One week after “Big Brother” Season 25 premiered, a controversy has hit the house. On Tuesday night, houseguest Luke Valentine casually dropped the N-word in a conversation captured on the Paramount+ live feed — and now, he has been removed.
“Luke violated the ‘Big Brother’ code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur. He has been removed from the house,” CBS told PvNew. “His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”
During a conversation with fellow contestants Jared Fields, Cory Wurtenberger and Hisam Goueli, Valentine was heard casually saying the slur at the end of a statement. He then caught himself, covered his mouth and laughed. He tried to correct his comment with the word “dude.” The moment can be seen here.
Many “Big Brother” viewers took to social media after seeing the moment and called for Valentine’s instant removal from the season.
“Production should remove Luke. Set an example. Show current and future players that language like that will not be tolerated,” Andy Herren, who won “Big Brother” Season 15, tweeted on Wednesday. “Production loves hiding racism and homophobia and transphobia when straight white men are involved. Hoping they actually do the right thing and address Luke’s comment. The way it so casually came out of his mouth is really upsetting.”
This is not the first time “Big Brother” has faced a racial controversy. In Season 22, Memphis Garrett was accused of calling David Alexander the N-word. After an online petition demanded he be removed from the house, CBS launched an investigation. After reviewing footage, CBS confirmed he had not said the slur.
Last season, houseguest Kyle Carpenter made remarks about race that led to his eviction. Fans also expressed disappointment in the network after seeing micro-aggressions made against contestant Taylor Hale, who is Black.
Although the show’s producers won’t get into confidential casting details, they say they do “extensive” research and look into each player’s background and keep an eye out for red flags.
Ahead of Season 25, executive producers commented to PvNew on viewers’ claims that they purposefully cast problematic houseguests for entertainment purposes.
“That’s definitely 1,000% not true,” Rich Meehan told PvNew. “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.”
