Queer Eye star Karamo Brown opened up about a life-changing event on his self-titled daytime talk show.
On October 27, the 41-year-old host revealed that he almost lost his son, Jason Brown, to a horrifying drug overdose two years ago. It’s the first time Karamo has spoken about the incident publicly. He shared a clip of the show on Instagram.
He recounted Jason’s overdose: “I don’t know if you ever experienced addiction in your own lives or with family members. But when you find out what’s going on or when you realize it’s been happening– and you didn’t realize it.”
“But when you realize that you may lose someone, it just kills you on the inside,” Karamo said through tears. “And I was terrified that I was about to lose my son.”
Jason quietly wept from backstage as he watched his father get emotional while telling the story.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was in shock,” Karamo continued. “And I sprang into Dad mode and tried to figure out how to get him help.”
The loving dad also told the audience that he didn’t take Jason to the hospital immediately following the overdose because he “didn’t know what to do.”
Karamo also spoke about why he felt so “vulnerable,” sharing the story. Referencing his training, he explained that it was easy to lose it when an incident hit home.
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His followers offered support and encouragement after Karamo posted the harrowing tale.
One fan wrote about his vulnerability, “But this is what makes you special and why people are drawn to you, your honesty and vulnerability. You aren’t just talking the talk, but your life experiences are your essence.❤️❤️”
“Totally understand [you] how feel. We don’t know what to do. Ugh, I lost my sister to her drug addiction. I wish I knew more on what to do. [It] haunts me every day that I didn’t do more,” someone else wrote.
Another fan shared, “It’s always hard for those of us to practice what we preach when we’re not the 3rd party. I’m a nurse, and it’s totally happened to me. It’s because you’re not thinking like the professional, you’re thinking like the loved one, and the training disappears. I’m sorry this happened to you. You are not alone ❤.”
The Karamo show hit the air in September. According to Screen Rant, the announcement of his “lifelong dream” of having a talk show came to fruition in April. Karamo still got to keep his gig with Queer Eye on Netflix to sweeten the deal.
The daytime talk show tackles infidelity, race, parenting, and intricate family dynamics.