Big Brother: Julie Chen being unmasked during exit interview doesn't sit well with some fans

Keesha Smith BB22 Exit — Keesha Smith was the first person evicted on Big Brother 22. Pic credit: CBS

On Big Brother 22, Julie Chen Moonves conducted an eviction interview on Thursday night, but many fans noticed that she wasn’t wearing a mask.

It was an important episode, with the BB22 cast participating in their first Eviction Ceremony of the summer. It meant someone would walk out the front door to meet with Julie.

Keesha Smith was the first houseguest to leave this season after she was voted out 13-0 by the rest of the BB22 cast. She didn’t do enough to save herself and it ended her time on All-Stars 2.

But the focus of Keesha’s exit interview was less on how she answered the questions from the host and more on the fact that she was wearing a mask and Julie was not.

Fans weigh in on Big Brother mask controversy

There were a lot of Big Brother fans who had a lot to say about Keesha wearing a mask and Julie not wearing a mask, even though Julie was seated a long distance away from Keesha.

Below is an image that shows just how much distance there was on the stage between Julie Chen Moonves and Keesha Smith as the interview took place:

Julie Chen and Keesha Smith — Julie Chen Moonves interviews Keesha Marie Smith on Big Brother 22. Pic credit: CBS

And as for the fans, a few of their notes on social media are shared below:

BB22 Complaint — A Big Brother fan upset with Julie Chen. Pic credit: @conchShell11/Twitter

BB22 Complaint 2 — Another BB22 fan upset with Julie. Pic credit: @jmtaylor1977/Twitter

BB22 Complaint 3 — Fan unhappy with Keesha exit interview. Pic credit: @tallkid6/Twitter

Will CBS and Julie Chen issue a response?

This has become a big enough issue on social media that CBS and Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves may need to weigh in soon.

During the season premiere, Julie spoke about being a safe distance away from the houseguests as they entered the game. At that time, all of the BB22 cast members were also wearing masks, but Julie remained unmasked.

At issue is the potential of catching COVID-19, which could be a problem if anyone on the cast or crew (or Julie Chen) ended up catching it.

Before the season even started, former winner Josh Martinez was removed from the BB22 cast due to a positive COVID-19 test. That test may have been a false positive, though.

There is also a chance that Keesha can return to the game through a Big Brother Battle Back Competition, so it’s important that she remains in good enough health to potentially rejoin everyone.

Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8/7c on CBS.