Jerry O’Connell is heading into the Big Brother house!
CBS announced the actor and television personality will join the upcoming season of Big Brother: Unlocked as a celebrity panelist.
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He will appear alongside returning champions Taylor Hale and Derrick Levasseur when the companion series premieres July 10 on CBS and Paramount+.
O’Connell, a longtime fan of the franchise, said in the release that joining the series feels like a natural extension of his viewing habits.
“BIG BROTHER is my summer and rolls into my fall too. I’m already watching on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, so the fact that CBS is now paying me to do it is kind of amazing,” O’Connell said.
He added that sharing the panel with former winners makes the opportunity even more meaningful.
“It’s an absolute honor to sit next to Derrick – ‘Champ,’ as I call him – and Taylor, who is my all-time favorite BIG BROTHER winner (sorry, Jag),” he added. “This is what we call in showbiz a dream gig.”
O’Connell said he hopes to represent the audience perspective while analyzing gameplay throughout the season.
He added, “I’ll do my best to be the voice of the fans, but as Julie says, expect the unexpected. And most importantly, remember to love one another. I’m soooo excited to join the BIG BROTHER fam!”
Big Brother: Unlocked will serve as a companion series to CBS’s flagship reality competition. It will offer breakdowns of strategy, competition analysis, and the behind-the-scenes insight. The show will also feature exclusive footage from inside the house, longer interviews, and tons of surprise guests.
The 28th season begins with a 90-minute premiere July 9, followed by the debut of Big Brother: Unlocked on July 10.
O’Connell’s love of Big Brother is nothing new. He hosted a live eviction episode in place of Julie Chen Moonves in 2024 when she had COVID-19. It marked the first and only time someone hosted instead of Moonves.
After the episode aired, Moonves spoke with Entertainment Weekly and praised O’Connell’s hosting ability.
”I love Jerry, and I loved how he did the ‘But first!’ He made it big, and it shows he gets the joke part of it,” she told the outlet. “Hysterical. His personality really comes through in all he does cause he’s a genuine and genuinely funny guy.”
