Queue And A

Karamo Brown Takes His ‘Queer Eye’ Role to New Heights in Season 5

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Queer Eye (2018)

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Now two and a half years into its run on Netflix, Queer Eye has become a therapeutic ritual for its millions of fans. The arrival of a new season is always met with open arms by an audience that gets a lot more than just entertainment out of this more-than-a-makeover show. Since it’s reintroduction as a progressive, oftentimes unflinching look at the very real struggles faced by very real people, the new Queer Eye has been on the frontlines of a rapidly-evolving cultural conversation. The show once known for bringing pizzazz into the life of one hapless straight schlub has become so much more than that, showing that truly everyone is welcome at this party and that even members of the Fab Five can do some learning and growing, too.

The biggest glow-up from the show’s Bravo roots to today has to be the role of culture expert. Originally tasked with buying Broadway tickets back in the day, reality TV trailblazer Karamo Brown has taken the gig to new heights and depths. While the other four members of the Fab Five work on a hero’s outside, it’s up to Brown to address all the problems on the inside. Part therapist and part social worker, it’s up to Brown to make sure that the episode’s subject does the hard internal work that will make their external transformation stick—and yeah, sometimes that still involves a dance lesson.

Ahead of Season 5’s arrival on Netflix, Decider spoke with Queer Eye’s culture expert Karamo Brown about how his role’s evolved over the seasons, the twerking abilities of his co-hosts, and how viewers can let Queer Eye inspire them to make real change in the world.


Decider: We’re now in Season 5 of Queer Eye, and it’s dropping during a really tumultuous time. What’s the role of the show in 2020? What do you hope viewers get out of it?

Karamo Brown: I think there’s always a need for shows like Queer Eye, that are kind and positive and show love and vulnerability. I don’t think, by any means, that at this moment in our time, that Queer Eye‘s going to affect that one way or another. Because the pandemic? If it was just the pandemic going on, [Season 5] would have been good stuff just to binge. But now that we’re in an international movement to support the lives of Black people—this is something we’ve been begging for and asking for forever. We have always highlighted the excellence of Black people on Queer Eye. [Season 5] is just a time for people who need to take a little mental break to maybe watch some TV, but let’s be real: Queer Eye can’t change racism. But we can show people how to check in with themselves and love themselves a little bit more.

Queer Eye Season 5 really does showcase Black excellence, and in particular it showcases a lot of people that are involved in their communities and trying to be a one-person Fab Five in their own sphere of influence. They’re people that are already trying to make change happen. Is that something the show has in mind when you were looking for heroes?

We have a beautiful casting department that’s the one that cast[s the show]. They are literally—they win Emmys for this. They did such a great job finding unique stories that are helpful and great, and I think it just worked out this season where you saw a lot more people that were really trying to work in their communities, love their communities, and do things. We’ve seen it before in other [seasons], like Mama Tammye—she worked in her community. We’ve seen it, but I think this season highlights it.

Queer Eye Season 5 Karamo and Tyreek
Ryan Collerd/Netflix

And I think it’s great, because people need to understand that what they see the five of us doing—yes, we’re experts in our field. Yes, we know what we’re doing as hosts, but what makes this impactful is that what we’re doing, showing kindness and asking people if they need help and giving what we have to offer, anybody can do in their own communities. You could do it right now with your family members. You don’t need Fab Five to come in. You sit there, you see an uncle struggling to make his life work and to help the community—some of y’all can gather round. That is where the parallel happens, with what we’re seeing right now in these protests, is people are saying, “Oh! If we all band together, we can make tomorrow better!” That’s the power of the Fab Five. We’re just like, we’re going to band together to make tomorrow better for some person. It’s the Captain Planet motto. It works every time.

There’s also another running theme in this season, where you repair and reunite fractured families and relationships. How did your role expand to encompass that, and what is your mindset when you’re navigating those moments?

