Queer Eye cast speak out on Karamo’s claims that he’s felt ‘mentally and emotionally abused’
He withdrew from a joint interview over fears of being 'bullied' by his co-stars
The new season of Queer Eye is out today, but there’s already a huge batch of fresh drama after Karamo Brown admitted he withdraw from a cast interview after feeling “mentally and emotionally abused for years.”
And his co-stars have now broken their silence on his statement, after Karamo sent a video message whilst they were doing a live interview. Karamo’s assistant said at the time that he’d decided to withdraw from the interview over fears of “being bullied.”
Karamo personally saying in the video that he’s “has felt mentally and emotionally abused for years,” and was advised by his therapist “to protect himself and his peace by not attending.”
He continued: “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. That’s why I’m here at home and not there.”
Despite his clear drama with the rest of his cast members, he encouraged viewers to still watch the new season, adding: “The crew worked on it and did an amazing job. I want to shout out to the crew. I want to shout out to the fans. I want to shout out to the executives at Netflix.”
And wildly, the rest of the Queer Eye hosts had no choice but to react live to the comments and claims of Karamo Brown.
Antoni commented: “I think, definitely a little surprised, but at the same time, look, we’re so sorry that he’s not here.
“We fully support, I think as a collective unit, him taking care of himself and I think to echo what he’s saying, we’re here to honor the legacy of a decade, which is so wild to think about and all the heroes we’ve helped. And to just really put a spotlight on the incredible heroes we have this season in D.C.”
Tan France added that Queer Eye “was never about us” and is “so proud” of the work everyone has done on the show.
Jonathan Van Ness commented: “It is so difficult — I think both of you can identify — when you’re on a show and you’re just relentlessly working, it is so difficult to center what you need and how to take care of yourself.
“And he’s been teaching people how to take care of themselves on Queer Eye for almost 10 years. And I’m actually so proud of him for centering what he needs to do and taking care of himself.
“It’s not easy and that’s not an easy statement to make and I’m really proud of him for doing that. Obviously, we wish that he was here, but I am really proud of him for doing what he needs to do for what’s best for himself.”
Reality Shrine has reached out to Netflix for comment.
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