Jussie Smollett and former Queer Eye star Karamo Brown are reportedly dating after TMZ spotted the two on an outing in Los Angeles.
The entertainers spent Monday (June 29) exploring the city, including a hike at Runyon Canyon, running errands and going to lunch with Brown's mother.
The outing comes less than a month after the former Empire star ended his engagement to actor Jabari Redd, who he met on the set of his self-directed 2024 film The Lost Holliday. Smollett proposed to Redd last June.
The new couple comes with a bit of history. In 2018, Smollett presented Brown with the HRC Visibility Award at the 21st Annual HRC Houston Gala, calling him "My dear friend, my brother, my comrade." At the time, Brown was in a relationship with his longtime partner Ian Jordan, who Smollett shouted out in the speech. Also in the opening remarks, Smollett shared that Brown would help him tape auditions, as the two lived in the same Sherman Oaks neighborhood.
“Hold your friends closely and help your friends,” the actor said.
Earlier this month, Brown shared why he left Queer Eye after 10 seasons, alleging that the cast gossiped about him. The media personality told People that him being isolated “does not fly in a professional environment” and that the behavior “impacted [him] negatively, consistently.”