I’m glad you saw that. I think out of 10 episodes, there are five of them where I’m doing reparative work with people. The reason being, to be very honest with you, is that usually our show was all about focusing on the one person. But because of the success of Season 4, of an episode where I was able to unite a man in a wheelchair with the man who shot him. The producers and the network felt very encouraged. They saw my skills and they were like, “Oh! Karamo can actually do more!” So they allowed me to then say—[the episodes] didn’t just need to be this one person—they allowed me to say, “I want to bring these people together. Because really, the changes aren’t going to happen until people sit eye-to-eye.”

QUEER EYE (L to R) ANTONI POROWSKI, JONATHAN VAN NESS, KARAMO BROWN, RAHANNA GRAY, TAN FRANCE and BOBBY BERK in episode 502
Ryan Collerd/Netflix

That’s true for Marcos, where him and his daughter weren’t seeing eye-to-eye and talking; to Rahanna, where her business was messing up because she lost trust in herself. Part of her losing trust in herself was that the man she loved cheated on her. So to bring them together was able to help her to rebuild that trust in herself. I’m really proud of that, because the show is allowing me to grow. It’s allowing all of us to grow. It really helps people to see how to really have better interpersonal relationships in their lives.

Your role can be so serious at times; were there any lighthearted moments that stuck out to you while you were in Philadelphia?

Oh my gosh, I wish there was a season, or just one episode—I’ve been begging for this since Season 1—I just wish they would do one episode dedicated to how we are in the car and when we’re together, the five of us. Because we are the goofiest, silliest grown people you have seen in your life. And I don’t know what it is, because in my other friendship groups, I am not as goofy as I am when I get around these four other yahoos. There is just—I mean, I twerk so much on that show! And in normal life, I don’t twerk. But when I get around the guys, I get so happy that I start [twerking]. It’s like when your dog sees you and they start wagging their tail way too much. It’s that feeling, when I’m with the Fab Five. I just start wagging my tail. And I’m like, “Oh! It’s because I’m happy.” So I just wish people could see some of these moments. You get to see some of them, but you know. I wish they’d get to see more.

QUEER EYE season 5 in Philly : ANTONI POROWSKI, TAN FRANCE, KARAMO BROWN, BOBBY BERK, and JONATHAN VAN NESS
Photo: Netflix

Who is the second-best twerker in the Fab Five, if you’re the best?

I am. This isn’t even a joke, I am 100% the best twerker and dancer on the show. But number two would definitely be Jonathan Van Ness. Jonathan can twerk, he can dance, he can move. And then I would say, we’re coming in a strong Bobby at number three. And then Tan, maybe, for number four —questionable some days. And our poor Antoni—thank god he has those cheekbones, because the baby can’t dance worth a lick.

This season is also your big return to Philadelphia. You got your start on reality TV way back when on The Real World: Philadelphia. What was it like going back to the city of Brotherly Love?

Oh my gosh. Completely different experience. When I was on The Real World, I was known as “Crazy Karamo” because I would cuss people out and just spurt out my feelings. And now here I am back and telling people to calm down and check in with their emotions. And it’s 15 years exactly, to the month we moved back. And the funny part is our loft where we shoot was a one minute walk from the Real World house. So I would have to pass the Real World house every day to walk to our Queer Eye loft. And it just went to show people, like, you can go from an angsty 23-year-old who’s not making the right choices to being an adult if you focus on yourself. It’s a really amazing moment.

I was telling somebody, like, there was a moment where we were helping somebody in South Philly, and I used to go to the Block Party on The Real World in South Philly and I’m throwing up, cussing someone out. And now I’m back, literally a block away again, where I’m helping this man rebuild his gym and have a better life. I’m like, Jesus, what 15 years can do if you actually try to work on yourself and actually try to focus on what needs to happen. Because if you’d have asked 23-year-old me if I would have been able to do that? I would have been like, “Get out of here. You’re a psychopath.” And here we are.

And speaking of that gym owner, Nate—what was it like telling that huge man how to get his life into shape? That therapy session with him was intense, physically!

