Celebrity Big Brother receives over 1,000 complaints after use of N-word
The Channel 5 reality show has been criticised for allowing Rodrigo Alves to remain on the show
Celebrity Big Brother has racked up over 1,000 Ofcom complaints after contestant Rodrigo Alves dropped the N-word in conversation.
Alves, known to many as ‘The Human Ken Doll’, used the offensive term twice in a conversation about his love life, saying he was attracted to "n***** boys”.
Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom confirmed to RadioTimes.com that it had received 1,077 complaints about the incident so far.
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The Channel 5 show cautioned the contestant that he would be evicted if he repeated the word in future.
“Last night I was very excited to be here, and I had quite a lot to drink, and I was intoxicated,” Alves said in the diary room after his final warning. “Today I’m very hungover, and obviously I regret that, using the N-word, that was not necessary at all. It was just excitement.”
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In a statement to RadioTimes.com, Ofcom said: "We will assess these complaints against our broadcasting code before deciding whether or not we will be investigating". The Ofcom code states that "offensive language" may be deemed acceptable if "justified by the context".
Some fans argued that Alves should be evicted from the house as Emily Parr – a contestant from the show’s non-celebrity series in 2007 – was asked to leave after using the same word in conversation.
CBB also caused controversy earlier this series with a Donald Trump-inspired ‘build a wall’ task. Viewers said the challenge – which asked contestants to construct a replica of the wall the US president pledged to erect along the US-Mexico border – was “insensitive and offensive” and “beyond poor taste”.
Celebrity Big Brother continues 9pm tonight, C5
