Karamo Brown reveals why he broke up the Fab Five & talks Queer Eye toxicity

Four months after the only member of the Fab Five from Netflix's reboot of Queer Eye skipped a live TV reunion, Karamo Brown is sharing his story about the behind the scenes drama that he describes as years of toxic dynamics, bullying and his own relapse from sobriety and recovery.

"I was depressed," Brown told People in an interview for its June cover story. "It felt shameful because I was teaching people that they could be better, but in my own life I was trapped."

As Out reported, the rest of his costars — Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, and Jeremiah Brent — promoted the premiere of the show's 10th season together on CBS Mornings and Today on January 20. However, Brown shocked fans by sending a last minute message declaring he refused to appear with his castmates.

"I hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach them over the past decade," co-host Gayle King read from Brown's statement prior to the interview. "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."

King added that Brown’s assistant said, "he’s worried about being bullied." On Today, co-host Sheinelle Jones shared a similar message: "Karamo has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years, and he's been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending."

Brown also sent a video message to the Today show where he thanked fans: "I just want to say thank you to all the fans who supported us and rocked with us for 10 seasons. This new season is going to be amazing. You’re going to love every minute of it," Brown said.

Now, for the first time since that canceled appearance, the show's "culture expert" is explaining what broke the Fab Five apart. "Enough is enough," he said.

He told People that in the past, he and his castmates "had always come together because of the fans, but because of the work I'd done on myself, I asked, ‘If I stay quiet right now and pretend I'm sick or something, whose peace am I protecting?'"

According to Brown, it was years of toxicity with several of his Queer Eye costars, made worse by what he describes as bullying and unchecked bad behavior by executives and members of production. Without naming names, Brown called out the producers for not protecting him from harassment.

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

The show's production company, ITV America and Scout Productions, said in a statement to People: "We strongly disagree with any characterization that concerns raised during the production of Queer Eye were ignored, dismissed or allowed to continue unchecked. Throughout the series' run, any issues brought to production leadership were taken seriously and addressed appropriately. Production consistently fostered a respectful and professional environment for the cast and crew — which included ongoing training, coaching and other support for the cast — maintaining clear workplace policies and practices throughout filming."

The producers added: "We remain incredibly proud of Queer Eye's lasting impact and the community the series helped build over more than 20 years."

People quotes an insider in the show who acknowledged Queer Eye "helped a lot of people," but the environment was "toxic as hell in reality."

Although the Queer Eye cast was named the Out100 Entertainers of the year in 2023, Brown said what viewers didn't see was the behind the scenes drama, and it was overwhelming.

He said the first divisions between him, Van Ness, France, Porowski and Bobby Berk — who as The Advocate reported, exited the show after eight seasons and was replaced by Brent in 2024 — followed a sexual harassment complaint that was filed against him in the first few weeks of filming.

According to Brown, he and an unnamed member of the Fab Five had a "fun and flirty" relationship during the show's casting phase. He initially accused his costar of filing the complaint but later learned an anonymous third party was responsible.

"It broke us," he said. "We all knew the divide between us."

Brown maintains he was cleared of any wrongdoing. However, a source inside production disputed Brown's "characterization of events." That source confirmed to People that an investigation was conducted and says "all parties wanted to move on with the show."

People quoted multiple sources as saying Brown's relationships with France and Van Ness, who previously denied allegations of emotional and verbal abuse on set in 2024, were another huge source of drama behind the scenes. That tension only increased when Rolling Stone investigated Van Ness’ alleged emotionally abusive behavior.

"Jonathan was someone whose frustrations were often expressed openly," explained a source familiar with the cast's dynamics. "Others were more likely to create tension behind the scenes."

Brown said he feels no hostility toward Van Ness, even though they haven't spoken directly in months.

"The work I have seen Jonathan pouring into himself is commendable and inspiring," he said. "Growth isn't always public-facing, but I respect him for how he's currently moving through life."

As for his own mistakes, Brown admitted he was not blameless: "There were times I was hurt and would lash back out. I recognize my part and how things I did impacted people."

The moment that broke him was when his mom overheard several of his costars trash talking him during a visit to the set last year. People quoted multiple sources in confirming Van Ness, France, and Porowski were involved in that overheard conversation. Embarrassed, Brown says he never pushed her for details of exactly what had been said.

"The thing I know is the tears I saw in my mother's eyes," he recalled. "'I thought they were your friends,'" he recalled her repeating. "It made me realize I can no longer stay silent about how often I was made to feel like an outsider."

Brown even said the the show's early days was unsustainable, especially because of how he was treated. He recalled that a senior leader of the production team told him bluntly, "You are not a star. I will get rid of you tomorrow."

That show insider added that threats about employment were a frequent occurrence between the Fab Five and this senior figure in the first season, citing creative differences. This source said that was the result of a disconnect in their mission.

“[They] wanted them to come in and rip the heroes' houses apart and tell them how ugly everything was because that's what the original Fab Five did,” the insider said. “That catty gayness worked in the early 2000s, but that's not who the new cast was.”

Brown's former costars did not respond to People's request for comments, but Porowski is speaking up on the allegations.

In an with Variety to promote his new reality show Best of the World With Antoni Porowski, the Queer Eye "food expert" admits he’s still left with more questions than answers when it comes to why Brown refused to join the promotional media tour in January, which resulted in the breakup of the Fab Five.

"For anybody who’s paying attention to how all of that ended, I was sad that I felt like it served as a distraction in honoring the countless people who’ve worked on the show from day one up until the very end, and those who have come and gone — both in front of and behind the camera," Porowski told Variety. "If I’m honest, I think I’m left with more questions than answers, but what I hope is that the people who honor the show understand the help that we did and the commitment we [had]."

Brown revealed that after a dozen years living sober, he relapsed during the show's third season, and that "a drink would lead to weed, cocaine, pills," he said. "I wasn’t coping right, but I pretended like I was. I was so broken."

He said he's now sober again: "I've not had a single drink, cocktail — nothing," adding that he follows a 12-step program and attends meetings for those recovering from addiction.

If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services. Trans Lifeline, designed for transgender or gender-nonconforming people, can be reached at (877) 565-8860. The lifeline also provides resources to help with other crises, such as domestic violence situations. The Trevor Project Lifeline, for LGBTQ+ youth (ages 24 and younger), can be reached at (866) 488-7386. Users can also access chat services at TheTrevorProject.org/Help or text START to 678678.