Big Brother 25 contestant Luke Valentine has broken his silence after being kicked off the reality show for using a racial slur. In a video posted to social media, Valentine spoke cryptically of the incident — in which he was caught using the N-word during Big Brother’s 24hr live feeds — and reminded followers that “I am alive.”
Elsewhere in the video, which appears to be taken in the midst of a workout, Valentine seemingly shows little remorse for the incident, saying he must “keep the flames stoked until next time,” and later thanking followers “for all the memes” and support. “We can’t burn out,” the former housemate added, “the fires of love will continue to burn, baby.”
Valentine’s video concludes without a direct acknowledgement of his Big Brother expulsion, and with no apology or explanation of the incident. The message comes just days after the Florida illustrator was overheard using the slur in conversation with fellow housemates Jared Fields, Cory Wurtenberger and Hisam Goueli, the last two of whom hastily exited the room in shock.
In the aftermath, Big Brother released a statement confirming Valentine’s exit from Big Brother’s twenty-fifth season, saying the housemate violated the show’s code of conduct and reiterating its “zero tolerance… for using a racial slur.” It marks the fifth time that a housemate has been ousted from the U.S. iteration of Big Brother, and follows Willie Hantz’s season fourteen eviction for headbutting housemate Joe Arvin.
While reality television has never exactly been a breeding ground for model citizens, Valentine’s refusal to apologize for the incident is nonetheless shocking, even for a series plagued by scandals. Speaking in a diary room confessional following the slur, Fields — who is this season’s only Black contestant — said that Valentine broke the show’s rules, which were told to housemates “clearly before walking into this house.”