I will tell you, out of all of Queer Eye, Nate was the most challenging for me and I would probably say the most challenging for all the guys. I want to say that he’s in the top two of the most challenging people we’ve ever had. Nate is the first person that I’ve ever asked, “Will you tell me about what you’re feeling?” And he literally said to me, “No.” I was like, “You do know what this show’s about, right? I’m here to get you to face what you’re feeling, emotionally and mentally.” And he was like, “Nope. I’m okay.” It took me about 10 minutes for him to start talking.

QUEER EYE (L to R) KARAMO BROWN and NATE MCINTYRE in episode 510
Courtesy of Netflix

I remember when Jonathan wanted him to take off his hat in the edited scene, it’s like, “Oh my god, he finally took off the hat!” Jonathan was like, “I gotta see your hair.” He was very resistant to change and to opening up. So his metaphor came out of the fact that he was so resistant. I was like, well, I have to speak his language, and his language is gym equipment. So I’m about to pile gym equipment on him, make him work out, and use what he uses on other people so that he can see that he needs to open up and be more vulnerable and change. That was something where I had to be a little bit more creative. Sometimes you’ve just got to use the same language people talk to help them. But he was the hardest person for us all to help.

Looking ahead to Season 6, y’all were filming in Austin for roughly a week before everything shut down due to COVID-19. Is there a timetable for getting back to Season 6?

No. We’re kind of at the same place where everyone else is. We shot one full episode. The network has been very clear that when it’s safe for crew and for us and for everyone, that we will resume. So that feels really good to know. We were all kind of like, does this mean the end of our show? And it doesn’t. They were very clear, saying, “No. We want to continue on. We love the work you’re doing.” So once we get the okay that everyone’s safe—especially for our show.

Queer Eye cast in Texas
Photo: Netflix/Ilana Panich-Linsman

Our show’s all about embracing being in close company. Corona’s main thing is like, stay away. Don’t touch. Don’t come near me. Corona is literally the anti-Queer Eye. You know in Superman, there’s the Bizarro World? Corona is our Bizarro World, because we can’t touch, we can’t do anything. We’re just waiting until things get back to a safe place for all of us to go back.

Right now, people are at home watching Queer Eye and dealing with the state of the world. Do you have any words or advice for fans of the show, how they can help out during this moment?

What I would say to people is, if you’re Black, you have been traumatized over and over again for all your life. You’ve been seeing images of people in your own community dying. We’re seeing it on social media over and over again. It’s important for you to slow down and take account of your mental health. Because the post traumatic stress disorder you’re going to encounter, or PTSD you’re going to experience from this is real. So you have to check in with your emotions, because it’s not natural for anyone to see this type of hurt and brutality. So that’s the biggest thing I’d say to Black folks.

And to people who are outside of the Black community, I would say this is your time to have a conversation with that uncle that you know is not racist but says some problematic-ass stuff every once in a while. We all kind of say, “Oh, he’s a Trump supporter.” It’s time for you to find the courage and find the support with other people in your family who have your views that equality is important, and challenge those people. It’s time for you to step up.

In my household, I’m a Black man, I’m raising my two Black sons, and my fiancé is white. I wake up and I check in with myself, I check in with my kids, I check in with Black people to see, like, where are you? And I say to him, “Hey. You know that one coworker you have, that we both know supported Trump? Today’s the day that you actually call them and say, let’s have a respectful conversation.” And that’s where change happens. You don’t have to do some grand gesture. You changing the heart and mind of one person that’s in your life, and having a conversation to help them see your point of view, and talking to them about things they would never listen to me about—that’s what I would encourage people to do. That’s the tip I want. I want you to talk to your auntie. Talk to your uncle. Talk to your mom. Talk to your dad. Whoever that person is, that just has some prejudiced views in there, I’m not calling racist, some shit just ain’t right—talk to that person for me. And that will make me happy.

Queer Eye Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.

Stream Queer Eye on Netflix