Karamo Brown Skips ‘Today’ & ‘CBS Mornings’ Appearances With ‘Queer Eye’ Cast, Citing ‘Mental and Emotional Abuse’

One member of Queer Eye‘s Fab Five was noticeably missing from the cast’s appearance on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, and also from a separate interview on CBS Mornings.

Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Jonathan van Ness, and Jeremiah Brent sat down with Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones to talk about the Netflix reality series’ 10th and final season on Tuesday, January 20. Karamo Brown did not appear on the show, but sent an explanation for skipping the show.

“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’s been advised by his therapist to protect himself and his peace by not attending,'” Jones shared.

Brown did send along a video message, in which he stated, “Hey, Jenna and Sheinelle! Congratulations on becoming the most amazing duo on daytime TV. 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.”

He continued, “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. That’s why I’m here at home and not there. But continue to watch the show. The crew worked on it and did an amazing job. I want to shout out to the crew. I want to shout out to all the fans. I want to shout out to the executives from Netflix. Thank you for having me for 10 seasons.”

Bush Hager noted that Jenna & Sheinelle reached out to Netflix for comment but did not hear back.

When asked if they were surprised by Brown’s absence, Porowski said, “I think definitely a little surprised, but at the same time, we’re so sorry that he’s not here. We fully support, I think as a collective unit, him taking care of himself. And 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 of the heroes that we helped, and to just really put a spotlight on the incredible heroes we have this season in [Washington] D.C.”

France went on to note that Queer Eye was “never about us,” but rather the people they help. “We got to bring people together in what I think is the most beautiful way, and I think the legacy of the show is such positivity and beauty, and just trying to make this world a better place,” he said. “And I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, so proud.”

France praised Brown’s work on the show, stating that the work all of them have done throughout the show’s run has been “profound.”

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Van Ness also chimed in, telling Bush Hager and Jones, “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 to do, that’s not an easy statement to make, and I’m really proud of him for doing that.”

Jenna & Sheinelle isn’t the only TV appearance Brown skipped on Tuesday, as he also pulled out on the Queer Eye cast’s interview on CBS Mornings. Host Gayle King added that Brown’s assistant said the star was “worried about being bullied.”

In a recent Reddit thread, one Queer Eye fan pointed out that Brown is no longer following Porowski, France, or van Ness on Instagram. As of Tuesday, Brown does follow Brent on the platform, as well as former Queer Eye cohost Bobby Berk.

Queer Eye, Season 10 premiere, Wednesday, January 21, Netflix

Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10a/9c, NBC