HOLLYWOOD—This is a tough discussion, but I feel like every so often we have to have this discussion in the “Big Brother” house. Gosh, we were so blessed with BB25, BB26 and BB27. I think this is where casting is so crucial and diversity plays a role in the BB house. The lack of diversity leads to issues like we’re seeing on “Big Brother 28.”

If you are uncomfortable when it comes to race or microaggressions and like to believe it doesn’t exist, you’re an idiot. In addition, I could care less about your commentary on the matter especially if you’re someone who solely watches the episodes (which provide a sanitized version of what’s actually unfolding in the house). If you’re watching the live feeds of BB, then you know the truth.

Race has always been an issue with BB since the beginning. They have always been known to cast one person of color and then the rest of the houseguests are White. BB1 had 1 Black woman with Cassandra, and 1 Black male with Will Mega who was the first ousted (more on that later), as he was deemed aggressive and loud, plus America voted out the houseguests each week for that season. BB2 had one Black female with Monica Bailey, BB3 had 2 Black players, a woman and a gay man, BB4 had 1, but she was the first voted out. This was the first season with Asian representation with winner Jun Song and her ex, Jee. BB5 had one person of color with Marvin Lattimore, mind you that was the first time we had a heterosexual Black male since Will Mega.

The BB producers rarely cast heterosexual Black males, go thru the history and you will see, the Black token tends to be a Black gay male. Not sure why that has always been the case, but its rare, and when they do cast them, they tend to be the child of a preacher or parents who are very religious, look at Bryan Ollie from BB10 and Keith Henderson from BB13. If there were ever more than 2 Black males one is gay and one is straight. Not to mention BB seems to have a ‘type’ and very rarely sway from that.

This is not just Black people, its very little Latino, Asian, Indian and other ethnicities given representation on the series. It is usually 1 on most seasons, maybe none at all, if you get more than 1 its very rare. Kaysar Ridha made history as the first Muslim to play the game in BB6, while BB11 had more diversity than usual with multiple players of different ethnicities like Russell Kairouz, Chima Simone, Kevin Campbell, Natalie Martinez and Lydia Tavera.

My point being with more diverse cast, it helps prevent issues of racism, homophobia, sexism, prejudices, stereotypes, misogyny and microaggressions from coming to the forefront. Without diversity, you tend to see groupthink mentality like a herd, hello BB21! With diversity, players will call out the BS, some will, at least one would like to think that.

This is also the result of BB constantly casting like 10 people in their 20s, and maybe 2-3 slightly older, but not to much, and a token older person. BB15 was the worst of the worst and for nearly 3 weeks CBS and BB producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan had their hands hidden, and that might have been a direct result of the network also. Damn, I miss the golden days of Arnold Shapiro who just seemed to give us everything or as much as could be seen. Today, things are constantly hidden and the feed cuts this week alone as discussions about race seem to hit the forefront were constantly cut. BB producers the more you hide things the worst it looks.

CBS didn’t want this controversy, but it was all over social media, and almost every news outlet was talking about what was taking place. They could no longer hide the issue in front of them and it exploded. I mean your host Julie Chen was talking about it on her talk show “The Talk” when it transpired. People were clipping things and the racism was rampant. That was the first season where a disclaimer had to be posted before the episode. It was bad.

BB19 reared its ugly head yet again, and then you saw the mess in BB21, and in BB22 as well. It wasn’t until BB23 when for the first time EVER, there were 6 Black players in the house, and they did something never seen in BB history, crowning the series first Black winner and being the only successful alliance to get all of its members to the end game. For a person of color like myself to finally see that, it was epic after 23 seasons.

The reason I’m bringing this up is BB is reverting back to its old ways yet again with this latest season. The treatment of players LaTrice Verrett and Taylor Brown have disgusted me. Both have been called aggressive, loud and will “blow-up” if certain things unfold. They have been called lazy, yet they are the only players cooking for the house; they are the only players who actually clean the house, and you intentionally have houseguests like Drew Campbell placing dirty towels behind the toilet intentionally.

Look, I don’t care if Taylor took Drew’s hair brush. The little ass deserved it, but at the same time, I’m against touching personal property. This is why I could never play BB because I’m not going to be a silent player. If I see isolation, microaggressions, bullying, and ignorant comments being made, I’m calling people out. I’m going to embarrass you because you should know better. People are so quick to be quiet in this game out of fear of blowing up their game, but its always the players of color who suffer as a result of such disgusting behavior because they are rarely in the majority.

In addition, this is a direct result of not just casting, but the culture the house creates. When you put in players from previous seasons creating an unequal balance, and then you have people sucking their ass, those who are not, are going to pay the price. I purposely point the finger at Rick Devens who on his Head of Household in the second week purposely trying to isolate players by exposing their game as he did with Rome Seymour and Jason De Puy.

