15 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown
1. He was on The Real World
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfPWQfyFZI5/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
That’s right, Karamo started his career on The Real World: Philadelphia in 2004.
2. He worked as a social worker for nearly a decade
https://www.instagram.com/p/Be_jia1lNg-/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
After his stunt on The Real World ended, he decided to do what he could and focused his career on helping people. No wonder he found his way to Queer Eye, where he’s able to sit down with someone new every episode and help improve their lives.
3. He graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgur62Xl-Ew/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
After the shooting on February 14, 2018, he took part in the March for our Lives demonstration in D.C. and became an active member of the Never Again MSD movement.
4. He was the first out gay black man on reality TV
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYOELoel7df/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
Karamo came out when he was 16 years old, meaning he was openly gay when he was on The Real World.
5. He found out he had a 10-year-old son he’d never known about in 2007
https://www.instagram.com/p/tLPd66PqcD/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
He had impregnated his high school girlfriend, but hadn’t known about it until she showed up 10 years later asking for child support. Since then, Karamo has taken his son in and even adopted his son’s half-brother.
6. You may recognize him from journalistic outlets online and on TV
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIauCaPBydx/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
Throughout the years, Karamo has worked for CNN, HuffPost, Access Hollywood, The Young Turks, and several other online media companies. There’s a good chance you’ve been watching him for years and you never even realized it.
7. He’s friends with Jai Rodriguez, the former culture expert from the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
The two are from the same town and have met through mutual friends. Karamo said he always looked up to Jai.
8. He co-founded an organization to combat HIV stigma in gay and bisexual black men
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdtESbgFdf5/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
He and Donta Morrison worked together to create 6in10.org, where the two raise awareness about HIV stigma and provide mental health support and HIV education to the black LGBT community.
9. He loves to travel
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOxGzF6hOXU/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
Just check out his Insta, which is full of pictures from the places he’s gone.
10. He actively supports other black LGBT artists
https://twitter.com/KaramoBrown/status/979905432583004161
From Todrick Hall to Keiynan Lonsdale, Brown makes his support known — and makes sure he’s rooting for them every step of the way.
11. He hopes to drabble in drag someday
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc3P1Mslf1M/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
He told Billboard: “I’d love to see the Fab 5 dressed in drag! I’ve never done drag, but I’d love to try it.”
12. He has a huge celebrity crush on Tom Hanks
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bejh8vQl2dL/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
Though tbh, who doesn’t?
13. He’s inspired by Langston Hughes
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfqmoSpl90B/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
In one interview, he claimed that the poet “spoke to him” and inspired him in everyday life.
14. He’s become an inspiration for LGBT youth everywhere
https://twitter.com/lovesimonmovie/status/974066621839958016
The Love, Simon team even made him this special card to thank him for all the work he’s done and the lives he’s changed along the way. I don’t know, that seems like a pretty huge thing to me.
15. His kids are huge fans of his show (and yes, it’s a big deal)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgbhztwFHca/?hl=en&taken-by=karamobrown
According to Karamo, his sons never showed too much interest in his career. After he caught them watching the show by themselves, he told Entertainment Tonight: “They’re prideful of it and I think that shows where we’re at in 2018. That my two sons who identify as straight are proud of their gay dad and the show that he’s on that is about five gay men. And their friends are proud of it and watching it. It shows the growth of our consciousness as people and I’m happy!”
