Watch out for those hot mics!

It’s being reported that an off-camera incident involving a hot mic has set off a public rift among members of the “Queer Eye” cast. Karamo Brown’s mother allegedly overheard disparaging remarks about her son from fellow cast members, and Brown subsequently distanced himself from several colleagues.

TMZ first published details that the exchange happened while the team filmed Season 10 in Washington, D.C., and that Brown’s mother, Charmaine, was on a set visit and overheard comments through headphones. 

Reportedly, the overheard remarks allegedly came from longtime cast members Antoni Porowski, Tan France, and Jonathan Van Ness. The fifth cast member, Jeremiah Brent, was not listed as part of the cast caught on the hot mics. The remarks were unmistakably negative and included critiques of certain lifestyle choices Brown makes. 

After learning what was said, Brown severed ties with the three (Brown is reportedly still friends with Brent) and limited his public-promotional appearances with them, most notably skipping a joint appearance on CBS Mornings where host Gayle King read a statement about his well-being. “I hope everyone remembers the main theme I have tried to teach them over the past decade,” King read from the statement. “Which is to focus on and to protect their mental health/peace from people or a world who seek to destroy it; which is why I can’t be there today.”

“Queer Eye” is in its tenth (and reportedly final) season, and the Fab Five’s chemistry has been a major part of the show’s appeal. Insiders told reporters the incident — said to have occurred last summer — only became public recently as the cast navigated promotional schedules. Responses from the parties involved have been limited. Porowski acknowledged the tension in public comments, saying the group’s history is that of a “complicated family,” while Brown emphasized the emotional impact and his desire to protect his mental health.