Big Brother Season 24 said goodbye to Nicole Layog in Week 4, and not long after vacating the house, she learned just how controversial things got regarding her and other Houseguests' treatment of Taylor Hale. Nicole and Daniel Durston received the lion's share of the criticism from both fans and former Houseguests, and now that she’s seen some of that blowback, Nicole has shared with CinemaBlend her new thoughts on Taylor, as well as some concern for Daniel.
I spoke to Nicole Layog the week following her eviction, after she’d had time to learn about and sit with the responses that fans had, as well as seeing how her comments and actions impacted Taylor. I asked Nicole if her eviction and media interviews were like a “double blindside” for her, and learned the following:
I definitely saw myself going home. That part I was prepared for. Obviously, hearing about the things that came out of my mouth and how it affected Taylor really, really, took me aback and it just broke my heart. And, it still is breaking my heart because she’s obviously still in the house and we can’t address anything until she leaves.
Nicole might’ve been one of the more notable names called out by Big Brother fans, but she certainly wasn’t alone in dishing out the taunting comments that left Taylor isolated and upset in the opening weeks of the game. Ameerah Jones also faced backlash for her part when she left, as did Paloma Aguilar when she resurfaced online after having vacated the game for personal reasons, which ultimately gave Taylor’s game new life.
Houseguests turned on Taylor almost at the very start of the game, to the point that it’s hard to pinpoint any one particular thing occurred that led to her mistreatment. I asked Nicole Layog for some insight, and while she couldn’t speak for other Houseguests, she did address why things escalated on her end where Taylor was concerned, saying:
As far as the things that I’ve said about her, I still haven’t looked back at any of those things. But, reflecting on where things might have gone downhill–I’m a very protective person, and when the people I care about and the people that I feel like I’m protecting the most feel threatened I felt like I needed to protect them. So then, I started getting angry with her and I started getting frustrated with her and that’s really where it came from.
Nicole added that her relationship with Taylor only got worse following the events in the bedroom, as well as the incident with Daniel that had Janelle Pierzina and others reacting. On that day, Nicole took offense when Taylor informed her she could “throw in the towel” and not compete in the upcoming competitions if she didn’t feel up to it, as Nicole was in the midst of crying on her bed after exiting the Diary Room. It's not known why Nicole was crying, though Houseguests at the time suspected it involved her mother, who is currently battling cancer.
Big Brother is on the eve of another eviction, and at the moment, it’s looking almost certain that Daniel is the next person headed out of the house. Nicole was Daniel’s biggest ally, and possibly his closest friend in there, and as such, she expressed concern and pondered how he might react upon hearing about the backlash post-eviction. In her words:
I am concerned about him. I obviously have heard some backlash already in regards to him and then most of my questions with the media have all been about me and Daniel’s gameplay and what we were doing. I hope that he is able to accept it, and I hope that he’s able to see the full picture and not just his experience and really see how things have affected Taylor. That’s one thing I realized, her feelings are valid and I care about her, and I want to be able to connect with her on that and I hope he does too.
Nicole Layog confirmed to CinemaBlend that she has made contact with the other Houseguests who were evicted so far this season, and that she appreciated being able to talk to them during this time. Nicole also noted she’ll likely stay a fan of Big Brother, though will find it hard to sit down and watch her own season.
The latest evictee also expressed a desire to get in touch with Taylor at the finale to try and talk things through, but it’s unknown at this time how Taylor might receive such a conversation. Taylor, who ended up finding safety amongst The Leftovers alliance, quoted Rihanna on eviction night and told Nicole, “You look so dumb right now,” before the Houseguests voted to send Nicole home. It’s possible she may not be in a place to want to hear any apologies from Nicole or others, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see in the weeks to come.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET and on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Pick up a Paramount+ subscription to keep track of what’s happening on the live feeds, and for lots of moments that often don’t make the episodes.