This furthered in week 3 with Kamu Kirk trying to isolate and ostracize Jason. That Tea Party was so nasty, and I was pissed to see Angela, Dee and Devens egging it on. Jason was the only gay contestant in the game and felt he was being iced out by the house with no one actually standing up from him during that uncomfortable Tea Party incident. Seems like the players of color and those from disadvantaged groups are isolated and ostracized from game play, but the White players are not. Why is that happening this week with Lala and Taylor, in particular Taylor because she is still on the block, and the house knows Lala will be here another week.

Drew Campbell and Dee Valladres are Hispanics, but they are White passing. Campbell nearly freaks out when speaking out his Mexican heritage as if its not even important. Drew news flash, its ok to embrace your Mexican heritage; the way you talk in the house you feel embarrassed about it. Not to mention the comments you continue to make about assuming Yash is going to work with Lala if Taylor gets voted out. Drew, I’m going to educate you a bit here: that is what is known as a microaggression. A microaggression is a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.

Drew and Rick Devens have been making comments about someone cooking food or cleaning in the house directed at a racial group that has a history of being portrayed as the cook or house maid in real life and cinema, that is a microaggression. Devens has shown his complete tail on “Big Brother 28.” This man suffers from some unconscious bias and implicit bias and the fact that he works as a Director of Communications for a university is even scarier. Making jokes about a Black woman selling chicken tells me you probably have limited interaction with people of color, especially Black people and you assume what you see on TV and in movies is an accurate portrayal; if that is not the case prove me wrong.

You even hinted on the live feed that Haley may have been ‘threatened’ by Taylor. Devens she was not, she just warned her conversations about race and microaggressions are being discussed in the Diary Room, which means its likely to be displayed on the TV episode, and she’s trying to talk about the issue, but Haley is being Haley showing her ass yet again. White people get uncomfortable when the conversation of race comes to the forefront. Guess what, race is part of the real world; you can try to be blind to it, but it does exists.

We have to talk about Angela Murray and Haley Thogmartin. Haley has been throwing microaggressions since the beginning of the season. This girl has been talking about people bullying her all season, when you had 2 bad weeks, because Haley there is a thing in this world called karma: you reap what you sew. She found herself on the block after comments she has made about Lala and Taylor, when Lala won the week 5 HOH.

Haley had the nerve when she was HOH to explain to Taylor she was nominated because she was laughing about the teapot incident involving Jason and Kamu. Sorry Haley, but you know who else was laughing, Angela, Devens and a host of other players in the house. You simply singled out Taylor for reasons no one can understand. It was a complete lie, and BS, but c’mon Haley do better. Then you trying to evoke Black-accent while speaking to Lala during your argument about how you were being ‘bullied’ was not cute. Haley thinks she’s slick with her commentary, but she’s not.

She did it again this week inserting herself into a conversation between Angela and Taylor, that had Taylor breaking down in tears and explaining how its a double standard for her and Lala to show emotion, but if anyone else does so, its no big deal. Angela didn’t like that because I think she is realizing how things are being perceived and she is concerned about outside image. Oh, I’m sure this is going to be in Taylor’s diary room sessions and she faced backlash for some comments she made in her previous season of BB26 where a few castmates had to educate her on terminology and how she uses it.

BB is known for trying to have stereotypical characters each season, one being the angry Black woman, and they were already cuing up the edit of that for Taylor Brown after weeks of being ostracized and talked about snapped after she was lied on by Drew Campbell during a nomination ceremony in the recent episode on Sunday.

If the CBS and “Big Brother” doesn’t properly display the events and things that have been said about Taylor Brown and LaTrice Verrett for weeks from all the players in the game including Drew Campbell, Angela Murray, Rick Devens, Dee Valladares, Barrett Pfeiffer, Melody Morris and Mallory Aurichio, I’m going to have an issue. Don’t try to point the finger at solely Haley Thogmartin and protect these players who you call ‘icons’ who are not. That is complete BS and the internet is going to call BS on it.

I love that Taylor and Lala have one another to chat about the situation, as well as Yash, who is also a person of color in the house. None of this talk has been seen on the actual episodes, yet, but I’m guessing on this week’s POV episode, we get a slice of this. This is the first time in a very long time I’m ready to check out from the BB28 season. As a person of color, I can only watch so much despicable behavior where I have to protect my mental health and peace. When you watch episodes it’s nothing compared to the live feeds. The live feeds you see it all, the good, the bad, the ugly and the real truth. Things are not edited down and sugarcoated.

Perhaps before putting the contestants in the BB house there should be a discussion about race, microaggressions, homophobia, sexism, misogyny, so the houseguests understand TRULY everything they say and do is broadcast over the internet. You cannot hide who you are, so saying you didn’t see everything, is a facade people. Do better BB producers, do better because in 2026, I’m tired of seeing this same pattern time and time again.

Written By LaDale Anderson