Audrey Middleton, former contestant on Big Brother, went to Twitter to call out CBS for telling her she should come out as transgender on the show. Middleton was a houseguest on Big Brother during season 17, which aired in 2015.
During her time on Big Brother, Middleton would become the first transgender contestant on the show. That was also the same season that a pair of twins, Liz and Julia Nolan, competed as one. While Audrey did become a fan favorite during her season, she did not last long on the show. She made it 36 days in the Big Brother house and was the fourth person evicted that season.
These new claims from Middleton come from her Twitter account, as she talked about her past casting and appearance on Big Brother. In the tweets, Middleton claimed that CBS doesn't care about representation on the show and that CBS "appeals to the social climate, at all cost." Audrey claims that CBS thought her coming out as transgender would bring positive representation to the show. At the time, Caitlyn Jenner had just come out as transgender and was getting a positive reception, and CBS wanted to capitalize on that. Middleton stated CBS producers were "worried about perception" and asked her to come out as the first transgender houseguest. Check out her tweets below:
This conversation and the tweets from Middleton were sparked by complaints about the current season's houseguests. Season 21 has not gotten off to the best start, as Jackson Michie and Jack Matthews are giving the season a bad reputation. Fans of the show have been outraged on social media, as they claim the duo have used the N-word on the live feeds, which CBS is denying happened. Middleton addressed this issue, as she claims that CBS casts problematic houseguests. She said, "To be completely blunt, in my experience and opinion, like most systems, Big Brother U.S. is a completely corrupt operation whose agenda is solely to make money." She even took digs at host Julie Chen and producers, as she added, "Hence, the lack of authenticity from the host, the poorly planned twist, and routine cast with bigoted views."
When it comes to Big Brother, fans of the show are a very passionate group. They will not let any of these details die down, as they will want answers, and Audrey has now added fuel to the fire. Producers of the show keep bringing in houseguests that are going to draw the line with controversial topics, and since it keeps the show relevant and in the news, fans likely shouldn't expect any changes with casting in the future to stop these issues.
Big Brother airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm EST and Sundays at 8pm EST on CBS.
Source: Audrey Middleton