk<\/a> stunned fans by announcing his departure from the series after eight seasons. Though Berk initially shrugged off rumors of behind-the-scenes tension between him and his co-stars, a Rolling Stone expos\u00e9<\/a> published in March 2024 accused France and Porowski of engaging in \u201cmean-girl antics\u201d to get Berk axed from the series to make way for Brent<\/a>, his replacement. <\/p>\n

The most explosive allegations, however, were leveled at Van Ness. Rolling Stone spoke to four anonymous \u201cQueer Eye\u201d production sources and three former colleagues who described<\/a> the celebrity hairstylist as a \u201cnightmare\u201d and a \u201cmonster\u201d who is \u201cdemeaning\u201d and emotionally \u201cabusive.\u201d<\/p>\n

France later denied<\/a> having anything to do with Berk\u2019s exit, while Van Ness also spoke out<\/a> against the troubling claims, calling them \u201coverwhelmingly untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know there were times where I could have been better,\u201d Van Ness said in a June 2024 appearance on the \u201cTable Manners\u201d podcast<\/a>. Though the stylist sidestepped many of the specific claims about their behavior, they said the article \u201cforced me to really learn how to slow down, disengage, and then really love myself.\u201d<\/p>\n