Big Brother‘s latest season took a dramatic twist as houseguest Luke Valentine was swiftly removed from the show for using a racial slur during a conversation with fellow cast members.

“Luke violated the Big Brother code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur. He has been removed from the house,” CBS and the show’s producers said in a statement to ABC News. “His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.”

The incident unfolded Tuesday night, when Valentine, who is white, used the racial slur while conversing with Jared Fields, Cory Wurtenberger, and Hisam Goueli.

“We were in the f****** (inaudible) room, n****,” he said before catching himself and trying to laugh it off, adding, “I’m sorry.”

His remark was met with immediate backlash, with Jared, who is Black, addressing the incident and its impact.

Hosted by Julie Chen, Big Brother offers a voyeuristic lens into a group of contestants living together under constant surveillance. Each week a Houseguest is voted off, with the last one standing receiving the grand prize of $750,000.

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