Kamu Kirk, a contestant on "Big Brother 28," has addressed controversial comments made in the house regarding drag, asserting that he was not attempting to attack the drag community. Kirk, who was evicted from the show, told Page Six that his remarks were misinterpreted and that he maintains a positive relationship with his co-star Jason De Puy, a "RuPaul's Drag Race" alum.
During the season, Kirk made a comment about "drag stuff" after seeing a fellow houseguest wear pajamas belonging to a female player. He stated, "Miss me with the drag stuff. I’m still an MMA guy, and I have an image to uphold." This comment led to him being labeled "homophobic" by some viewers and fellow "Big Brother" alumni.
Kirk explained that his comments were a response to repeated requests for him to wear drag, particularly when there were discussions about a potential drag night in the house. He maintained that he politely declined, expressing a preference to dress in a manner he felt comfortable with. "When I made my comment, it was after I was asked several times to wear drag," Kirk said. "At one point in time, there were talks about there being a drag night at the house. And I respectfully said, ‘Hey guys, I’ll be an audience member.’ And then the day of the Tea Party when Drew and Barrett put their dresses on, multiple people asked me if I was going to also wear drag and I kept saying like, ‘No, no, no. I wanna be able to dress how I feel comfortable.’"
He reiterated that his intention was not to offend De Puy or the drag community at large. "I just simply wanted people in the house to respect how I wanted to dress," Kirk stated. "It truly isn’t anything beyond that."
Kirk also clarified that his decision to target De Puy for eviction was a strategic game move, not based on personal animosity. He described their relationship within the house as having been good prior to their game dynamics clashing.
Following his eviction, Kirk sent a private message to De Puy, expressing his respect and hoping for reconciliation. As of his interview, Kirk had not yet received a response from his castmate, but he remains optimistic about resolving any lingering issues. "I do hope that I hear back from him at some point and we can put all this behind us, but I wish him nothing but the best truly," Kirk said.
"Big Brother 28" airs on CBS, with episodes available for streaming on Paramount+ the following day.