NEWSKaramo Brown Felt 'Isolated' on 'Queer Eye' Before Skipping 'Today' Show Appearance With Costars: 'I Wasn't Coping Well'
Karamo Brown opened up about his rift with the 'Queer Eye' cast.
June 23 2026, Published 3:40 p.m. ET
Queer Eye's Karamo Brown broke his silence after missing a Today show appearance with his castmates in January.
The host and reality TV star opened up to Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Brown ahead of Queer Eye's final season on the June 23 episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.
"While I loved what we did, it didn't mean I loved what was happening to me," Karamo said.
Why Did Karamo Brown Miss the 'Today' Show?
Antoni Porowski, Johnathan Van Ness and Jeremiah Brent appeared on the 'Today' show without Karamo Brown.
Karamo bowed out of a January 20 episode of the Today amid a rumored feud with his fellow cast members Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness and Jeremiah Brent.
"We received an email from Karamo’s assistant this morning, which said, in part, ‘Karamo has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years, and he has been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending,'" Sheinelle said at the time.
In his last-minute absence, Karamo sent along a video thanking the fans for their support over the past 10 seasons.
"This new season is going to be amazing. You’re going to love every minute of it. And just like the themes of this season, I’m modeling what I believe is most important, which I want to remind you all: Love yourselves and protect yourselves," he said. "That’s why I’m here, at home, and not there."
Karamo Brown described feeling 'isolated' on set.
During his solo appearance on the show on June 23, Karamo defended his decision to bow out at the last minute and detailed feeling "isolated" during his stint on Queer Eye.
"One of the things that I’ve been teaching people right now is that two things can be true at once,” he said. “Queer Eye was one of the most amazing shows — the impact that it had culturally for 10 years and what we were able to do."
"One of the things I’ll say about my cast, no matter what we were going through, we always made sure that the hero was number one," he added. "But on the flip side, you can also have a bad experience and you can also feel as if you’re not being protected and things are not going well."
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'I Wasn't Coping Well'
Karamo Brown relapsed after 12 years sober.
Karamo revealed in May that he relapsed after 12 years sober from alcohol while filming the Netflix show in 2018.
While he referred to himself as a "weekend coper" and claimed that his addiction never came to set, Karamo admitted that his relapse was fueled by the pressure of Queer Eye.
"The pressure of what I was experiencing and feeling as if like, ‘If I speak up I’m going to lose my job and my livelihood," Karamo said.
"I knew for me that I wasn’t coping well," he added. "It was after a week of feeling isolated, betrayed, hurt, talked to in a certain way, I would then feel like ‘OK, I need a drink.'"
Karamo Brown promoted his new wellness app.
Karamo appeared on the show to promote his new subscription wellness app, Kē, pronounced "key." The app incorporates all of a user's wellness needs into one place.
It features AI and personal fitness coaching, meditation guidance, emotional support session and even dietary advice. The app's subscription costs $14.99 per month.
"It's called the Kē because I want you to unlock your best self, because that's what I did for myself," he explained. "And so I wanted it to be something that was accessible."
