Big Brother's Kamu Kirk addresses anti-drag comments after eviction

Kamu Kirk is addressing the backlash over comments he made about drag while competing on Big Brother, saying he respects his fellow houseguest Jason and believes everyone should be free to dress however they want.

The MMA fighter was evicted from the Big Brother house this week in an 8-1 vote after Rick Devens used his Diamond Power of Veto to remove Dee Valladares from the block and replace her with Kirk. Kirk subsequently lost the BB Block Buster competition to Angela Murray, leaving him vulnerable to the house vote.

Following his eviction, Kirk spoke to Entertainment Weekly about a comment he made earlier in the season while sitting with Devens. After seeing Drew wearing Mallory's women's pajamas, Kirk said, "Miss me with the drag stuff, miss me with the women's clothes. I'm still an MMA guy, and I have an image to uphold."

The remark drew criticism from viewers, with some interpreting it as homophobic or as suggesting that wearing women's clothing was unacceptable. Asked directly about the comment by EW, Kirk said he did not intend to express hostility towards drag or Jason, who performs in drag under the name Salina.

"Oh, no, no, man," Kirk said. "With the whole comment, I love Jason."

Kirk acknowledged that he and Jason did not always see eye to eye strategically in the game, but said their disagreements were about gameplay rather than personal animosity. He also recalled feeling upset when Jason was evicted and trying to comfort him afterward.

"On a personal level, I love Jason," Kirk said.

He went on to clarify that Jason and the other houseguests should be able to dress however they choose.

"Jason and all those guys, they can dress however they wanna dress. And that's cool with me," he said. "But I also wanna be able to dress the way that I wanna be able to dress and feel comfortable dressing without people putting pressure on me to dress a certain way either."

Kirk said that, ultimately, he wants the same respect he believes he is extending to others. When asked whether he would attend one of Jason's performances as Salina, he was uncertain but said he hoped to see Jason at the Big Brother finale.

"I would love to give him a hug, and I wanna make sure that he knows that: Hey, dude, on a human level, I love you, dude. I hope that we can be friends," Kirk said.

The comments came as Kirk reflected on his unexpected eviction. He had believed he could survive the block even after losing the BB Block Buster, but ultimately received only one vote to stay.

Kirk said he was particularly frustrated that Devens' Diamond Power of Veto changed the nominations after he had worked with Head of Household Yash Patel to target Dee. He argued that the returning "icons" on the season already had significant advantages, although he acknowledged that Devens had made a strong strategic move.

Despite the loss, Kirk said he was proud of how he played and did not have many regrets. He believed that, had Devens not used the power, the house could have voted Dee out instead, potentially changing the entire direction of the season.

For now, Kirk's comments leave the door open for a reconciliation with Jason, as he made clear that his criticism was not intended as a personal attack on his fellow houseguest or his drag persona.