Karamo Brown, Queer Eye's
culture guy, says he didn't speak to his father for 10 years after he
told him he was gay.
Brown, 38, said that his performance on
Monday's episode of Dancing with the Stars was in honor of his
father.
“Last week's performance was in
tribute to my sons got me crying,” he told pro partner Jenna
Johnson during rehearsals. “It brought up a lot of emotions in me
and what it is like to be a father and then also my relationship with
my father.”
Brown, a father of two, explained that
his coming out “ended” his relationship with his father.
“Growing up, my father was my hero.
He called me his champion son. But then, as I started to discover who
I am, things changed dramatically. When I was 17 going on 18, I told
him that I was gay. Our relationship ended. It split the family and
we didn't speak for 10 years.”
Brown said that he prayed the
relationship would be mended. One day, he said, his father reached
out to him and apologized.
“And we really just started to
reconcile our relationship,” he said.
Brown's Jamaican father was in the
audience on Monday. The men hugged on the dance floor after Brown and
Johnson completed their routine.