Jason De Puy was evicted from the Big Brother 28 house last week, and we got the chance to chat with him about his journey.
The 35-year-old reality star, who also previously competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race, spoke out about fellow houseguest Kamu Kirk, Kamu‘s George Floyd video that is floating around, being targeted on a personal level, and more.
We also asked Jason if there was anything he wanted to clear up about his time inside the Big Brother house that he might not have had the chance to address yet. He got emotional and opened up about the viral moment between him and Angela hugging over the death of his mother.
Scroll down for what Jason said in our interview…
Just Jared: There’s been a lot coming out about Kamu in the last few days. Big Brother fans discovered a video of him mocking George Floyd. I saw you tweet out something about his last name being “Kirk.” How did it feel coming out of the house after his Head of Household and finding out all of this information? Were you surprised?
Jason: Oh, I wasn’t surprised one bit. If anything, it made me feel less crazy because, in the house, I could sense this energy. I felt that attitude that, uh, you know… he is very charming. You know, he’s a charming guy in person. Like, you want to be his friend. The way he talks with you and the way he story tells is really funny. So, uh, he had people eating out at the palm of his hand. And I could see that in the house. And when I wouldn’t, I felt that, you know, he was like, “Oh, got to get him out,” you know? So, to see all this outside the house, I was like, “Oh, I’m not crazy….my suspicions were actually true.” [I felt] very validated in that and what I went through with him. To see how he is outside in the real world, I said, “Oh, of course. Of course. That’s what happened to me.”
Just Jared: Did you feel like you were being targeted on a personal level while you were in the house, or did it feel like it was strictly gameplay? And now that you’ve been out of the house and learned more, has your perspective changed?
Jason: It did not feel like gameplay, if I can be quite honest, because my mind started to shift outside of gameplay and wanted to attack personally because I could sense who these people were in the house. Before I got out of the house, I had a feeling this was who they were. So I was ready to play personal and not make a game. And then I was told to switch back into game mode. I had a final pitch I was ready to pitch, and I shared that, and I was told, “Hey, that’s not really, that’s not the spirit of the game.” So I had to change into game mode.
So the tea party, I had to speak game. I wasn’t allowed to personally attack, which, you know, for me was a challenge in itself because I could have read all of them for who they were in that moment. I already knew, right? So to see all the stuff outside the house that validated who I thought they were personally, it made me feel good and not crazy. But I’m very proud that I was able to make it about game and show my strategic, you know, that I actually did have in the house, which I don’t think people were very privy to, that I was in tune with what was happening.
Just Jared: You’ve done a good amount of press after leaving the house. Is there anything you feel like you want to address but haven’t been able to yet? Or clear up?
Jason: I’m very sorry to everyone who thought I was lying about my mom. I really, I truly wasn’t. That was a very authentic moment with Angela. Like, that was very real. I know it’s ugly that I turned around and smiled and that I chose to, like, use that for gameplay, but what people didn’t see was that I actually had an entire isolated meltdown before the icons even came in the house, and everyone comforted me.
And so I learned, ‘Oh, people [are] already on my side for me being emotional.’ So it was an easy switch for me to, like, use emotional as my gameplay.
And when my mom passed away, I was also coming off—my Drag Race season was airing, so I was performing in front of thousands of people while my mom died. And I was grieving, having to turn on and switch and compartmentalize really fast. I’m really good at that. I know how to do it because that’s what I had to do when my mom passed away.
So when I had those feelings with Angela in the house, they were very real. And I’m sorry to anyone that I felt was, like, that was disgusting. That was not what I intended at all. I’m just really… I know how to compartmentalize my feelings because I’ve been through the worst of it. I was getting death threats from fans online for my drag while my mom, like, literally passed away and my sister, its heart is breaking, who just turned 21 without her mom.
You know, so, like, I know how to deal with those emotions and I can navigate them very well. And I’m sorry that people didn’t have that context going into it. But my feelings with Angela were completely authentic. That’s why we were able to make up so fast after the “egg-ula” fight.
I know that’s why she saw me and she knew she forgave me. So I hope that America can forgive me for that too.
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This interview has been edited for clarity.
Jason also spoke out about LBGTQ representation on Big Brother.
Posted To:Big Brother CBS Jason De Puy Television