‘Queer Eye’ Star Karamo Brown Falls for Sleek Hollywood Hills Mansion

Back in 2004, Karamo Brown was a 23-year-old Texas social worker who had just scored his showbiz start, becoming the first openly gay black man on reality TV, appearing on MTV’s “The Real World: Philadelphia.” Fast-forward to today, and he’s blossomed from just another reality show contestant into a household name.

Not only does Brown, 41, star on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated “Queer Eye” reboot — as a culture expert in charge of assisting the show’s “heroes” with emotional makeovers — but he’s also written several books, including “Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope.” Brown recently released his own line of message T-shirts in honor of Black History Month, with all proceeds going to charity.

A few years ago, Brown’s burgeoning success enabled him to move out of his Los Angeles apartment and into a $1.2 million starter house in the ultra-suburban community of Woodland Hills. Though he still owns that place, records reveal he’s considerably upgraded his residential circumstances yet again, doling out nearly $5.4 million for a sleekly designed mansion on a prime cul-de-sac in the Hollywood Hills.

Originally designed and built in the 1950s, Brown’s newly acquired residence has since been essentially rebuilt by Unified Real Estate Services. Nestled on a flat, almost half-acre parcel near Runyon Canyon, and protected by a swath of surveillance cameras, the flat-roofed structure is fronted by an attached two-car garage. There are four bedrooms and five baths spread across 3,500 square feet of single-level living space boasting high-tech Lutron, Sonos and Nest home-automation systems, plus walls of glass in almost every room providing the coveted indoor-outdoor lifestyle.

A walkway leads over a striking water feature and up to a double front door, which opens into spacious interiors decorated with French oak hardwood and slate stone floors accented by soaring ceilings. From there, highlights include a living room adorned with clerestory windows and a massive linear-style fireplace. There’s also a gourmet kitchen outfitted with top-tier Wolf, Bosch and Sub-Zero appliances, an eat-in island and glassy wine-storage closet that adjoins a dining area on one side and cozy den on the other.

The plush master retreat has a custom walk-in closet and luxe bath; and outdoors, the lushly landscaped grounds are dotted with avocado, blood orange and tangerine trees, and hold a Baja-shelf pool, as well as an expansive patio with a built-in barbecue and fire-pit. Toward the rear of the property is a meditation/yoga platform, plus a wood deck that serves as the ideal spot to take in picturesque views of Griffith Observatory and the iconic Hollywood sign.