Jussie Smollett and Karamo Brown are fueling dating rumors after being spotted spending time together in Los Angeles, just weeks after Smollett called off his engagement to actor Jabari Redd. The two were seen on Monday, June 29, hiking at Runyon Canyon, running errands, and having lunch with Brown’s mother, which quickly had fans questioning whether Smollett has already moved on.
The dating conversation did not take long to hit the internet, especially because TMZ described the outing as an all day date. The outlet reported that Smollett and Brown were smiling, talking closely, and showing affection while out in Los Angeles. At one point, Smollett reportedly reached over and cupped Brown’s chin, which only added more fuel to the romance talk.
The timing is what has people doing the most math. Earlier this month, Smollett and Redd had called off their engagement less than a year after Smollett proposed. Sources said Smollett ended the engagement within the previous few weeks and that the split was amicable.
Smollett announced his engagement to Redd in June 2025 with a proposal post that read, “I’ll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé… He said YES.” The two had also worked together creatively, with Redd appearing in Smollett’s 2024 film “The Lost Holliday.” People reported that Redd played Damien, the late partner of Smollett’s character, in the project.
That is why the dating rumors feel like more than a random celebrity sighting. This is not just two entertainers grabbing a quick bite. Lunch with Brown’s mother, errands around the city, and a Runyon Canyon hike all in one day gives the outing a more personal feel, even though neither Smollett nor Brown has publicly issued a direct statement confirming a relationship as of this draft.
The two also have history, which makes the sudden attention even more interesting. Back in 2018, Smollett presented Brown with the HRC Visibility Award at the 21st Annual HRC Houston Gala. The Human Rights Campaign announced at the time that Smollett would present the award to Brown, who was being honored during the Houston event.
During that appearance, Smollett spoke warmly about Brown and called him “My dear friend, my brother, my comrade.” He also said Brown had “always, always, always kept it real.” In the same speech, Smollett shared a message that now has people revisiting their friendship through a different lens: “Hold your friends closely and help your friends.”
Brown was in a different chapter back then. He was publicly linked to Ian Jordan, his longtime partner at the time, and the two were engaged before eventually splitting in 2020. Entertainment Tonight reported that Brown said there was no cheating involved and that the relationship ended after 10 years together.
Brown’s name has also been in headlines this year because of the final season of “Queer Eye” and the cast drama that followed. Netflix confirmed that “Queer Eye” returned for its tenth and final season in Washington, D.C., with Brown, Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Jeremiah Brent, and Antoni Porowski. Netflix also noted that the reboot became the streamer’s longest running unscripted series and earned 37 Emmy nominations and 11 wins during its run.
Still, the farewell season came with tension. In a People interview published earlier this month, Brown discussed his issues with the cast and said certain behavior “does not fly in a professional environment.” He also said it “impacted me negatively, consistently.” Production companies ITV America and Scout Productions disputed the idea that concerns were ignored, saying issues brought to production leadership were taken seriously and addressed appropriately.
Before that interview, Brown skipped multiple press appearances tied to Queer Eye. Variety reported in January that Brown pulled out of a CBS interview, with his assistant saying he had felt “mentally and emotionally abused for years.” That made his latest public outing with Smollett even more noticeable, since Brown has already been navigating a very public reset of his own.
Smollett’s public life has also carried heavy baggage over the years. In November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction related to the 2019 Chicago case, ruling that a second prosecution violated due process after earlier charges had been dropped under a negotiated agreement. Smollett has continued to maintain his innocence.
In 2025, Smollett also settled the City of Chicago’s civil lawsuit tied to the case. Reports said he agreed to make a charitable donation, with TMZ reporting that the agreement called for $50,000 to go to Building Better Futures Center for the Arts in Chicago. Smollett maintained the settlement was not an admission of guilt.
That layered history is part of why the Smollett and Brown’s alleged romance is catching so much traction. Smollett is coming out of a broken engagement, Brown is coming out of a messy career chapter, and their friendship dates back years. The public may not know exactly when things shifted, but the photos were enough to put both names back in the relationship rumor mill.
