‘Big Brother’ Winner Says He ‘Hit Rock Bottom More Time Than I Can Count’ After Blowing Through Winnings

Big Brother Season 21 winner Jackson Michie is opening up about hitting “rock bottom” after his 2019 win on the CBS reality show. The 29-year-old, who won more than $500,000 in a final vote against showmance Holly Allen, opened up to Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves on an episode of her God101 series uploaded to Instagram on March 2.

“The show was something I needed to do but I was at a delicate place in my life and when I ended up winning the show I didn’t have mentorship or guidance or financial counsel,” Michie said. “Now I’m in Los Angeles — catapulted into the world with the same problems that I had not ever healed from.”

Michie has been open about suffering from “five years of drug addiction” before going on Big Brother and revealed he quit taking Xanax and using cocaine cold turkey while competing. Michie’s win on the show was a contentious one, as he was accused by his fellow houseguests of bullying and racism, both of which he has denied.

Months after leaving the Big Brother house, Michie said he “spiraled downhill,” calling winning $510,000 at age 24, when combined with “having a little bit of popularity in Los Angeles” a “dangerous combination” for him. After a series of “poor financial decisions,” Michie said he was even forced move back home with family.

“I have at this point blown through all of my money, net negative in my checking account,” he recalled. “No car, no job, no plan, going back to the city and the place where I ran from with no idea what [lay] ahead.”

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“Disappointed and discouraged didn’t even put words to how I felt. Because I realized … I did what the people who didn’t like me on the show told me I would do,” he continued. “‘You’re young, you’re dumb, you’re gonna blow through it, you’re gonna do this and that, you’re gonna crash and burn,’ and I did. I crashed and burned and I hit rock bottom more times than I can count.”

Michie said he has since gotten his life back together and has found religion. In July 2023, Michie married wife Caitlin Goodrich, and in May 2024, the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Sophia Grace.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, please call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). SAMHSA’s National Helpline is free, confidential and available 24/7.