Luke Valentine, the “Big Brother” Season 25 houseguest who was ejected on Aug. 9 for using the N-word, is sharing his thoughts on CBS’ decision to send him home.
In an Instagram Live video posted on Wednesday, the illustrator weighed in on the controversy, noting that he didn’t agree with the decision to eliminate him.
“I’m not upset at the production,” Valentine, 30, said in the video. “Their hands were tied. They had to make a sacrifice, 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 went on to explain that for those who watch the clip — during which, he casually says the slur while having a conversation with houseguests Cory Wurtenberger, Hisam Goueli and Jared Fields — it is “pretty clear” that there as “no malice,” “no ill intent” behind his comments. The houseguests were informed the next day that Valentine would no longer be in the game as his actions violated the code of conduct.
“It was 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,” Valentine said in the video. “You don’t really take into account the psychological distress of being under studio lighting 24/7 and not knowing who your friends are, who your enemies are. What happened happened. Do I regret it? Obviously. But I feel like it happened for a reason.”
He then claimed he was held in a room for seven hours to speak to human resources before being informed he was disqualified.
“They told me, ‘Due to you violating the code of conduct, we have to expel you from the house.’ It was like someone reached into my chest and just squeezed my heart. It was the most draining feeling in the world. This experience, which I was really having a blast with, was just over, over something like that,” he said. “It was a total bummer. I was sobbing. I was really bummed. And you can say it was deserved, but I mean, I don’t know what to tell you. There’s two kinds of people: the people who think I should be drawn and quartered, and the people who say, ‘He made a mistake, but the punishment didn’t fit the crime.’ And I’m thankful for those people.”
Before ending the video, the ex-contestant said that he feels the Season 25 cast “kind of have to hate me” after what happened, so he’s wary about keeping in touch. “Apparently, I’m radioactive… Ultimately, I’ve seen where this kind of thing goes, and if I’m too radioactive for them, I get it.”
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