‘Big Brother’ Season 25 Contestant Accused of Saying the N-Word in Show’s Live Feeds

Big Brother's cast is under fire once again. The long-running CBS competition series is no stranger to cast controversy. But only a week after contestants entered the Big Brother house for the landmark 25th season, a white contestant has been accused of using the N-word on the series' live feeds.

In a video posted on Twitter and TikTok, fans recorded illustrator Luke Valentine, 30, allegedly using the expletive in a conversation with fellow houseguests Cory Wurtenberger, Hisam Goueli and Jared Fields.

In a subsequent conversation with Fields, who is Black, also captured by fans on TikTok, Valentine called the moment a "slip of the tongue." He also told Fields that Wurtenberger and Goueli, who are not Black, were "more mad about that than you."

Fields replied, saying, "I don't give a f--- bro," before joking, "I should have made you uncomfortable real quick, like, 'Whoa, bro, what'd you just say?'"

Fields went on to say, "What's just so funny to me, right, is that in situations that should be uncomfortable for a Black man, white people get more uncomfortable," before telling Valentine about the experience of dating a white woman.

"They probably thought I was gonna respond a certain way," he added.

After Fields and Valentine joked about Fields' possible reaction, Valentine said, "I'm in trouble now. Well, I've been in worse trouble."

Fans have already begun calling for Valentine's removal from the house, with Reality Tea writing, "He needs to have a seat. Because if he doesn’t, one will be provided for him."

Another fan on TikTok added, "Wow! He said that with his whole body. When people say it so effortlessly, it says a lot!"

This isn't the first time that such language has been captured on the Big Brother live feeds. In 2018, contestant Kaitlyn Herman sang the N-word while quoting a Drake song; during that same season, Angela Rummans and Rachel Swindler compared their tan skin to that of Black contestant Bayleigh Dayton. Just last year, Season 24 winner Taylor Hale experienced microaggressions and bullying.

In 2020, after accusations flew on social media that houseguest Memphis Garrett used the N-word, CBS released a statement that read, in part, "hate speech will not be tolerated, and those who violate the policy will be removed from the Big Brother house."

The first live eviction is scheduled for Thursday's episode, which airs at 9/8c on CBS.

UPDATE (8/9 at 2:55 p.m. ET): CBS has announced its decision to remove Valentine from the series per its "zero tolerance" policy. See more details here.