Big Brother played up Kamu Kirk's comments that Jason De Puy was his "Zesty Bestie," but the latter exclusively revealed to CinemaBlend that he was never cool with that nickname. The drag queen was kind enough to spill some additional tea following his memorable tea party on the 2026 TV schedule, and he gave his honest thoughts about Kamu and some of his other allies.
I spoke to Jason the following morning after his eviction, and we got into his big moments with Kamu, including the nickname he made it clear he wasn't a fan of. The evicted Houseguest, whose nickname from Kamu stemmed from the fact that he's an openly gay drag queen, said "Zesty Bestie" was not a nickname they collaborated on and was inflammatory:
It was 100% a microaggression. Never in my time there did I feel like he was my bestie. He was never my best friend. He was never a friend to me. He would say 'Zesty Bestie' as if like I thought it was cool. The big alpha male gave me a nickname, you know, that's what it felt like. Microaggression is exactly the word I was looking for. I could tell it was his way to think he was connecting with me and thought he had me in his pocket. I'll admit, at one point I thought, 'Oh, I miss Zesty Bestie, like, how sweet.' But it was very clear after some of the ways he was acting in the house that that was not necessarily an authentic thing from him.
Jason says the Week 3 HOH used it as if they had a friendship outside of the game, but that was never the case. Those watching Big Brother online live feeds with a Paramount+ subscription largely reported the same and shared the sentiment that Kamu's use of the name felt like a microaggression.
This led to further tension between the two, especially after Kamu patted him on the back following the conclusion of the BB Blockbuster. Jason was heard saying, "Don't touch me" to him as he walked to his seat, and now it's clear why he wasn't feeling very sportsmanlike.
As for whether there was a bridge he could mend with Kamu, or others he had run-ins with during Big Brother, Jason had this to say:
Honestly, I have no interest in talking to Chuck, Kamu, or Haley. They're not people I would talk to in my real life. I don't assume they would ever talk to someone like me in real life from what conversations we've had. They've made it very clear it's not necessarily a lifestyle they support. I'm cool with that, and that's fine with me.
Jason alleged that Kamu, Week 4 HOH Haley Thogmartin, and Chuk Anyanwu made it clear they weren't fans of drag queens or possibly a gay lifestyle. In his eyes, there's no need to try and repair that relationship, though he did say he'd be fine with Angela Murray and other Houseguests he got into it with, like Rick Devens.
The comments come as the internet does a deep dive into Kamu's social media, which has revealed a history of problematic posts ranging from offensive comments tied to racial injustice and homophobic talking points. It's disappointing Jason might've been a victim of unfair treatment in the Big Brother house due to his sexuality, so here's hoping those moves were solely done as part of the game.
While his time in the house only lasted three weeks, Jason left a mark that may end up being one of the highlights of the season. From the classic move of banging pots and pans to irritate to taking on Angela and going toe-to-toe in a house meeting showdown, there's no denying his presence will be missed in the Big Brother house.
Big Brother continues on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. The game is rolling on as conversation outside the house continues about this season, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
