Jackson Michie came out on top of Big Brother 21, but not without generating his fair share of controversy. Fans were accusing him of making racist moves from relatively early in the game, and he was confronted with those accusations on the same night that he won over runner-up and showmance partner Holly Allen. While he hasn't been generating the same kind of buzz since his time on CBS ended, he has remained active on social media. Now, he has come out to address his 'past mistakes.'
The Big Brother 21 champion addressed his actions in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement that has gained momentum over recent weeks, and the greater scrutiny on racist remarks have resulted in some reality TV firings. In an Instagram post, Jackson Michie said this:
So I turned 25 this Saturday on June 13. And over the past 24 years, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. And these past few weeks, these past posts, I’ve made a lot of mistakes. And it is my fault. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not being educated enough to understand that I will never understand what it’s like to be African American, to be a person of color. To be black in this country and in this world. I will never understand that. But I stand with you. And I’m sorry. Black lives matter.
Jackson Michie didn't mince words in his apology for his mistakes. He didn't get into any specifics about whether or not he was partially referring to his time on Big Brother, but he did specifically note his "past posts" over the past few weeks. Prior to his apology video, Michie shared two posts that are both seemingly commentary on the Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality.
In the first, which he posted on June 1, Jackson Michie shared ten images. Of those ten, one was of a protestor wearing a gas mask, two were of signs being held by protestors, and the rest included both police officers and protestors. While Michie's caption referred to the past few weeks as "overwhelming," with "disgusting, heartbreaking actions" and "built-up rage from years of injustice," he also said that "the rage that takes the form of looting and arson will not make a change." As some commenters noted, he didn't mention "Black lives matter" in the extensive caption.
Jackson Michie followed with another post on June 2, in which he said that he was "silent" that day but would "still pray," then quoted Bible verses and said he understood that he didn't understand. More than a week later, on June 11, Michie posted the video acknowledging "mistakes" and expressing that he stands with the Black Lives Matter movement even if he'll "never understand" what people of color are facing. Take a look at the full apology video:
Jackson Michie's explicit apology may indicate that he learned a lot from the aftermath of Big Brother 21. He was visibly shocked by Big Brother host Julie Chen's comments in the Season 21 finale that revealed some fans and fellow contestants thought that he was racist and misogynist. He defended his decision to choose three minorities out of four slots to banish contestants, but the live feeds weren't very forgiving to his behavior. After all, they did pretty conclusively prove that he was at least cheating, and he seemingly had an unfair advantage at least once.
If you want to take a look back at Jackson Michie's run on Big Brother 21, you can find the full season streaming on CBS All Access now. For some additional viewing options, be sure to check out our 2020 summer premiere schedule.
