Big Brother UK contestant Caroline Monk, 56, from Canvey Island, has been issued a formal warning after making a transphobic remark toward fellow housemate Zelah, a 25-year-old transgender personal trainer from South London, during the October 7 episode.
The incident occurred when Caroline asked fellow housemate Nancy a hypothetical question about who she would choose to be intimate with “to get a new civilization” if she were stranded alone on an island. Nancy, who identifies as pansexual, hesitated before answering. Jenny stepped in to clarify Nancy’s sexuality, prompting Caroline to quip if that meant Nancy “liked pans.”
Watch Big Brother UK on ITVX for Free Outside the UK
Nancy eventually responded with Zelah’s name, to which Caroline replied: “She’s a girl. No, you’re not.”
She continued: “But you haven’t got a w*lly. Is that really bad?”
Her comments immediately drew criticism from fellow housemates Teja and Feyisola, who told Caroline she should not have said that. Although Caroline quickly apologized, viewers expressed outrage on social media, calling out her remarks as transphobic and demanding accountability.
One user on X wrote, “so caroline, the same person who told JENNY OFF for outing zelah, has now gone and asked zelah a question that is transphobic, and THEN proceeded to call him a girl?? yeah cancel the show.”
Another fan commented, “We’ve had homophobic behaviour towards contestants BBUK24 towards Ali, towards Jojo Siwa in CBB25 and now towards Sam, Nancy and Zelah within 2 DAYS on this season?? It seems to be prioritising shock value over LGBTQ contestants safety doesn’t it.”
A third user added, “ZELAH: ‘I’ve just been called a girl, Big Brother… It’s been a while.’ The transphobia needs to be addressed. I hope @BBUK sorts this accordingly because that was out of order.”
Social media reaction was overwhelmingly in support of Zelah. “i can just tell zelah is constantly biting his tongue, not defending himself or saying anything because he knows he’ll get painted as ‘aggressive’ just because he’s trans. it’s so sad he has every right to defend himself,” one viewer wrote.
Others echoed similar frustrations:
- “it’s not even like she knew zelah pre transition so there wasn’t any excuse for her to say that.”
- “i am SICK of people being weird or transphobic towards zelah then passing it off as a joke that he then shouldnt feel affected by.”
- “Caroline is a vile human being. not only did she humiliate Zelah in a group setting, but also mocked Nancy’s identity. seeing majority of their ‘friends’ laughing whilst they’re being embarrassed like that was so disappointing. Feyisola and Teja backing them was beautiful.”
Big Brother Issues Warning
Following the confrontation, Caroline appeared remorseful and apologized, telling Zelah she did not mean it “that way.” Zelah replied that he was “good” and understood her intentions but later walked away, declining further conversation with housemates.
Caroline was then summoned to the Diary Room, where she admitted feeling “ashamed.”
Caroline, Big Brother thinks that your language in these instances was offensive and unacceptable, and cannot permit you to use language in a way that could cause offence to your fellow housemates and the viewing public.
Big Brother addressed the issue directly, saying:
A formal warning was subsequently issued, with Big Brother cautioning that any repetition of such language or behavior could result in Caroline’s removal from the house.
Caroline accepted responsibility for her actions, saying she would “go and apologize to everyone profusely.”
Source: Primetimer
