Queer Eye star Karamo Brown has deleted his Twitter account following his controversial comments calling Sean Spicer “a good guy,” and fighting the backlash that ensued.
Before deactivating his account, though, Brown did attempt to explain his reasoning for not immediately writing Spicer off upon his casting on season 28 of Dancing With the Stars, the US version of Strictly Come Dancing, which both are set to compete on.
“I understand how my comments could lead people to believe that I don’t understand the gravity of the situation. The personal is political,” Brown wrote on Twitter, according to Out. “I’m reminded of it daily as a gay man of colour. I know that representation matters — that it can affect change. I see you & I hear you. I’m bringing my personal message of love, equity & inclusion to the dance floor. I want it to eclipse & triumph over divisiveness & hatred.”
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Brown’s Instagram remains active, but comments are off.
Many were outraged over US network ABC’s decision to cast President Donald Trump’s controversial former press secretary, who questioned Spicer’s “star” power, including Grey’s Anatomy’s showrunner Krista Vernoff. In an interview with Access Hollywood, though, Brown expressed a completely different sentiment, much to the shock of fans.
“Sean Spicer and I have been talking. Yeah, like, literally I was most excited to meet him because, like, the thing is, people would look at us and think that we’re polar opposites, but 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. “We have been chatting all day today, like, he’s a good guy, a really sweet guy.”
The backlash for these comments was swift, with Brown reportedly blocking users who criticised him for seemingly playing nice with Spicer.
Queer Eye co-star Bobby Berk defended Brown in a series of now-deleted tweets, blasting ABC instead for making “this beloved show political.” Berk also insisted that Brown was “backed in a corner” during the Access Hollywood interview and did what the guys were media trained to do: to be polite and “not talk smack about anyone” during interviews.
ABC has stood by its decision to cast Spicer, telling BuzzFeed News that it has “a great and diverse cast.”
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