The Alleged Trigger Of Karamo Brown's 'Queer Eye' Drama Revealed

There may be no comeback from this for Karamo Brown's co-stars!

New details have surfaced concerning what was said about the media personality behind his back that led to their nasty fallout and Brown's absence on the media promo for the new season of "Queer Eye."

Karamo Brown sparked intense speculations when he unfollowed all his co-stars on Instagram and left out interior designer Jeremiah Brent.

What Karamo Brown's Mother Allegedly Heard That Started The Drama

A source close to the set on the day Brown's mom came visiting revealed that he did not just detach from the group one morning; it was actually due to the messy details his mom overheard while the headsets were plugged in. 

According to the source, "When it comes to what Karamo's mom heard, it was very petty." His co-stars, including Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jeremiah Brent, and Jonathan Van Ness, reportedly spoke negatively about the media personality, ranging from how he looked to how he dressed.

The conversation then escalated into complaining about what he tells people on the show, and Brown's mother did not hesitate to tell him everything she heard, especially following concerns from him about such a situation in the past.

"Since he is the life coach, that's obviously not something that anyone wants to hear – that they aren't doing a good job. It's especially hard when it's coming from your so-called friends," the source explained.

As shared by The Daily Mail, the source emphasized that once Brown's intuition about how his co-stars felt about him was confirmed, things turned very sour from there.

The Television Personality's Reason For The Press Tour Absence

The Blast earlier shared that Brown explained his decision to drop out of the press rounds for the show during their appearance on "CBS Mornings," where the anchor, Gayle King, delivered a statement from him to the rest of the squad.

While the statement blindsided his co-stars, Brown emphasized in the content that he was absent in a bid to protect his peace and mental health, just the way he has taught everyone on the show in recent years.

Brown expressed his concerns about being bullied as he spent a considerable amount of years experiencing mental and emotional abuse, and anything that would remind him of that was not healthy for him. 

The TV star's pals gave different reactions to the development, including comments from Van Ness and Porowski praising him for taking care of himself and his mental health. France stressed that the show focused more on the heroes they often tried to portray more than their drama as hosts.

Karamo Brown's Reality Career Started On A Shaky Note

Brown is not a newbie on the reality TV scene because, as shared by PEOPLE, two decades ago, he was cast as part of the legendary MTV cast for "The Real World" in 2004. 

The 45-year-old was a social worker at the time, and he made history as one of the first openly gay, Black men on reality TV. In 2024, he celebrated two decades of debuting on "The Real World: Philadelphia" on Instagram by sharing a series of clips from the show. Brown wrote in the caption:

"Today, 20 years ago… 23-year-old lil Karamo was cast on #MTVRealWorld. Damn, I've been in this game for a minute. Feeling misunderstood & alone on this show is what led me into the career I have today, helping others!"

Brown also reminisced about the moment he came out on the show and how pivotal it would be to see an African-American who is openly gay and loves being black on the show. The star also recalled his straight roommates being completely ignorant of the fact that he was gay until the moment he came out to them.

He touched on another emotional moment in his life where he was wrongly approached by the police for owning a gun in a nightclub, which was far from the truth. Brown declared:

"I was upset, but what made me more upset was that these two white men, whom I consider my friends, kept telling me that I was overreacting."

'Queer Eye' Star Jonathan Van Ness Opened Up About Their Past Struggle With Addiction

Brown's co-star, Van Ness, came clean about their experiences as a young adult in their memoir "Over the Top." The media personality shared that they dealt with the "nauseating excitement" and shame for years. According to Mamamia, to cope, they resorted to cultivating an unhealthy relationship with food and drug usage.

At age 19, Van Ness had dropped out of college and settled for life of cocaine addiction, very much in silence. When they moved back home, the star tried to pick up the pieces by enrolling at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis to become a hairstylist.

In their early 20s, amid a move to Los Angeles, they got addicted to methamphetamine, and it was worsened by their stepfather's cancer diagnosis and eventual death in 2012. In their words:

"Watching my stepdad lose his battle to cancer and dying in our living room in hospice care at 25 years old, that f-cked me right on up."

Their two trips to rehab did little to resolve their problem until an HIV diagnosis, which made them socially conscious, and with the success of "Queer Eye," the star realized they could do more to help society.

The 'Queer Eye' Stars' Networth

The cast will no longer be shown on television after the end of the 10th season, but not without the five-member cast making a killing from the show, through book deals, hosting gigs, and owning several businesses.

Brown had informed sources in 2018 that Netflix was making up for their participation in the financial department. As stated by Cosmopolitan, Porowski comes in at fifth position on the list with a net worth of $8 million from publishing two cookbooks and featuring in two Nat Geo docuseries.

Porowski ties with France and Van Ness with the same $8 million, spanning from hosting gigs to a comedy tour, memoir, an essay collection, a podcast, and a Netflix series titled "Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness" and a haircare brand, JVN Hair.

Brown is second on the list with a whopping $9 million thanks to hosting a self-titled talk show on NBC, authoring a book, and co-founding a skincare and grooming brand, MANTL. An honorary mention is Booby Berk, who left the show with a $10 million net worth.

Brent takes the trophy with an $18 million net worth (which is combined with his husband, Nate Berkus net worth from their time hosting TLC's Nate & Jeremiah by Designand HGTV's Nate & Jeremiah: Save My House before appearing on" Queer Eye."