Brown's Surgery Ordeal
Queer Eye's Karamo Brown Details Years of Chronic Pain From Botched Surgery
Key Points
Brown said he stayed quiet for years about the procedure because “I can’t say anything because you can’t get into fights with the trolls,” despite suffering in pain that others assumed was just cosmetic work.
He described the toll of filming in 2022 by saying, “I would shoot six episodes a day,” and that during filming his mouth would get “so dry” and “so swollen.”
To cope with the visible effects of the scar tissue and saliva buildup, Brown said he “stopped eating because it helped the feeling of not having so much scar tissue,” even though the underlying issue remained.
His NBC daytime talk show, The Karamo Show, was later canceled “after four seasons” (with cancellation reported as happening in March), occurring while he was managing the ongoing complications.
One explainer in the coverage noted what the elective surgery is typically meant to do: a buccal fat removal is performed “to reduce prominent cheeks and thin them out,” creating a more accentuated cheekbone appearance (as described by Mia Aesthetics in the article).
Karamo Brown has revealed that a 2021 buccal fat removal procedure left him in years of chronic pain — and he suffered in silence while filming a daily talk show and fielding public speculation about his looks. The *Queer Eye* star told People he finally underwent corrective surgery in May 2026 to fix the damage.
Brown said the original procedure went wrong almost immediately. Scar tissue formed and blocked saliva from draining in his cheeks, causing severe swelling and tightness. He kept quiet for years, telling People, "I was suffering for years in pain and no one knew."
COVID Weight Gain and Online Pressure Drove the Decision
Brown gained about 70 pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said online comments about his appearance pushed him toward surgery. The procedure — a buccal fat removal — is designed to slim the lower cheeks and create a sharper cheekbone look, according to The Grio, which cited Mia Aesthetics. Brown described it as a quick, 10-minute operation he hoped would silence his critics.
Instead, the surgery created new problems. Scar tissue hardened inside his cheeks. It blocked his salivary ducts — the small channels that carry saliva through the face. Saliva pooled in his cheeks. His face swelled and felt tight, especially when he smiled, The Blast reported.
Six Episodes a Day While His Mouth Swelled and Dried Out
Brown's NBC daytime talk show, *The Karamo Show*, premiered in September 2022. He was already deep into his complications by then. "I would shoot six episodes a day," he said, per Us Weekly. During those long filming days, his mouth would get "so dry" and "so swollen" that getting through shoots was a serious struggle.
He said he stayed quiet because fighting back publicly felt impossible. "I can't say anything because you can't get into fights with the trolls," Brown told People. Fans and commenters assumed any change in his appearance was purely cosmetic work — not the result of an ongoing medical problem that caused him daily pain.
He Stopped Eating to Hide What the Surgery Had Done
To cope with the visible swelling, Brown lost the same 70 pounds he had gained during the pandemic. A thinner face made the scarring less obvious to the public. But he told The Blast he "stopped eating because it helped the feeling of not having so much scar tissue." The weight loss masked the symptoms — it did not fix them.
*The Karamo Show* was canceled in March 2026 after four seasons, according to Daily Mail. Brown had been managing the complications throughout the show's entire run. Medical experts note that buccal fat removal carries real risks — the fat pad sits near the parotid duct, which carries saliva, and near facial nerves. A 2025 review cited by AOL found up to 25% of patients experience some form of complication after the procedure.
Reconstructive Surgery in 2026 Finally Ended the Pain
In May 2026, Brown underwent corrective surgery with Dr. Carl Truesdale. The procedure removed the hardened scar tissue and repaired the damaged salivary ducts, according to Reality Tea. Brown said the care finally ended the chronic pain he had been carrying for nearly five years.
Brown went public with his story in early June 2026, telling People he wanted others dealing with ongoing medical pain to know they are "not alone." He also said he hopes his experience serves as a warning. The buccal fat removal trend surged more than 200% in popularity between 2021 and 2023, driven in part by pandemic-era body image pressures — the same forces Brown said pushed him to act in the first place.
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