Following his elimination from ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” on Monday, “Queer Eye” star Karamo Brown spoke with People Magazine about his unusual friendship with former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Brown said that during the season, his and Spicer’s trailers were side-by-side, and he was able to engage with Spicer as a person, “planting seeds in his heart.”
And literally, I could see each week those seeds … blossoming, and that’s why he got emotional [when I was sent home]…
He got emotional because he’s realizing that I’m … a human being. And if I can touch his heart, I’m about to go through and make a tour of Washington! I still want Trump out of office, but you know … that was the goal.
Brown added:
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. I’m going to continue the conversation that we’ve had outside of this. And 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 and @seanspicer hug it out after Karamo’s #DWTS elimination: “This is America uniting.” https://t.co/3tMjuCvTp5 pic.twitter.com/Cz2o74oOEo
— ExtraTV (@extratv) October 29, 2019
Brown had previously been the target of derision when he didn’t denounce Spicer at the outset of the season, but instead reached out to the former press secretary.
“I started this show with people telling me, ‘You’re horrible, you’re crazy, you’re stupid,’ because I showed someone who has a different political view than mine kindness,” Brown told People.
On Tuesday, PeopleTV’s Dave Quinn asked Brown about the “backlash” he faced after showing kindness toward Spicer back in August.
Brown replied:
It was hurtful because [the] majority of the backlash that I was getting was from people who were on the same political side as me. I was like, “We’re on the same side here. It’s not like I’m some secret Republican, you know? I’m on your side.” I don’t respect how our president is currently running our country, and I believe that he’s spreading a lot of hate and not love, which goes directly against what I stand for. And so it was hard that they couldn’t see, but I understood – let me be very clear about that.
Brown continued, further clarifying his position: “You have a man who stands on a podium and who has constantly said lies so America, but for me, I thought to myself, ‘If I can be nice to him [and] lead with love, then maybe we can get to a place where I can change his heart…”
Brown concluded in part by noting that perhaps he has changed Spicer’s mindset.
For his comments, Brown is once again being criticized.
While there were some positive reactions on Twitter, many commenters were less than enthused by Brown’s willingness to engage with Spicer:
Lol I love when two rich people understand each other y’all!
— Alvaro (@Alvaro39) October 30, 2019
so done with #karamo. Hoping someone in the @QueerEye gang sets him straight on this BS. pic.twitter.com/5f5Xdwtm10
— chadlybrown (@chadlybrown) October 30, 2019
— argnarb tl40 (@argnarb) October 30, 2019
Derrick Clifton of Out, an LGBTQ publication, slammed the “Queer Eye” star in a Tuesday piece, noting that “as of Monday night’s Dancing With The Stars elimination, Spicer still has yet to publicly apologize for his role in the administration’s harm towards LGBTQ+ people.”
Pink News also castigated Brown, publishing a piece titled: “We regret to inform you Karamo Brown is at it again, this time saying he’s ‘proud’ of his ‘friend’ Sean Spicer.”
According to People, Spicer praised Brown following his elimination.
“It just speaks to what a great person he is, that he’s trying to bridge divides,” he said. “I think that it’s been great getting to know him, getting to discuss things with him.”