Controversial Big Brother housemate George Gilbert has shared his first social media post since being booted from the house this week – and it hasn’t gone down well.
The 23-year-old Parish councillor was removed from the house by ITV bosses this week, following reports of ‘inappropriate behaviour and language.’
It is believed that the final straw came during a conversation about ‘conspiracy theories,’ although ITV wouldn’t divulge his exact words.
George was called into the Diary Room by Big Brother as he lay sleeping, whereupon the news was broken.
ITV has said that it will not broadcast what George said, as it violated broadcasting standards.
George has now spoken out for the first time since leaving the house, in a video posted to his Instagram account.
In the video, a barefoot George can be seen reclining in the garden, an open book resting over his face.
He arises, gurns for the camera, and says: ‘I was asking questions. I just want to know the truth. You know?’
He then makes an exasperated sound before walking off.
‘The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing,’ George wrote in the caption, quoting Albert Einstein.
However, not everyone was sympathetic to George’s plight.
‘You broke broadcast standards,’ wrote Instagram user and singer Sean Chriscole in the comments below. ‘I’ve read them. I know what they are, you know what they are. They’re dead easy to follow.’
He continued: ‘I’ve seen contracts for Netflix and ITV and BBC as an actor myself. You have to say some stupid s**t to get sacked/contract terminated.
‘Yet your [sic] brush it off as “I was just asking questions.” Do some self reflection and grow up.’
Ouch.
‘Cool story… what did you say?’ wrote lphicovrcle, adding to a chorus of voices demanding to know what the inciting comment had actually been.
‘Just tell us what you said. We all want to know,’ said caz_b_2.
‘I just wanna know what you said that was soo bad,’ agreed jade.bollen.
There may be a hint in George’s choice of reading material in the video – The Jews of England, by Jonathan A. Romain, which is a history of Anglo-Jewry from the Middle Ages to the present (or at least 1988, when it was published).
This comes after The Sun reported that the offending comments could have been interpreted as ‘antisemitic.’
The tabloid’s source revealed: ‘Everyone was absolutely disgusted. Nobody could believe what he said – he was clearly out to shock people.’
He was removed from the Big Brother house on October 8, for ‘repeated use of unacceptable language and behaviour,’ most of which was not broadcast.
Prior to his removal, George also shared his views on homelessness, suggesting that people should take responsibility for their own financial situations.
He also said most people who shoplift are driven by greed rather than desperation, and targeted Disney’s Lightyear film, taking umbrage with its depiction of a gay kiss.
He was also issued a warning from Big Brother after mocking the hand gestures and voice of his housemate – 27-year-old Zumba instructor, singer and LGBTQ+ rights activist Sam Ashby.
Following the incident, Sam became visibly emotional, telling Big Brother that he felt mocked ‘as if [he has] some kind of disability’.
In a statement provided to Metro.co.uk after his exit, George said: ‘As a flag bearer of freedom of speech, I never hesitate to discuss and question any topic regardless of how contentious it may be.
‘Sadly, the boundaries of what is deemed offensive are subjective, and I evidently went too far this time by crossing their line one too many times.
‘It is a shame that specific debate could not be had and that it has had to end like this. Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me.’
Big Brother airs from Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.