Queer Eye's Karamo Brown Met With Karen Pence's Team

One of Brown's Queer Eye castmembers critiqued him for meeting with staffmembers of the antigay Second Lady.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

June 19 2018 10:05 AM EST

June 19 2018 12:52 PM EST

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Queer Eye's breakout star Karamo Brown -- along with other Hollywood actors and personalities -- met with White House officials recently to discuss the importance of arts funding, and one of his meetings was with the Second Lady's chief of staff.

Brown discussed the late April meeting in positive terms, according to a Vulture video featuring the Queer Eye cast. Brown said he not only lobbied for arts funding with Karen Pence's chief of staff, Jana Toner, but for LGBT issues.

In the Vulture clip, Queer Eye castmember Jonathan Van Ness appeared disturbed by the meeting. Van Ness repeatedly interrupted Brown to criticize the Pences. At one point, Van Ness said to Brown, "She doesn't like you girl. She don't like us."

Pence is the wife of the notoriously antigay vice president Mike Pence, who believes same-sex marriage will lead to "societal collapse" and, as Indiana governor, signed an anti-LGBT "religious freedom" bill into law (later amended after public outcry). Karen Pence is the "force" behind many of her husband's homophobic and transphobic policies, according to The Washington Post.

Brown also recorded an Instagram video about his meeting with Karen Pence's office, saying it was important to speak to Democrats and Republicans about the importance of arts funding.