Big Brother‘s Zae Under Fire For Using Offensive Slur as Fans Call For Him to Be ‘Booted’ From the Show
Jason Pham
Big Brother contestant Isaiah “Zae” Frederich is under fir for using an offensive slur two years after the CBS show kicked off another contestant for saying the N-word on the Big Brother live feeds.
What slur did Zae say on Big Brother Season 27?
Zae was slammed for saying the ableist slur “r—d” during a conversation with housemate Keanu Soto on the Big Brother Season 27 livefeeds. “Oh shit. I’m fucking r—d,” Zae said while playing chess with Keanu before backtracking on his word choice. “Damn. I shouldn’t say that word,” Zae said after using the slur, to which Keanu responded, “No, you shouldn’t.”
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The scene continued with Keanu wondering if the live feed was airing at the time, not realizing that Big Brother fans were watching their conversation in real time. “That’s one of the ones I was working on not saying,” Zae said, as Keanu added, “I think you’re good … you’re lucky it’s late.”
After the incident, fans slammed Zae for using the slur, with many calling Big Brother to expel him from the house like the show did with Luke Valentine, who used the N-word on Big Brother Season 25. “zae saying the r slur yeah he needs to be the first boot byeeee #BB27,” a user wrote on X. Another user wrote, “🚨#BB27: There has been lots of speculation on Zae’s sexuality, but he just came out as ignorant as he drops the r slur! Mickey has not said any slurs while in the house.” One more user wrote, “‘that’s one of the ones i was working on not saying cause…’ so, how many slurs DO you keep in your vocabulary then zae? #bb27”
During Big Brother Season 25, Luke was removed from the house in 2023 after he used the N-word in a conversation with houseguests Cory Wurtenberger, Hisam Goueli and Jared Fields that was captured on the live feed. “We’re in the f–king G’s room, n–a!” he said in the clip, after which he covered his mouth with his hand and tried to correct himself by saying “dude,” as Cory and Hisam reacted with surprised stares. Luke then apologized to the group and directly to Jared, who is Black. . “It wasn’t what you thought I was [going to say],” Luke told Jared. “I was gonna call him a narwhale [sic].”
Jared responded by telling Luke that he didn’t care about his word choice. He joked later in the live feed that he should’ve made his castmate more “uncomfortable” for using the slur. “I should have made you feel uncomfortable real quick, like, ‘Whoa, bro. What you just say?’” Jared said. “I don’t give a f–k.”
Soon after the incident aired on the live feeds. CBS announced that he was removed from the show. “Luke violated the BIG BROTHER code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur,” CBS said in a statement at the time. “He has been removed from the house. His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”
During the episode, Head of Household Reilly Smedley shared a message from production to her fellow houseguests. “Due to violating the Big Brother code of conduct by using a racial slur, Luke has been removed from the house,” she read aloud. “The game goes on and the live vote will continue as scheduled.” Jared, for his part, said in a confessional that he hoped the situation was a “learning experience” for Luke.
In an Instagram live after his expulsion, Luke apologized for using the slur while calling it the “wrong decision” to remove him from the show. “I’m not upset at the production. Their hands were tied. They had to make a sacrifice,” he wrote. “I understand why. It is upsetting. I think they made the wrong decision. I think a slap on the wrist would have been a much better thing.”
He later claimed that he “meant no malice” in using the word. “I had no ill intent. It was directed at Cory, and it was after about a week of malnutrition, a week of sleep deprivation, I was getting probably two-and-a half hours of sleep on that cheese block,” he said. “And you don’t really take into account the psychological distress of being under studio lighting for 24-7 and not knowing who your friends and who your enemies are. So, what happened happened. Do I regret it? Obviously. But I feel like it happened for a reason.”
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