‘Big Brother’ ousts contestant for violating code of conduct
“Big Brother,” the CBS reality show that isolates contestants inside a custom-made house, marked the first evictions of its 25th season during the Aug. 10 live episode.
But the houseguests were stunned when they learned that the first houseguest to depart did so not because of the usual vote, but because he had used a racial slur.
During a taped segment, Reilly Smedley, the season’s first head of household, told her fellow contestants that Luke Valentine had violated the show’s code of conduct and would no longer be in the house.
The Florida-based illustrator was dispatched soon after using the racial slur during an off-the-cuff conversation that aired on the series’ live feed — a 24-hour, multicamera look inside the “Big Brother” compound that supplements the edited episodes on CBS.
The utterance horrified two white houseguests, who quickly left the room. Valentine tried to backtrack, apologizing to a Black houseguest who was also in the room. He then said, “I don’t give a (expletive).”
CBS issued a statement that Valentine had violated the “Big Brother” code of conduct and that there was zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur.
Julie Chen Moonves, the host of “Big Brother,” referenced Valentine’s expulsion on the Aug. 10 episode. “It’s been an emotional 24 hours in the ‘Big Brother’ house as the house guests learned that one of their own broke the ‘Big Brother’ code of conduct and was removed from the game,” she said.
The houseguests reacted with open-mouthed shock when Smedley informed them of the exit. They then discussed the incident for a few moments.
Jared Fields, the only Black male houseguest, said in a separate interview that he did not feel animus toward Valentine.
“My nonreaction in the moment, being the only Black male in this house, I don’t know what to say. Anything I say or do can come across wrong or aggressive,” he said. “I don’t associate ignorance with malice.”
But he indicated he supported the punishment.
In an Instagram story posted Aug. 13, Valentine seemed unrepentant.
“Hey, guys. Just letting you know, I’m alive, I’ve arrived, and, uh, you gotta keep the flames stoked until next time,” a sweaty, shirtless Valentine — who was apparently out for a jog — said in the video. “We can’t burn out, no, no, no. The fires of love will continue to burn, baby. So thank you for all the memes, thank you for all the support, the kind words.”
The ouster is the latest in a long line of racially charged incidents that have shadowed the series since its premiere.
Most recently, Black contestant Kemi Fakunle in 2019 publicly decried “degrading and threatening comments” from fellow houseguests and accused a producer of encouraging her to use a stereotypical Black accent. (The producer was reprimanded and received unconscious bias training.)
The cast of “Big Brother” was historically dominated by white contestants until 2020, when top network executives mandated that the casts of all CBS reality shows be at least 50% people of color.
Even the recent triumphs of Black houseguests in a format traditionally won by white contestants have caused controversy. In 2021, an all-Black alliance known as the Cookout was accused of “reverse racism” by some viewers for its campaign to ensure the series’ first Black winner.