After several weeks of getting to know former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer as a contestant on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” Karamo Brown of “Queer Eye” fame says he’s proud to call Spicer a friend.
Speaking with People following his elimination from the show, Brown said he never thought he would ever call Sean Spicer a “friend” but is now pleasantly surprised.
“Sean is literally someone who I would’ve never thought I could be friends with, and I’m going to walk away from here calling him a friend,” said Brown. “I’m going to continue the conversation that we’ve had outside of this. I don’t think Sean’s going to make it to the end [of the competition], but I’m proud of him. I really am proud of him, because he’s had fun every week and I think he’s exceptional.”
Karamo Brown added that he still wants Trump out of office and that he has been “planting seeds” in Sean Spicer’s heart throughout the show’s season.
“Through this process, Sean’s trailer has been next to mine and I have literally every day been planting seeds in his heart,” Brown said. “And literally, I could see each week those seeds … blossoming. I still want Trump out of office, but you know.”
Brown even said that Sean Spicer was “crying” after finding out he was eliminated. “If you can just show kindness to someone else, things can change. That was a clear indication of that. If nothing else, I am proud of that moment right there.”
When news broke that Spicer would be appearing on the hit ABC show, celebrities from Billy Eichner to Zach Braff to Kal Penn largely responded with outrage while demanding that the former press secretary be excluded from the upcoming season. Karamo Brown told “Access Hollywood” that he looked forward to engaging in a dialogue with Spicer, referring to him as a “good guy.”
“I’m a big believer that if you can talk to someone and meet in the middle, you can learn about each other and help each other both grow,” Brown said. “He’s a good guy, really sweet guy.”
Recognizing Spicer’s humanity was just a bridge too far, however, and the leftist trolls immediately began roasting Brown on Twitter. Later, Brown deleted his Twitter account and told his critics that he understands how people might have misinterpreted his comments.
“First, I have no say who is on the cast and didn’t find out till this morning that he is on,” Brown tweeted. “But I’ll tell you this … I’m excited to sit down [with] him and engage in respectful conversations. Only way things get better is if we try to educate those who have different [point of view] than us. But I understand how my comments could lead people to believe that I don’t understand the gravity of the situation. The personal is political. I’m reminded of it daily as a gay man of color. I know that representation matters — that it can affect change. I see you [and] I hear you. I’m bringing my personal message of love, equity, [and] inclusion to the dance floor. I want it to eclipse [and] triumph over divisiveness [and] hatred.”