Karamo Brown on being the ‘Queer Eye’ culture expert and what that really means

Like any supergroup, the Fab 5 of Netflix’s rebooted Queer Eye each have their own specialties. Karamo Brown is the designated culture expert and, well, some people are puzzled by what exactly he does on the show. Now, culture is a broad and somewhat intangible subject, compared to say fashion or design, but Brown will happily defend his domain. He recently spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about the depth of his cultural consultations and what viewers can expect from Season 2.

“A lot of people don’t get it,” Brown said. “They’re like ‘what’s his job?’”

He added, with a hint of frustration, “I’m the guy that does the inside!”

“My background is social work and psychotherapy,” said Brown. “So it’s about while everyone else [on Queer Eye] is fixing the outside, I’m fixing what’s happening [inside].”

The evidence is in abundant supply. In Season 1’s breakout third episode, Brown has a heart-to-heart with their makeover subject Cory, a Trump-supporting cop, about police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. In episode four, he helps a nervous AJ come out to his family. Elsewhere, he repairs broken relationships and reignites romances. Sure, he’s not renovating a room like Bobby Berk, but he’s certainly rebuilding something.