Big Brother 25 alum Luke Valentine is sharing his thoughts on being expelled from the show after using a racial slur.
“I’m not upset at the production. Their hands were tied. They had to make a sacrifice,” Luke, 30, said in a lengthy Instagram Live on Wednesday, August 16, one week after CBS announced his removal from the game. “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.”
Luke sparked backlash from Big Brother viewers last week after he used the N-word in a conversation with fellow houseguests Cory Wurtenberger, Hisam Goueli and Jared Fields which was captured on the live feeds.
“We’re in the f—king G’s room, n—ga!” Luke said in a clip which has been shared on social media. A censored version of the moment was also shown during the August 10 episode of the reality series.
One day before the show addressed Luke’s exit from the game, CBS and producers confirmed the news in a statement to Us. “Luke violated the BIG BROTHER code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur,” the statement began.
In addition to saying he should’ve been scolded rather than expelled, Luke claimed during Wednesday’s Instagram Live that he “meant no malice” when using the racial slur.
“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.”
Luke also shared more details about the moments after he learned of his expulsion. “They just wrapped me up and threw me in a room for seven hours. I spoke to HR and then they shipped me back home and it was genuinely … it was devastating. It was very upsetting. It was very sad,” he said.
After a commenter noted that it seemed like he didn’t care about the situation, Luke countered that he “care[s] pretty deeply.”
He continued: “It was shocking news. I slept like a baby that night. I had beautiful dreams of being on the show. And then I woke up and they hit me with it. And it’s funny because they called me into the Diary Room, which they hadn’t done for a while and I said, ‘It’s so weird. It’s like getting called to the principal’s office, I feel like I’m in trouble.’ And little did I know I was in the most trouble possible.”
Although Luke said he feels like the controversy surrounding him is “blowing over pretty fast,” he noted that he’s “not sure” whether any of the other houseguests will “want to keep in touch” with him after the season ends.
“At this point, apparently, I’m pretty radioactive,” the illustrator said. “As much as I loved everyone and I still do, they kind of have to hate me. Them’s the breaks.”
Luke puffed on a cigar during the Live Stream, which he said was being filmed from Havana, Cuba, where he is currently employed as a dishwasher. His expulsion from Big Brother marks the first time a player has been removed from the game for using racially charged language.
The reality series has previously been criticized for racism and discrimination over the years. During season 15 in 2013, Aaryn Gries sparked backlash for making a number of racist comments, including referring to her Black roommate Candice Stewart as “Aunt Jemima” and asking her Korean housemate Helen Kim to “go make some rice.”
Although Aaryn, 32, was not expelled for her remarks, host Julie Chen Moonves called out her behavior during Aaryn’s exit interview. “I hope after you watch the footage, you have a new perspective on things,” Julie, 53, told her at the time.
