Karamo Brown Tears Up Recalling Almost Losing His Son, Jason To A Drug Overdose

"Queer Eye" star Karamo Brown recently opened up about one of his most painful experiences as a father. Brown spoke about his son Jason's drug overdose two years ago and said finding him was a terrifying moment. The TV personality then shared a message of support for his listeners and fans going through drug addiction.

The short clip previewed the Thursday episode of Brown's new show, "Karamo." It also features Jason discussing his memories of the overdose and how he's progressed. Brown had previously spoken about how becoming a father helped him decide to end his "functioning addict" behavior.

Brown learned about Jason when his son was ten after the boy's mother issued him a subpoena for child support. He subsequently got full custody of Jason and, in 2011, became the guardian to his half-brother Chris. Brown also recently spoke about his new show and revealed how emotional he got after learning that it was picked up. 

Read on to find out more.

In People's short preview of the latest episode of Brown's new show, "Karamo," he opened up about finding his oldest son Jason overdosing on drugs two years ago. The host said, "Today, I'm going to be very vulnerable with you all. It's something that I've never talked about publicly."

The 41-year-old got emotional as he continued, "Almost two years ago, I found my oldest son Jason, lying on the floor, dying from a drug overdose. And I was terrified. I was about to lose my son. I didn't know what to do. I was in shock."

Brown then turned to the cameras to address his listeners and fans at home. The activist said, "For anybody else who's out there that's going through this stuff, there are people out there that want to help you."

As the clip concluded, Brown invited Jason to sit with him onstage and asked the 25-year-old what he remembered about the traumatic day. When the full episode premieres, fans will watch father and son discuss Jason's drug use, his memories of the overdose, and how he's faring now.

Brown had previously revealed to Parents that embracing his fatherly role deeply affected his struggle with alcohol and drugs. The TV personality said that his kids were a major reason why he decided to end his "functioning addict" tendencies.

Brown said, "It wasn't until I became a dad that I asked myself, 'how would I feel if my son had the same relationship with drugs and alcohol as I did.' I quit and have never looked back."

During his conversation with Parents, Brown revealed that he didn't know about Jason until after the boy turned ten years old and he received a subpoena for child support from his mother. He said, "My last girlfriend in high school—when I was 15—became pregnant with my child but did not tell me."

The "Queer Eye" star shared that the subpoena made him "confused, sad, angry, and weirdly excited to be a dad" and that he felt lost. After finding out about Jason, Brown got full custody of his son, and when he learned about his half-brother Chris, he also got legal guardianship of him in 2011.

Brown was recently featured on People's "Every Day" podcast to speak about his new show "Karamo." He talked with host Janine Rubenstein about the initial conversations to set up the show and said he'd always wanted to "just help people."

Brown said, "Partly, I'm nosy as hell, so I like to be in people's business. But, once I'm in their business, I want to help them. And that's what I've been doing all my life. On 'Queer Eye,' everything." He shared that he "cried and cried and cried" after finding out that the show had been picked up and wants to help "real people [in] real situations" surpass their obstacles.

Regarding his duties on "Queer Eye," Brown confirmed that he's not stepping back from his role on the show. He said, "Each of us have been blessed to do other projects. Yes, mine is a daily show, but we have worked it out. I do not want to leave those four yahoos for anything."