Ever since Paloma Aguilar's abrupt departure from the Big Brother 24 house during week one of the competition, fans have been wondering what really happened, and now Paloma gives the real reason behind her shocking exit. Paloma, a 22-year-old interior designer from San Marcos, California, left the show before the first live eviction of the season due to "a personal issue." Fans first noticed that Paloma was missing from the live feeds early on Wednesday, July 13, and assumed that she was in the Diary Room with the Big Brother production team.

On the live Thursday episode, the show aired footage of Paloma crying that she could not sleep or eat in the house. Her mental health seemed to be deteriorating, and her fellow houseguests were very concerned about her. Her erratic behavior was noted by fans who watched the live feeds. She was even shown sleeping on the Diary Room couch, something which was unprecedented. Later in the episode, in a taped segment, Head of Household (HOH) Daniel Durston tearfully read a message which read, "Due to a personal matter, Paloma will no longer be continuing in the Big Brother game. She wanted to pass along that she loves you all and wishes you all the best." The houseguests wept, and Monte led them as they prayed for Paloma's well-being.

Related: Big Brother Producers Speak To Houseguests About Microaggressions

Although Paloma's mental health seems to be the main reason that she left Big Brother 24, some fans have speculated that her controversial treatment of fellow houseguest Taylor Hale might have contributed to her exit as well. Fans who watch the Big Brother live feeds, including many prominent alums of the show, noticed the micro-aggressions that Paloma and some of the other houseguests were directing toward Taylor, a Black woman, including their unsupported statement that she was "aggressive." Paloma, a self-proclaimed "girls' girl," watched Taylor's interactions with the men in the house and decided that she was not a "girls' girl." Despite her negative feelings toward Taylor, Paloma revealed some of her Big Brother game plan with her, which included targeting the strong men in the house. When Taylor warned Monte Taylor that Paloma had said this, Monte confronted her, and she vehemently denied it. She convinced Daniel to nominate Taylor for eviction as a replacement nominee. Paloma attempted to turn the entire house against Taylor, and she succeeded. Taylor was shown crying as she became more isolated in the house. Taylor was certain to be backdoored until Paloma's exit led to the first elimination of the season being cancelled. Although many people thought that Paloma's interactions with Taylor might have led to her exit, Paloma is finally setting the record straight.

Paloma Said Taylor Had Nothing To Do With Her Exit

Taylor Hale from Big Brother 24

In a statement given to Us Weekly, Paloma said, "It’s crazy how people jump to conclusions with the whole racist bit — Taylor and I are actually good friends so please keep hyping her up! She’s a QUEEN." According to Paloma, she and Taylor developed a friendship before she exited the show. She blamed Big Brother production for portraying them as enemies by leaving out important interactions between them from the television show episodes. Paloma revealed, "Her and I became actually very close towards the end — the thing is they cut the beginning clips and ran with it. I told her I didn’t want to hear it in the last episode because I was exhausted and I knew our girl well enough that it didn’t even matter because she’s just trying to play [the] game either way."

Paloma Said That Reality TV Isn't Always Real

Big Brother 24 Backstage Pass

Paloma continued to blame Big Brother production for her negative portrayal on the show. In reference to Taylor she said, "Remember that reality tv isn’t always real. I’m always rooting for boss babes, never going to try and tear a strong woman down and I was extremely straight up with her the first days when we didn’t mesh." Paloma went on to say that Taylor "didn’t try to ally with any of the girls and unfortunately our convo about that wasn’t aired. … Only love for this girl. I can’t wait for her to come out so we can talk about it as two strong women."

Paloma Said That Big Brother Was Not Worth The Cost Of Her Mental Health

Big Brother Paloma Aguilar

Paloma did not elaborate much about why her mental health suffered so much in the Big Brother house, but she did say that "no 750,000 dollars was worth the cost of my mental health." It seems that she could not handle the pressure of being isolated in the house and playing the game. No amount of money was worth her mental health and well-being.

Related: Big Brother Fans Shocked By Paloma Aguilar's Exit

Paloma's sudden exit from Big Brother 24 sent shockwaves through the house. She set the game on a whole different trajectory when she left because the first elimination was cancelled. If she had stayed, someone else might have left the game. Everyone should remember that Big Brother is, in the end, just a game, and Paloma's well-being is the most important thing. Hopefully Paloma has recovered from her time in the Big Brother house.

Next: How Paloma Aguilar’s Unexpected Exit Affected Big Brother 24

Big Brother airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EDT and Thursdays at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.

Source: Us Weekly