‘Queer Eye’ Culture Guy Karamo Brown Opens Up About His Past Suicide Attempt
Karamo Brown, the culture guy from the Netflix reality makeover show Queer Eye, recently published an Instagram post and a Twitter video providing insight into his 2006 suicide attempt and his advice for anyone who feels suicidal or anyone with suicidal friends. The Karamo Brown suicide posts also shed light on his role in Queer Eye as the Fab 5 member tasked with getting others to open up.
Fans of Queer Eye have heard Brown allude to his mental health struggles in the past, but he has never spoken directly on the show about his suicide attempt.
His original Instagram post featured a raspy gospel singer triumphantly proclaiming in a song, “I made it.” He then mentioned his contemplation of suicide in 2006 and wrote, “But I got mental health support and worked each day to believe again. And here I am happy and healthy. I made it and If you’re going through something you can make it too! Like she’s singing “…said I made it… anybody been through the storm, anybody been through the rain…”
He then posted the number to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255).
Here is the Karamo Brown suicide Instagram post:
The next afternoon, Brown posted a video on Twitter offering more details. In it, he said, “Hey friends, so I decided to shoot a quick little video about the fact that I shared that today in 2006 I did attempt to commit suicide. You know, I was in a very dark place, I just felt like life could not get any better. Everything that was happening to me was never going to change and I tried to take my own life. And if it wasn’t for my best friends Raymond and Tre calling the ambulance, getting me off that couch, I probably would not be here today.”
He continued, “But I want you all to know, that as you see me on Queer Eye helping people with their mental health and you see me on my social media helping people it’s because it’s important to me — not just because I’m trained in this field but because I know so many of us suffer from mental health issues, and we just don’t know where to turn and every day seems darker and darker.”
He concluded, “But I want you to know that things do get better and if you get help and you do the work daily your life can change. I’m living proof of that and if you know someone in your life that’s going through it, reach out to them, you could be their support.”
Here is the Karamo Brown suicide video:
As the Culture Guy, Brown has said, “I am more the one who is fixing the inside while the other guys are fixing the exterior.”
He revealed that the teary scenes he shares with people on the show are often the result of three-hour conversations where he’s “chipping away at them” to get them to accept themselves as they are.
Things have undoubtedly improved for Brown of late as he proposed to his longtime boyfriend Ian Jordan in May.
