Jason’s “Jokes” About Rape & Assault On ‘Big Brother 19’ Aren’t Funny, No Matter Who’s Laughing

The summer reality series be a cutthroat competition, but there are some lines that should never be crossed, and Jason's jokes about rape on Big Brother 19 are definitely past the point of being acceptable gameplay. During this season's ongoing livestream, the rodeo clown said that if Kevin put him on the block, Jason would make him "lose his brain." Jason elaborated, saying that his response will involve calling "that motherf*cker every name in the book." He then said, "I'll f*ck your wife when I get out of here. I'm gonna tie up all your daughters and make 'em watch."

Fans understandably didn't take his comments lightly, and quickly took to social media to call Jason out, with one viewer even campaigning to kick him off the show. Bustle reached out to CBS for comment, but had not received a response as of press time.

According to screenshots posted by Twitter user Big Brother Always, Jason's family later tweeted an apology on his behalf via his now-privatized account. "The Whistle-Nut and Ole team sincerely apologizes on Jason's behalf for the inappropriate comments that were said in jest on the live feeds this afternoon about Kevin and his family," the tweets allegedly read. "Although the conversation that has surfaced on Twitter was taken slightly out of context (per the full conversation on the live feed), those remarks are not acceptable under any circumstance."

It should be noted that this is not the first time Jason has made problematic remarks. In July, while housemates were discussing backdooring Raven — a term used when the HOH intentionally waits to put someone up for elimination until after the veto competition — Jason asked, "Do you want me to hold her? Because I'll hold the sh*t out of her while you guys take turns."

While it's true Jason was laughing in both situations and his account underlines that the remarks were made "in jest," it bears repeating: Rape and assault jokes are never OK, no matter what the context. Not only are they triggering and dismissive to survivors, but they minimize an issue that should only ever be considered with the utmost seriousness and aid in normalizing the rape culture we've long been fighting to upend. The concept of rape loses its impact when it's repeatedly used as a punchline. (For the record, it's also problematic that his housemates laugh along when Jason jokingly speaks about assault.)

Big Brother fans who keep up on the goings-on in the house via those live feeds weren't all willing to let Jason's ill-advised "jokes" fly. Twitter registered its displeasure:

At this point, Jason can't undo what he said, but hopefully the backlash to his attempt at humor will teach him — and those watching — how much power words can have, and why comments like his are so much more than flippant one-liners.