‘Big Brother’ Houseguest Removed From Game After Using Racial Slur in Live Broadcast

Luke Valentine from 'Big Brother' Season 25
Sonja Flemming/CBS

UPDATED STORY:

Luke Valentine has been removed from the Big Brother house after he was caught on the live feeds using the N-word. The houseguest came under fire shortly after the footage was released online, leading to strong reactions from fans.

In a statement released by CBS and shared by TV Line, the network revealed, “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. His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”

ORIGINAL STORY (12:52 pm ET):

Big Brother seems to be in some hot water again as the hidden camera reality competition sparks outrage over a houseguest’s use of the N-word.

In a conversation between Jared Fields, Cory Wurtenberger, and Hisam Goueli on Tuesday night, Luke Valentine began speaking and casually let the racial slur slip before quickly realizing what he’d done, as captured on the live feeds. The 30-year-old white illustrator from Florida said, “We’re in the G’s room, [N-word]!” before slapping his hand over his mouth and saying, “I’m sorry.”

Appearing shocked behind him, Cory and Hisam were speechless. In footage captured following the incident, Luke spoke directly to Jared, who is a Black houseguest, about the situation. Together they chatted about the context of the initial conversation and how the word makes white people more uncomfortable; as Jared said, “I don’t give a f**k.” But Jared did add, “Yeah, right, I should’ve made you feel uncomfortable real quick, like, ‘Whoa, bro, what did you just say?'”

The incident has raised a debate among viewers who took to social media to express their upset over Luke’s casual use of the word. As the conversation between Luke and Jared continued, Luke noted, “Well, I’m in trouble now. I’ve been in worse trouble.” Whatever that means.

Below, see some of the fan reactions as they call to have Luke removed from the game:

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