But in addition to CBSs statement, theres another, even more important voice standing up for the way the Eye handled things: Zeke Smith himself. On it, Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as a transgender man at Tribal Council and was voted off unanimously after being blasted for blurting out something that was Smith's story to tell. Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs boards the Starship Discovery. Nosotros, Yahoo, somos parte de la familia de marcas de Yahoo. Ad Choices, The Unbelievable True Stories of the Real Indiana Jones, The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. It is heartening, however, to see the strong support for Zeke from the other people in his tribe,Nick Adams, director ofGLAADstransgender media program, said in a statement. ", 'I feel lean and mean': Slimmed down Russell Wilson ready for new season, City council president has concerns over migrant response outsourcing plan, 2 tornadoes that are part of same Colorado storm system touch down more than 100 miles apart, outed Smith as transgender during tribal council. Bryan Cranston and Graham Yost tell the tale of their new series, which had a long, strange journey from network to streaming. I mean, the only thing that you have to think at this point is, 'Wow, what a crazy story. "There's resentment, there's a lot of sadness, and, you know, it's a shame that Varner felt like he had to stoop to that level. EXCLUSIVE: Inside Jeff Varner's Decision to Out Zeke Smith at Tribal Council, What Viewers Didn't See, "The reaction was one of shock. That was developed later in our relationship. Varner said that he has spent the last 10 months educating myself and advocating even more so for the LGBTQ community. But in a new interview, Smith states his support for airing the scene more definitively. EXCLUSIVE: 'Survivor' Castaway Jeff Varner 'Devastated' to Be Fired From Job After Outing Fellow Contestant Zeke Smith, "I think it speaks to how much we just think of Zeke as a person, that him being transgender had nothing to do with the vote. -- Jeff Varner, who outed his fellow contestant Zeke Smith during an emotional tribal council on "Survivor: Game Changers" last week, was fired from his job at the Allen Tate real estate . All Rights Reserved. In a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter, Smith wrote that he is not "wild" about people knowing that he is trans but is proud of the way he handled his response on the show. It was an ugly day. Moments like this prove that when people from all walks of life get to know a transgender person, they accept us for who we are.. He told the News & Record that even though the Fiji season of Survivor had been filmed 10 months ago,he wasnt permitted to speak of it until the episode aired on Wednesday night. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. But this experience has shown me is I have so much love in my life. Smith and Varner shared the same stage for Survivor: Game Changers' live reunion show, where they opened up about the controversial moment in which Varner outed Smith as transgender during tribal council, and the aftermath since the episode aired. He's been top of mind. "And sadly, that's going to be something that's going to be really hard to overcome.". As crucial as it is to scrutinize decisions like these, made by powerful networks on behalf of their comparably vulnerable contestants, it might be prudent in this case to let Zeke speak for himself. The episode went viral after it aired on Wednesday, with CBS standing by its decision to broadcast the tribal council moment, which resulted inVarners elimination. This week, he gives his on-the-scene and. At the end of the day, Ford said she was "really proud" of Smith for how he handled the situation. .Even people who arent well-versed in trans issues, like Sarah Lacina, knew what he did was wrong. But in the aftermath of being outed, Ive been granted unprecedented autonomy in how I wanted to tell my story. hard," he shared, before crediting Probst for warning him that it would get difficult. ", EXCLUSIVE: 'Survivor' Contestant Jeff Varner In His Own Words: Outing Zeke Smith and the Shame That Followed, Varner revealed that he has since gotten a new real estate job after getting fired -- "cowardly, I'd like to say." The reaction to Varners actions went viral as the contestant who was voted off during the episode was criticized for outing Smith. I didn't even find out from my company," he said. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. "While I can reconcile the personal slight of him outing me, I continue to be troubled by his willingness to deploy such a dangerous stereotype on a global platform," Smith wrote. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All my clients went with me, it's been great." First, I didnt go on national television unprepared for the world to know that Im trans. The North Carolina native and former news anchor for CBS and Fox affiliates was told he is in the middle of a news story that we [his bosses] dont want anything to do with, according to the Greensboro News & Record. I am not a bigot," he wrote. Zeke and I did not go through this to simply go through this. "I think he's pretty good strategically, and I'd like to see him go far, even though I was trying to get him out.". Survivors Jeff Varner is accepting responsibility for outing fellow contestant Zeke Smith as transgender and has issued a lengthy apology. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. Jim Clemente and Laura Richards look into a replica of JonBent's bedroom. It never crossed my mind that it shouldnt air., To Smith, it was critical for viewers to witness that momentand particularly the swift reaction it drew from everyone else on set. Para obtener ms informacin sobre cmo utilizamos tus datos personales, consulta nuestra Poltica de privacidad y la Poltica de cookies. "There is deception here. But once the dust settled and the surprise wore off, some critics began to wonder whether CBS should have aired the moment at all. "Why haven't you told anyone that you're transgender?" I did a bad thing. Apparently It's Tomato Girl Summer: How to Juice TikTok's Viral Trend, Amazon Has So Many Crocs on Sale Just in Time for Summer, Kendra Scott 4th of July Sale: Save 20% on Celeb-Loved Jewelry, Shop the Best Travel Gear for Summer Vacations, Save Up to 50% On NuFace, Dyson, Kate Somerville and More at Sephora, 'Survivor' Contestant Jeff Varner Thought He Was in a 'Good Place' With Zeke Smith After Outing Him, 'Survivor' Contestant Zeke Smith Outed as Transgender by Fellow Castaway Jeff Varner. Varner also spoke about the aftermath of his controversial outing, admitting that his