Before the birthday tribute, Karamo Brown called his unnamed partner his ‘forever person’ — and revealed why he sees marriage in their future.
ByBernadette Giacomazzo
November 3, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Jussie Smollett made his relationship with Karamo Brown Instagram official with birthday photos and the message, “Happy birthday my love.”
- The pair first sparked dating headlines in June, when Brown described his unnamed celebrity partner as his “forever person” and said he saw marriage in their future.
- Their friendship dates back years: Smollett presented Brown with an HRC Visibility Award in 2018, and Brown helped his then-neighbor record auditions.
Jussie Smollett is making it Instagram official with Karamo Brown. The former Empire star celebrated the Queer Eye alum’s birthday on Monday, November 2, with a series of photos of the two together, putting his own stamp on a romance that had already generated headlines earlier this year.
“It’s international @Karamo day! Happy birthday my love,” Smollett wrote alongside the photos, which included a close-up of the couple posing together. He followed that up with “Grown a$$ K&J #Mine,” leaving little room for interpretation.
The birthday tribute comes four months after Jussie Smollett and Karamo Brown first made headlines as a couple. In June, TMZ published photos of the pair spending a day together in Los Angeles, where they grabbed lunch with Brown’s mother, ran errands, and hiked Runyon Canyon.
The outing included plenty of public affection, with Smollett photographed touching Brown’s chin.
Brown had already hinted that things were getting serious during a June 30 appearance on Carlos King’s Reality With the King podcast. Although he didn’t name Smollett, he confirmed he was dating another celebrity and wasn’t interested in keeping the relationship a secret.
“It’s not like we’re hiding it,” Brown explained. “We go out. We hold hands everywhere.”
He also described his partner as his “forever person” and said he believed their relationship would lead to marriage.
The romance followed Smollett’s split from actor Jabari Redd, whom he dated for nearly three years. The former couple, who worked together on Smollett’s 2024 film The Lost Holliday, ended their engagement by June
Brown previously had a lengthy relationship with Ian Jordan, and their engagement ended in 2020.
Interestingly, Smollett and Brown’s history stretches back well before their romance. In 2018, Smollett presented Brown with the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award in Houston, describing him as “my dear friend, my brother, my comrade.” The two were neighbors in Sherman Oaks at the time, with Brown even helping Smollett record auditions.
Brown also publicly supported Smollett at Harlem Pride this summer, introducing him before his performance.
