All About Jason and Christian

Karamo Brown‘s kids, Jason and Christian, changed his life for the better.

In the Queer Eye star’s memoir, Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope, he recalled finding court papers on his doorstep in 2006 seeking child support for the then-10-year-old Jason. He recognized the name of his high school friend, Stephanie Brooks, on the paperwork.

After a paternity test confirmed his relationship with Jason, Karamo prepared to meet his son for the first time. The new father had a strong initial connection with Jason, which inspired him to get sober — years later Karamo credited his elder child with helping him reach this milestone.

“My son saved my life — and as much as people have always said I saved his, he saved my life because it gave me an opportunity to see that there was more to life than just me,” he told PEOPLE in 2019.

Over time, Karamo also bonded with Brooks’ other son, Christian, and helped him thrive by welcoming him into his home. Karamo formally adopted Christian in 2010, and the family moved to Los Angeles in 2011, per The Advocate.

After the reality star’s break from television to focus on parenting and social work, Christian inspired Karamo to return to his passion.

“He was writing a paper on living your dreams and he asked me if being a social worker was my dream,” Karamo told Plus in 2017. “I said ‘No.’ He said, ‘Well, why don’t you go after your dreams?’ I quit my job, maybe two months later.” A few years later, Queer Eye premiered on Netflix.

Here is everything to know about Karamo Brown’s kids, Jason and Christian.

Jason “Rachel” Brown, 27

Jason “Rachel” Brown was born on Nov. 27, 1996, and was raised in Houston, Texas, for the first part of his childhood with his mom, Brooks.

After Karamo found the court papers that revealed he had fathered Jason, he made arrangements to meet his son, and it didn’t come without fear of the unknown.

“A little voice in my head was saying, Karamo, you don’t have to do this,” he wrote in his memoir. “You’re a child, and you’re supposed to go in there and raise a child? Run for your life. At the same time, I thought, What if he needs me?”

In February 2019, Karamo told PEOPLE that although he was “scared,” parenting Jason was the best choice he could have made. “There’s something about the first moment of seeing your child. All the pieces of me that I felt were missing got sewn up the minute I saw his face,” The Real World: Philadelphia alum said.

Afterward, Karamo moved from California to Texas to be closer to Jason. Following the end of fifth grade, Brooks gave Karamo custody of Jason — a decision that came with the condition that they remain a family.

In their September 2019 cover story for The Advocate, Karamo and Jason opened up about navigating a tough moment in their relationship when Jason came out as pansexual at age 21. Karamo’s elder son admitted that his father’s public persona made him hesitant to share about his own identity, which “hurt” Karamo because he wasn’t among the first people to know his personal news.

“This is a young man who grew up in a household where his father is a career gay … yet there was still a fear in his mind of sharing with me,” the author explained. “When he shared with me that he identified as pan, I was, first of all, disappointed … I was a little hurt.”

In the end, navigating the issue brought them closer. Karamo’s “myriad of feelings” quickly subsided, and he called Jason to tell him how loved he was. “I should have just been real with my father,” Jason added.

Like his dad, Jason is passionate about entertainment, having studied acting at the University of California Los Angeles, per The Advocate.

“I’m trying to pursue my dreams of being a host and an executive producer right now and my dad is literally the most supportive person I could probably have in my corner when it comes to helping with that,” he told Slate in May 2018.

That same year, he starred in a commercial with Karamo and his brother Christian, and shortly after, he competed on Celebrity Family Feud. Jason partnered with HBO in 2021 to tell his family’s story for the Nuclear Family series, and in 2022, he interviewed Janelle Monáe at the West Hollywood Pride celebration, which his dad co-hosted.

The pair worked together again in October 2022 when Jason went on his father’s daytime talk show, Karamo, and spoke candidly about his struggles with addiction. The father-son duo have also co-authored two children’s books, I Am Perfectly Designed in 2019 and I Am Okay to Feel in 2022.

The author and content creator showed support for his father in an August 2022 Instagram post featuring photos and videos from a taping of Karamo’s talk show.

“When I met my dad the only things he ever wanted was to be a great father and to have his own day time talk show,” Jason wrote in the caption. “Congratulations again @karamo thank you for being such a wonderful father and all around great human ❤️.”

Christian Brown, 23

Brooks welcomed Christian Brown in March 2000, per Jason’s 2018 Instagram post wishing his brother a happy 18th birthday.

When the television personality connected with Jason, he also grew close to Christian. At the time, Christian was getting into some trouble and moved in with Karamo and Jason “to get him back on the right path.” After seeing Christian thrive in his new environment, Karamo offered to become his legal guardian, and Brooks agreed.

When the Queer Eye star asked Christian if he wanted to live with him and Jason permanently, there was no uncertainty. “He said yes and jumped into my arms,” Karamo recalled to PEOPLE.

“He’s amazing,” Christian said of Karamo during a May 2018 interview with Parents. “He’s very hands-on … He’s my go-to guy. If I need help with anything or I have any concerns about anything that’s in life or if I just need to talk, I can just go to my father and … he’ll just talk to me and give me some advice and be loving and supportive.”

Christian has also opened up about how Karamo nurtured his interests in creative hobbies, from style to music. During their 2018 interview with Slate, the brothers were asked about shopping with their father, and Christian noted that Karamo “lets us experiment and wear whatever we want.”

He added, “I would say that what my dad did, letting me express myself when I was younger and wear whatever I wanted to wear, helped me develop a sense of what style I want.”

In addition to asking Karamo for life advice, Christian sought his father’s opinion on music when he set out to launch a rap career.

“There will be times where I just start rapping to my dad and then I’ll go write some stuff. He’ll give me an idea,” he said. “So basically he’s trying to help me be the best I can be and I really appreciate that and I love him dearly for it.”

Christian also revealed to the outlet that when he attended the Queer Eye season 1 release with his family in 2018, he got pretty emotional seeing his dad on-screen. “Can I tell you, at the premiere, how hard I was crying?” he recalled. “I was crying pretty hard.”

Even though Christian is proud of his dad, Karamo has shared that it hasn’t always been easy to pursue his career while trying to be a hands-on father. “I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately which is great… but as a single dad it’s really hard to leave my sons constantly!” he wrote on Instagram in 2018. “I am missing these two so much right now!”