Jussie Smollett sparks romance rumors with this 'Queer Eye' star

Edward Segarra, USA TODAYWed, July 1, 2026 at 9:01 PM UTC

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Karamo Brown is going from Mr. Culture to Mr. Romance.

The TV personality and "Queer Eye" star, 45, opened up about his love life in a new interview with podcaster Carlos King, released Tuesday, June 30.

"I could get emotional. I've met my equal," Brown told King, although he did not reveal the identity of his partner. King noted that Brown's significant other is a fellow celebrity.

"It's powerful when you meet someone who you feel 100 percent safe with, you feel 100 percent secure with, who you can just trust with your heart," Brown continued. "Because you know they are just a great human being, and they get everything. It's special. It's pretty amazing."

Brown's remarks come amid recent reports that the reality TV star is dating actor and former "Empire" star Jussie Smollett. The pair was spotted hanging out together in Los Angeles on June 29, according to photos shared by TMZ.

USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Brown and Smollett for comment.

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Brown was previously engaged to director Ian Jordan, whom he separated from in 2020. He then dated photographer Carlos Medel from 2021 to 2025. Smollett, 44, revealed his engagement to boyfriend Jabari Redd last June, but the couple later reportedly broke up.

Although Brown and his new beau are "deep in love," the "Queer Eye" alum said he is prioritizing the couple's privacy.

"[That's the reason] why we are not public yet because we don't want comments," Brown said. "We are protecting the love we have because I do believe this is going to be my husband. I believe this is going to be my forever person. I feel it every single day."

He added: "We just get each other. It's constant laughter. It's constant love."

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Karamo Brown's rumored boyfriend Jussie Smollett previously accused of staging hate crime

Brown's rumored boyfriend Smollett has had his fair share of legal troubles in recent years.

The Emmy-nominated actor claimed in January 2019 that he was attacked in Chicago by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, tied a rope around his neck and said, "This is MAGA country," a reference to President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.

Smollett was later charged after police alleged he staged the attack on himself with the help of two brothers he hired, but the charges were dropped weeks later. At the time, Cook County State Attorney Kimberly Foxx's office said the actor agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond to the City of Chicago and perform community service.

The decision to drop the charges against Smollett sparked criticism, with then-outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel saying at the time: "This is a whitewash of justice." By August 2019, a special prosecutor was named to examine the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of charges.

The following year, a grand jury indicted Smollett on new charges "related to his false claims that he was the victim of a hate crime, knowing that he was not the victim of a crime," said special prosecutor Dan Webb, who argued further prosecution was "in the interest of justice." Smollett was found guilty in 2021 on five counts of disorderly conduct.

Smollett maintained the hate crime was real and pushed for his conviction to be thrown out on the basis of double jeopardy. He argued he should not have been permitted to be charged again because the case was resolved in 2019 when he reached his agreement with the state of Illinois.

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After Smollett was convicted on the new charges, he was sentenced in 2022 to 150 days in jail. He was ultimately released from custody after six days, pending his appeal.

In November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's conviction, saying the actor should not have been charged for the same incident a second time after his original charges were dropped.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karamo Brown talks love life amid Jussie Smollett romance rumors

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