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Karamo Brown is opening up about toxic drama on the set of Queer Eye. 

Brown, 45, served as the culture expert on the popular Netflix series, which recently ended after 10 seasons. He was a positive force on the show, celebrating the people who’d been selected for life-changing transformations. But behind the scenes, things were less sunny. 

“I was depressed,” he told People. “It felt shameful because I was teaching people that they could be better, but in my own life I was trapped.”

Karamo Brown opens up about bullying, hot mic moment on ‘Queer Eye’ set 

One issue contributing to Brown’s poor mental health? Pervasive bullying and bad behavior from his co-stars and producers, which he was told to overlook.

“Everyone would just say, ‘Well, that’s just that person,’ instead of saying, ‘This behavior does not fly in a professional environment.’ It impacted me negatively, consistently,” he said. 

The slights included a season 1 producer telling him that he wasn’t “a star” and that he could be fired “tomorrow.” But perhaps the most painful moment came when Brown’s mother visited the set during production for season 10. While listening in on headphones, she caught three of the Fab Five disparaging her son. (The hot mic moment allegedly involved Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Antoni Powrowski.) Brown said he doesn’t know exactly what was said – just that it left his mother deeply upset.

“The thing I know is the tears I saw in my mother’s eyes,” he said. “[She kept repeating], ‘I thought they were your friends.’ It made me realize I can no longer stay silent about how often I was made to feel like an outsider.”

‘Queer Eye’ star skipped season 10 press tour

Brown ultimately decide not to participate in the press tour for the show’s final season. He has been on the outs with Van Ness, France, and Powrowski ever since, according to TMZ. But Brown told People he recognizes that he didn’t always come off well on set either.

“I recognize my part and how things I did impacted people,” he said. He also hopes that one day, he can reconcile with his former co-stars. 

“I think we all deserve a bit of grace for how we handled ourselves and one another,” he said. “We were just doing our best. It may not have felt like that in the moment, but it’s very clear to me now.”

Jonathan Van Ness had anger issues, ‘Queer Eye’ insiders claim

Brown wasn’t the only Queer Eye cast member who had issues during his time on the show. Fans were shocked when Bobby Berk exited the show after eight seasons. He said it was because he decided to focus on other projects. But a 2024 report from Rolling Stone detailed “petty disputes” and “competition” between cast members, with Berk, the show’s interior designer, upset that his big-effort projects weren’t getting more screen time. Meanwhile, Van Ness was volatile and a “nightmare” to work with, sources said.  

“[There’s] a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them,” one insider shared. 

The rest of the Queer Eye cast reportedly didn’t like shooting with Van Ness.

“There was absolutely tension between everybody else, especially from Jonathan Van Ness,” one production member said. “He didn’t want to ever share the spotlight with anyone. There were times when we couldn’t even shoot scenes with certain members of the Fab Five together because it got so bad.” 

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