Overview
- Photos obtained by TMZ that surfaced June 29 show Smollett and Brown on an all-day Los Angeles outing, including hiking, lunch with Brown’s mother, errands and a moment where Smollett cups Brown’s chin.
- On June 30 Brown told the Reality With The King podcast that he is “dating a celebrity,” that they “go out” and “hold hands everywhere,” and he described the relationship as serious without naming Smollett.
- Major outlets say the pairing is corroborated by the photos plus Brown’s comments, but neither man has issued a joint public statement confirming the relationship.
- The reports follow Smollett’s breakup with Jabari Redd in May and arrive against the backdrop of Smollett’s widely reported 2019 hate-crime case and a later conviction that the Illinois Supreme Court overturned.
- Reaction online has been immediate and mixed, with supporters and skeptics debating motives and privacy, and the coverage could affect both men’s public profiles as they navigate publicity and private life.