‘Big Brother’ Blasted After Controversial Houseguest Jackson Michie’s Alleged Domestic Assault Arrest Surfaces
Big Brother producers are feeling the heat once again this summer. Jackson Michie, one of the most controversial houseguests on the 21st season of the CBS reality show, was allegedly arrested last year on a domestic assault charge, according to an arrest record unearthed by viewers, Newsweek reports. The record was shared on Twitter by former Big Brother winner Dick Donato on Monday, which gave the story a lot of traction on social media.
The arrest record, which is in the Tennessee native’s name, alleges that the Big Brother houseguest was charged with a count of domestic assault, among other charges in February 2018. It is unclear if Michie was ever convicted of any crime, but Newsweek notes that some Reddit users claim Michie revealed details of his arrest to his former showmance, Kathryn Dunn, on the CBS live feeds.
Many fans of the CBS summertime reality show are now calling out longtime Big Brother producer Allison Grodner and casting director Robyn Kass for dropping the ball on background checks, with some demanding that Jackson Michie be removed from the game immediately — even if he wasn’t convicted of a crime.
“Jackson has domestic violence on his record,” one outraged Big Brother viewer tweeted. “Nice work! Once again, @CBSBigBrother, @Kassting, @agrodner22 You guys are keeping it trashy for the fans! Smh…… ALL of y’all need to be fired! #BB21.”
Other viewers have threatened to stop watching Big Brother 21, as can be seen in the Twitter reaction below.
Grodner has allowed someone (Jackson Michie) with 14 counts of domestic assault live in a house with 15 other strangers, he has made threats and has exhibited volatile behavior towards the women… help us understand how this is appropriate @CBSBigBrother #BB21
— ANTI (@LolitaMone) July 15, 2019
@CBSBigBrother my favorite part of the season was when I stopped watching after I found out about Jackson abusing women and jack/Jackson’s racism being covered up! #evictjack #evictjackson #boycottBigBrother #bb21 #abuser #racist https://t.co/tppyGQ0DCp
— Katy Bright (@KatyCarr75) July 16, 2019
Just ahead of the Season 21 cast reveal last month, Big Brother casting boss Robyn Kass took to Twitter to reveal she was ready for the backlash that she presumably receives every season.
“Ahhhh, enjoying my last day of serenity,” Kass wrote the day before the BB21 cast reveal. “Before random people, who don’t know me, start saying horrible things about me for doing my job.”
But some angry fans don’t think Kass is doing her job. Big Brother producers are used to complaints and controversy, but this is one of the first times viewers have accused the show’s bosses of failing to do proper background checks on the houseguests who made it through the casting process.
Jackson Michie has already made headlines for his controversial behavior on the Big Brother live feeds. While CBS has not aired all of his controversial moments, it has been reported that Michie allegedly said the N-word on a live feed video last week.
Big Brother 21 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on CBS.