life had been "difficult.". "What's great is that nobody bought it." RELATED VIDEO: 'Survivor's' Zeke Smith on Jeff Varner Outing Him as Transgender on TV: 'I Really Struggle With Forgiving Him' Smith praises his. And I think we both agree, its rained enough. I do not have hate in my heart. In the end, we believe this episode, accompanied by Zekes own remarkable writing and speaking on the subject, has provided an unexpected but important dialogue about acceptance and treating transgender people with respect. Hannah Shapiro was a runner-up on Survivor season 33: Millennials vs. Gen X. She'll be recapping Survivor season 34 . He continued: I recklessly revealed something I mistakenly believed everyone already knew. The Moment a Survivor Contestant Got Outed as Trans on National TV, As Zeke Smith explained on air, I didnt want to be the trans Survivor player. I wanted to be Zeke, the Survivor player., CBSs Star Trek Series Has Finally Found Its Captain, But Theres a Catch. I think he hoped others would believe that trans people are dangerous and fraudulent. I thank God for that and the gift of being an example as to why you should never do what I did.. ", EXCLUSIVE: Zeke Smith 'Surprised' by Media Support After Being Outed on 'Survivor': 'I Feel a Lot More Love'. "Survivor" contestant Varner who outed fellow competitor Smith as transgender on April 12, 2017, episode of the CBS reality competition has been fired from his real estate job. Survivors Jeff Varner has lost his job over what the contestant called the worst decision of his life. Now, though, it seems clearer that Smith was totally on board with everyone finding out about his gender historyand that he is happy both with how the moment was handled, and how the public responded. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "Growing up in Oklahoma, I didnt always have a lot of friends and even throughout my life up, people havent always stuck by my side through the hard times. As shocking as the moment might have been for some fanscontestants surprise onscreen was palpableCBS had clearly spent plenty of time carefully planning how it would present this moment. It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. 2023 Cond Nast. "And I love and respect Zeke Smith, hoping that hes OK and about to start thriving like never before. "I own my responsibility in what was the worst decision of my life," Jeff Varner wrote on Twitter. CBS outed him to millions of viewers. "I'm so proud to be part of Survivor and CBS because you have always empowered me to speak authentically and to tell my story on my own terms and I feel like our partnership is the model for how trans stories should be approached in the media moving forward," he said. All Rights Reserved. . I didn't know what the reaction was going to be," Smith said. In a column for ET on Wednesday, Varner got candid about the way he revealed Smith was transgender -- "There is deception here. I do not have hate in my heart. "I have never felt as loved as I do right now," he added, to cheers and applause from the studio audience. 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Survivor 's Jeff Varner fired from his job after outing fellow contestant I was surprised to see Michaela burst into tears once the votes were read. 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. My friends are here tonight and they were there with me that night [when the episode aired], and my friends are a big part of my family. I did that. As shocking as . "We knew we would. Cuando utilizas nuestros sitios y aplicaciones, usamos. During Wednesdays episode of CBS Survivor: Game Changers, castaway Smith who returned for his second appearance in two seasons was outed by his fellow contestant and friend Varner as transgender. You can only feel that sort of shock, and then once it sinks in, there's anger," Lusth told ET over the phone on Thursday. / CBS/AP. "For me, anyone who has expressed sincere remorse, as he has, I think should be embraced, because that's how we encourage people to change and turn adversaries into allies. "Keller Williams, the No. It is quite another to incense bigotry toward a marginalized minority," said contestant Zeke Smith of the moment. As Smith sees it, this was a case study in how you should respond to injustice. And I offer my deepest, most heart-felt apologies to Zeke Smith, his friends and life allies, his family and to all those who my mistake hurt and offended, Varner began. Survivor airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. "I have never felt as loved as I do right now," he added, to cheers and applause from the studio audience. Varner said to Smithon the episode, There is deception here. How many other of the so-called reasonable Republicans are thinking the same thing? Sumner Redstone in Love: The Cringey Sexcapades of a Horny Billionaire, The elderly media titan flexed his MTV ownership, rang his grandson at 3 a.m. for hookups with new women, and rewarded companions with stock options and TV shows. But this has been very difficult. I feel like I was able to do some really good work in that time that I hope to continue.. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Puedes cambiar tus opciones en cualquier momento haciendo clic en el enlace Configuracin de privacidad y cookies o Panel de control de privacidad de nuestros sitios y aplicaciones. CBS could have kept the revelation about Smiths identity confined to the setbut the network chose instead to air it. What Really Happened During the Making of. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The move was slammed by a major LGBT rights group, as well as the other contestants and the host of the show, Jeff Probst. Jeff Varner says Zeke Smith was the one to start the "healing" process after his big Survivor reveal. Survivor fans were shocked and appalled after contestant Jeff Varner outed his tribemate, Zeke Smith, as transgender in an attempt to paint him as "deceitful" on Wednesday's episode of the. Courtesy of CBS Jeff Varner, the " Survivor " contestant who made headlines for outing a fellow contestant as transgender, was fired from his job as a real estate agent in North Carolina this. She was so . Business has been great. Varner, who is gay,apologized to Smith on social media following the outcry, saying he wanted to be clear that outing someone is assault.. Zeke and I did not go through this to simply go through this. "Growing up in Oklahoma, I didn't always have a lot of friends and even throughout my life up, people haven't always stuck by my side through the hard times. Nearly three decades ago, Owens and her family may have been entangled in a killing that eerily echoes throughout her best-selling novel.