'Big Brother' 18: Corey Brooks' Homophobic Remarks and Goat Story Have Viewers Crying Foul

Culture

One word, Corey Brooks: Seriously? It seems the self-described extraordinary, passionate and lovable baseball coach from Dallas needs a reminder of how Big Brother works (i.e. there are cameras watching contestants 24/7) in light of his recent homophobic remarks and a story about how his friend apparently once tried to light a goat on fire — statements many viewers found offensive and troubling. 

Ever since the contestants who would be locked up in the Big Brother summer vacation-themed house were announced in early June, many have kept their eyes on Corey. One social media user dug up Corey's alleged and now-deleted tweets from 2011 with homophobic slurs. 

As could have been expected, Corey didn't bring his filter with him into the house. The way he's acknowledged Cody's brother and other male contestants' bodies has led other houseguests to question his sexuality, which has since prompted Corey to clarify multiple times he is not gay. 

He even waved to cameras and stated "I swear I'm straight."

This caused Twitter to create the oh-so clever hashtag #NotGayCorey.

Mic asked season 15 contestant and the only openly gay winner of Big Brother Andy Herren, his thoughts on Corey's homophobic comments. 

"Do I think Corey is an evil homophobe? No," he said. "What he is, though, is just as bad: He's gay-phobic. He'll joke about finding guys attractive, but then when anyone insinuates that he could be gay he goes into a panic and does whatever he can to make sure people know he isn't gay, like being gay is something horrifying.

"He also throws around 'that's so gay' when talking negatively about things, which, in 2016, needs to stop. To Corey, being gay is something that he is deeply scared of and doesn't understand, and his ignorance on the subject is rather appalling. Ignorance is the key word here. I don't think Corey has a lot of hate in his heart or anything, but I do think he has a lot to learn when it comes to dealing with homosexuality." 

It's not just homophobic comments Corey has been called out for. On the live feeds over the weekend, Corey explained — with a smile on his face, no less — how his friend had purchased a goat and poured lighter fluid on it in attempts to light it on fire. 

It's safe to say that many Twitter users, including Herren, called out the way Corey told his story:

Many have also taken issue with how Corey joked about "beating the living crap" out of Nicole for pranking him. 

This is hardly the first time that contestants have said controversial remarks during the livestreams. But in its 18 seasons, a houseguest has yet to be removed from the show for what they've said. (Mic has reached out to CBS for more information on its eviction procedures.) 

The next episode of Big Brother 18 airs next at 8 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. But, for an unfiltered view of the contestants, check out the 24-hour livestream.

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