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'Queer Eye' star Karamo Brown under fire for defending 'good guy' Sean Spicer on 'DWTS': 'You sold out man'

Sean Spicer’s controversial casting on Dancing with the Stars is causing trouble for Queer Eye star Karamo Brown.

Brown, who is also set to appear on the upcoming season of DWTS alongside the former Trump press secretary, has been criticized for his comments defending Spicer. While many have accused the show of essentially letting Spicer off the hook for his work with the Trump administration — and host Tom Bergeron admitted he’d wanted to avoid any “inevitably divisive bookings from ANY party affiliations” — Brown revealed that he’s already bonded with his new co-star.

“I was most excited to meet him,” he told Access. “People would look at us and think that we’re polar opposites, but I’m a big believer that if you can talk to someone and meet in the middle, you can learn about each other and help each other both grow. And so we have been chatting all day today. He’s a good guy, really sweet guy.”

GOOD MORNING AMERICA - 8/21/19The 2019 cast of Dancing with the Stars is revealed LIVE on Good Morning America Wednesday, August 21, 2019 on ABC. The new season of "Dancing with the Stars," premieres Monday, September 16, 2019 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. GMA19(Photo by Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images) JAMES VAN DER BEEK, LAMAR ODOM, HANNAH BROWN, KARAMO BROWN, EMMA SLATER, SASHA FARBER, ALLY BROOKE, CHERYL BURKE, ALAN BERSTEN, PETA MURGATROYD, VAL CHMERKOVSKIY
Brown helped promote the next Dancing with the Stars lineup on Good Morning America Wednesday.(Photo: Lou Rocco/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

Brown also defended Spicer on Twitter after being criticized for taking part in the show. In his response, he argued that it was important to “try to educate those who have [a] different POV than us.”

But his peace-making efforts have been slammed on social media, with some claiming he’d “sold out” by not distancing himself from Spicer and, by extension, the Trump White House.

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“You being black and gay running around helping him rehabilitate his image by calling him nice and sweet is disgraceful and normalizes Trump,” admonished one commenter.

Others noted that Queer Eye often sees the Fab Five working with subjects who have conservative values — an element of the show now being both lauded and decried by viewers in equal measures.

Brown did get support from fans who felt he was right in taking a civil approach to Spicer, as well as those who argued that it was unfair to blame him for the controversial casting.

Brown fired back at one critic on Wednesday night, tweeting, “I honestly can’t stand people like you who post things like this and you reposted some BS about a comment Jonathan Van Ness] said ... just to flame the fire and get a reaction. We fight harder than your a** ever has for people of color and members of the LGBTQIA community.”

He has since deleted that tweet.

While Brown appears to be focused on reminding fans of his own personal politics by tweeting his support for Democratic congresswoman Rep. Rashida Tlaib on Thursday morning — Spicer is defending his DWTS participation amid the outcry and calls for a boycott.

“I think this is an entertainment show,” he told CNN. “I look forward to having some fun. And if people are looking for news, I suggest they tune into a news program. I am very happy with who I am and who I support. I’m not changing. I am giving people another opportunity to see a side of me that is different.

“I think Tom has been a great host,” he added in reference to Bergeron’s note revealing his objection to the casting. “And I firmly believe when the season is over he’s probably going to realize bringing a diverse group of people together, who can interact in a fun, civil and respectful way, is actually a way we can move the country forward in a positive way. And it will make this show an example of how Americans can disagree about politics and tune into good entertainment shows and keep their politics at bay.”

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