Karamo Brown has confirmed he is dating Jussie Smollett after the two were photographed looking up close in Los Angeles.
The “Queer Eye” alum appeared on Tuesday’s “Reality with the King” podcast and, although she didn’t mention Smollett by name, she did acknowledge that she is dating a famous black man and said she has no intention of embarrassing it publicly.
“I’m dating a celebrity,” Brown said. “We’re not hiding. We’re out there. We’re holding hands everywhere.”
In photos obtained by TMZ, Brown, 45, and Smollett, 44, are seen looking affectionate towards each other as they run errands together on Monday. At one point, the “Empire” actor touched Brown’s chin. The same media reported that the two are dating.
Page Six reached out to Brown and Smollett’s representatives for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
During the podcast, host Carlos King said he was “gagged” when he found out who Brown was dating, but said the couple was “beautiful” and “made sense” to him.
Brown became emotional and said he knows his current partner is The One.
“I’m 100 percent sure. I’ve met people who are comparable,” he said. “And when you find someone that you feel 100 percent safe with, that you feel 100 percent safe with, and that you truly trust, it’s very powerful because that person is an amazing person and you can have it all.”
He added, “You know, it’s special. It’s pretty amazing.”
The former TV presenter said that he and his boyfriend are “deeply in love” but have not yet made their relationship public as they do not want “comments”.
“We are protecting our love because I believe this person will be my husband,” he said. “I believe this person will be my forever person.”
He claimed that the two never quarreled.
“Everything is simple. We just understand each other,” he said. “It’s constant laughter, it’s constant love, it’s just constant everything.”
Brown was spotted by fans on social media supporting Smollett’s performance at Harlem Pride’s “17 Shades of Pride” celebration over the weekend. The “Real World: Philadelphia” star publicly defended Smollett after 50 Cent mocked his performance on Instagram, sharing a clip of it and berating the actor in the caption.
50 Cent wrote, “I said Power was the best, but no, I want to watch Empire.” Now, this is all your fault. lol.
“Power” was a Starz show that was executive produced by the rapper, competing with Fox’s “Empire.”
Brown commented on 50 Cent’s post, saying, “I was at this PRIDE event and Jussie killed it. Fuck you for using one clip from an entire 30 minute show to try to bring someone down!”
Smollett has been seeking a comeback since he was accused in 2019 of orchestrating a hate crime hoax to boost his career. He was convicted in December 2021, but the conviction was overturned in November 2024.
The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the decision after Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx initially dropped all charges before the special prosecutor decided to retry the case, Page Six has confirmed.
The High Court ruled that this choice violated his rights.
