Former Celebrity Big Brother contestant Chris Kattan revealed the reason for his abrupt self-eviction from the house after 15 days of game play. Chris, a 51-year-old actor and comedian best-known for his legendary work on Saturday Night Live, was a quiet player who did not join an alliance. During the second eviction, Chris was nominated against one of his friends in the house, Mirai Nagasu. In his eviction speech, he asked the houseguests to vote him out, essentially saying goodbye to them and wishing them well in the game. However, the house unanimously voted out Mirai, leaving Chris sad and confused about why they kept him in the game.
A few days later, fans noticed that Chris was missing from the live feeds. He had not been feeling well and had been complaining of back pain for a few days. In 2001, Chris had broken his neck during a Saturday Night Live performance, and he has had issues with neck and back pain ever since. When the next episode of Celebrity Big Brother aired, Chris' departure was announced, and viewers saw Chris' fellow houseguests' reactions to his self-eviction. He left a video message in which he gave each of them a personal goodbye and wished them good luck in the competition. They were saddened and disappointed to see Chris go.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Chris revealed the reason that he decided to leave the game. He said that he is feeling great, and although he misses being in the house with his fellow contestants, it feels "amazing" to be on the outside. Chris said that doing the show was much harder than he thought it would be. He said that he thought that it "would be a lot more lighthearted, fun, a lot of laughs, a blast of a good time. It was a lot of fun, but it was hard." Chris explained that at a certain point, it became hard for him to not talk to his family and to be disconnected from the outside world. He admitted that he was not ready and did not realize what it felt like to have cameras on him 24/7. Chris missed his family, friends, loved ones and girlfriend, and was having a difficult time with not being allowed to communicate with the outside world, saying, "As much as you think you can acknowledge that rule, at some point it really does get to you." Chris confessed that his breaking point came when he realized that he would not be able to communicate with his mom and 93-year-old step-dad, who is very sick. He said, "God forbid, something could have happened, and I would just be kicking myself if something did happen, you know? And if something happened and they weren’t able to tell me, that would be terrible. So that was really the main reason why I needed to leave. That was what was most important."
In addition, Chris said that the pressure of being on the show 24/7 was difficult, and combined with missing his family, he felt that he had to contact the outside world. He said that it was fun for a while, but "when it got dramatic, it was like, 'Oh boy.'" Chris concluded by saying that he is so grateful for the time that he had in the house and that he made great friendships that are so important to him. He cannot wait to see Todrick Hall and Carson Kressley, and he has already spoken to Teddi Mellencamp and Mirai. Chris wanted to make it clear that his past injury was not a major factor in his exit. In an interview with Global TV, Chris said that production knew all about the injury and that it was something that he had to monitor during challenges. Although it gave him problems here and there, he explained, "I’m fine. In order to work on other projects, I’m fine. Riding a reindeer up and down might do something to your neck and was something to look out for, but other than that, I was fine to do physical stuff." Although he had already left the game and did not compete in this competition, Chris was referring to the Power of Veto competition during which players had to ride a mechanical reindeer to add time to their clocks for a snowflake stacking competition.
Chris was a fan-favorite contestant on Celebrity Big Brother, and viewers were just as sad to see him leave the house as his fellow competitors were. He played the game with integrity, loyalty and kindness, and did not have the cutthroat style of game play that would allow him to stab players in the back. Although his time in the house was voluntarily cut short, he was entertaining to watch and made an impact on the game. Chris will be remembered as a great houseguest.
Celebrity Big Brother airs on various days and at various times. Check local listings.