It's been six years since Jackson Michie was crowned the winner of Big Brother Season 21 during one of the more shocking finales in the CBS franchise's history. Now, with his latest check-in after previous statements about being accused of racism and struggling with past addiction struggles, Michie shared with Julie Chen Moonves that he went broke after winning the game.
As Big Brother fans await the return of the summer series on the 2025 TV schedule, Michie chatted with Moonves for her God 101 series, where she talks with guests about finding Christianity. The Season 21 winner, who apologized for past mistakes made during the game in years prior, spoke about the immediate aftermath of winning his season, and how the quick jolt of fame and fortune impacted him:
When I ended up winning the show, I didn't have mentorship or guidance or financial counsel. And now I'm in Los Angeles, catapulted into the world, with the same problems that I had not ever healed from...And at 24, having just won $510,000, and having a little bit of popularity in Los Angeles, it was a dangerous combination for me.
Jackson's victory came before Big Brother upped how much houseguests make for winning, but any amount of prize money can go quickly if the spender isn't smart with it. The former Houseguest went on to detail issues he had with vices like women and drugs, and how those issues led to location changes and eventually hitting rock bottom.
While raised Catholic, Jackson Michie told Julie Chen Moonves that he hadn't found God until living in a house in the mountains in California. As he began to lose everything he'd gained by winning Big Brother, he began to read the Bible, eventually realizing he had to make a change. In his words:
I ended up having to get rid of everything. I moved out of the house, got rid of the car. I loaded everything I owned into a storage unit to fly back to home to Nashville with a one-way ticket to live with my parents...I have at this point blown through all of my money. Net-negative checking account. No car, no job, no plan. Going back to the city in the place that I ran from...disappointed and discouraged in myself doesn't even begin to put words to how I felt.
Moving back in with your parents may not be as stressful as living in a house where thousands monitor you daily via their Paramount+ subscription, but it's honestly a toss-up in my mind. Jackson Michie needed a reset in his life, and fortunately, his parents were more than willing to take him in and help him get back on track.
It took some time, but Michie revealed he eventually found work in roofing and began attending a bible study with mutual friends he knew. He met his current wife Caitlin there, and they later welcomed their first child Sophia in 2024.
It sounds like a happy ending for Jackson Michie, whose Big Brother season sparked significant changes in the franchise. CBS pledged to offer more diversity in its reality shows to combat unconscious racial bias, which Michie was accused of with his big move of banishing minority Houseguests in Season 21. The former winner did not discuss his past controversies in the video, but given the stories were all about religion, it might've been weird for that to come up.
Jackson Michie hasn't been on CBS television since winning Big Brother Season 21, but his season is available to stream on Paramount+. With some time before Season 27 returns in the summer, now would be a great time to watch an old season and get hype for what's coming!
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