‘Big Brother’ Addresses Luke Valentine’s Use of Racial Slur and Subsequent Removal From the House

As promised, CBS addressed Big Brother houseguest Luke Valentine’s elimination from the house after his use of the N-word, which occurred during a Wednesday (Aug. 9) morning livestream on Paramount+.

Valentine was caught uttering the racial slur while chatting with fellow houseguests Cory Wurtenberger, Hisam Goueli and Jared Fields; he attempted to cover it up with the word “dude,” but they had already heard him.

During Thursday night’s (Aug. 10) episode, Valentine was beckoned to the diary room, and houseguest Reilly Smedley shared the news of his removal from the show with the rest of the contestants the next morning, per Variety.

“Due to violating the Big Brother code of conduct by using a racial slur, Luke has been removed from the house and will no longer be participating in the ‘Big Brother’ game,” she said. “The game goes on and the live vote and eviction will continue as scheduled.”

As the houseguests discussed Valentine’s removal together, Wurtenberg recalled hearing the slur in the moment. He said, “It was directed toward me in a very casual, using it between friends kind of way, and I think the reaction was, ‘Yo, you gotta go to bed man.’ I walked out like, ‘Did I just hear that?’”

Goueli said that he didn’t hear the racial slur.

Fields — who is Black — then responded to Wurtenberg, telling him he “respected” what he was saying, but said he didn’t think it was “fair” to discuss the incident “as a family convo.” In a later confessional, Fields said he has “had friends like Luke in the past.”

“It’s really weird to try to have that conversation, that’s why I didn’t tell anybody,” he said. “I don’t associate ignorance with malice. Whether Luke meant it in that way or not, it was rules and regulations and we were told them clearly before walking into this house.”

He continued, “I completely understand the decision, and I also understand there’s consequences to every action you make. It’s just hard trying to help people understand where you’re coming from, especially being the only Black male in this house. With that being said, Luke I hope you the best bro, and I really hope it was a learning situation for you.”

In response to Valentine’s use of a racial slur, CBS released the following statement on Wednesday: “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.”

Neither the Big Brother official Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter) accounts have posted to address the incident.

Nonetheless, Valentine’s removal from the show was aligned with what many viewers and former contestants believed should have been done. According to People, Season 15 Big Brother victor Andy Herren tweeted, “Production should remove Luke. Set an example. Show current and future players that language like that will not be tolerated. #BB25.”

Big Brother airs on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Live streaming feeds and next-day streaming are also available on Paramount+.