‘Big Brother’ contestant Luke Valentine defiant amid racist slur flap: ‘I’ve arrived’
Booted “Big Brother” contestant Luke Valentine has broken his silence after getting kicked off the show for dropping the N-word on camera — and he’s not apologizing.
Valentine, 30, a Florida-based illustrator, was a houseguest on Season 25 of the hit CBS reality show, which premiered Aug. 2 and features 17 contestants competing for a $750,000 prize.
A 24/7 live feed of the house is available to stream on Paramount+. On Tuesday, Valentine, who is white, was caught on the stream using the verboten verbiage.
Within a day, Valentine had been removed from the set.
“Luke violated the BIG BROTHER code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur,” the network and series producers said in a statement to The Post on Wednesday.
“He has been removed from the house.”
In Thursday’s episode, Julie Chen Moonves addressed the controversy, saying, “It has been an emotional 24 hours in the ‘Big Brother’ house as the houseguests learned that one of their own broke the ‘Big Brother’ code of conduct and was removed from the game.”
On Sunday night, Valentine posted a video to his social media, addressing his ouster from the show.
“Hey guys, just letting you know, I’m alive, I’ve arrived, and you gotta keep the flames stoked until next time,” a shirtless and visibly sweaty Valentine enthused, his demeanor far from serious or solemn.
“We can’t burn out, no, no, no, the fires of love will continue to burn, baby. So thank you for all the memes, thank you for all the support, all the kind words,” he said, speaking from an outdoor setting.
Valentine did not offer an apology for his behavior, or say anything further to address the incident.
The video that got Valentine removed from the show shows him casually tossing the word into conversation with housemates Jared Fields, Cory Wurtenberger and Hisam Goueli.
“We’re in the cheese room, n – – – – r!” Valentine said, before covering his mouth with his hand and saying, “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t give a f – – k,” Fields, who is black, replied. “Yeah, right, I should’ve made you feel uncomfortable real quick, like, ‘Whoa, bro, what you just say?’ ”
“I should’ve been lying face down on the floor with you standing over me or something,” Valentine replied. “Well, I’m in trouble now. I’ve been in worse trouble.”
Valentine did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
This isn’t the first time “Big Brother” has found itself in the spotlight over a contestant’s use of racist language.
In September 2020, CBS went on the defense after viewers thought they heard the N-word being used on set.
“The producers have listened to the scene using enhanced audio. After close examination, it has been determined a racial epithet was not said or uttered. Hate speech will not be tolerated, and those who violate the policy will be removed from the ‘Big Brother’ house,” a rep for the Tiffany Network told The Post at the time.
