Yet Again, A Big Brother Cast Member Got Caught Being Racist
Another day in the Big Brother house, another racist slur, and after what happened to Luke on Big Brother, he’s facing the consequences.
Big Brother is CBS’ reality TV competition show following a group of contestants, known as “Houseguests, as they live together in a specially constructed house isolated from the outside world and compete for a $500,000 to $750,000 cash prize. The name of the series, which is based on the original Dutch reality TV show of the same name, is inspired by the character Big Brother George Orwell’s 1949 book, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Unlike other reality TV shows, housemates on Big Brother are continually monitored throughout their time in the house by live television cameras and personal audio microphones. Viewers at home can watch the contestants 24/7 via the Big Brother live feeds, which show what’s happening in the house days before they air on TV, which means everything they say is captured. And for one housemate in particular, here’s what happened to Luke on Big Brother that meant a one-way ticket out of the house.
What happened to Luke on Big Brother?
In the early hours of Wednesday, August 9, Luke was chatting with contestants Jared, Cory, and Hisam when he said, “We were in the G’s room, n—.” Realizing his mistake immediately, Luke put his hand over his mouth and said “I’m sorry” before one of the other men—we’re not sure who—said, “dude”.
Fields, a Black housemate, later discussed how the word can sometimes make white people more upset than himself. “I don’t give a f—k,” he told Luke. “Yeah, right, I should’ve made you feel uncomfortable real quick, like, ‘Whoa, bro, what you just say?’” Luke responded: “I should’ve been lying face down on the floor with you standing over me or something. Well, I’m in trouble now. I’ve been in worse trouble.”
Indeed, in a statement provided to TVLine, CBS announced that Luke’s time in the Big Brother house had been terminated immediately. “Luke violated the Big Brother code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur,” reads a statement from CBS and Big Brother’s producers. “He has been removed from the house. His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”
It’s just the latest in Big Brother’s problematic past. In season 24, another racism controversy dominated online rhetoric, with houseguest Kyle Capener suggesting forming an all-white alliance after growing paranoid that players of color would unite to win the game. He was subsequently evicted via a regular house vote a few days later.
Before that, Memphis Garrett, from season 22, had been accused of calling fellow houseguest David Alexander the N-word but after a CBS investigation, the network confirmed he had not used a racial slur.
Ahead of the show’s 25th season, executive producer Rich Meehan responded to speculation that CBS purposefully cast controversial houseguests for entertainment purposes. “That’s definitely 1,000 percent not true,” he told Variety. “But we do cast a wide net of people from all different walks of life, all different upbringings, so sometimes you do get surprised along the way.” Producer Allison Grodner added: “It’s a social experiment using a group of people with different life experiences. They all bring that in and learn from each other. They learn, they change, they grow. Hopefully, by watching that, we’re also making a positive impact on the outside world.”
The Big Brother 25 cast consists of 17 contestants including Cirie Fields, who was a contestant on four Survivor seasons: Survivor: Panama; Survivor: Micronesia; Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains; and Survivor: Game Changers. She was also the winner of Traitors Season 1. See below for a full list of the Big Brother 25 cast.
- America Lopez, 27, Medical Receptionist — Brooklyn, New York
- Blue Kim, 25, Brand Strategist — New York City, New York
- Bowie Jane Ball, 45, Barrister & DJ — Los Angeles, California
- Cameron Hardin, 34, Stay-at-Home Father — Eastman, Georgia
- Cirie Fields, 53, Nurse — Walterboro, South Carolina
- Cory Wurtenberger, 21, College Student – Weston, Florida
- Felicia Cannon, 63, Real Estate Agent — Kennesaw, Georgia
- Hisam Goueli, 45, Geriatric Physician — Seattle, Washington
- Izzy Gleicher, 32, Professional Flutist — New York City, New York
- Jag Bains, 25, Truck Company Owner — Omak, Washington
- Jared Fields, 25, Exterminator — Norwalk, Connecticut
- Kirsten Elwin, 25, Molecular Biologist — Houston, Texas
Luke Valentine, 30, Illustrator — Coral Springs, Florida- Matthew “Matt” Klotz, 27, Deaflympics Gold Medalist — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Mecole Hayes, 30, Political Consultant — Upper Marlboro, Maryland
- Red Utley, 37, Sales — Gatlinburg, Tennessee
- Reilly Smedly, 23, Bartender — Nashville, Tennessee
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in August 2023, host Julie Chen explained how she thinks Cirie joining Big Brother would affect the gameplay on Season 25. “I think it puts everyone back on their heels a bit. It must be unsettling and make them question what’s happening and why? Let the speculation and paranoia begin! This is Big Brother!” she said.
She also told Entertainment Weekly about what her Big Brother strategy would be if she was Cirie. “You quietly observe and don’t talk about your achievements on Survivor or the experience at all. Act like a newbie in the house because it’s a whole different ball game,” she said.
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