Jerry O'Connell Joins Big Brother: Unlocked on CBS
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- Jerry O'Connell is joining the Big Brother: Unlocked panel, premiering Friday, July 10 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+, alongside Big Brother champions Taylor Hale and Derric Levasseur.
- O'Connell previously substituted for host Julie Chen Moonves during a BB26 live eviction episode when she tested positive for COVID, marking his second on-air Big Brother role.
- Big Brother: Unlocked will debut a new interactive fan vote with a 'major impact on the game,' introduce a live studio audience experience running throughout the summer, and bring back the BBies Award Show.
- Big Brother Season 28 premieres with a special 90-minute episode on Thursday, July 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by a 90-minute Sunday episode on July 12 to cap opening weekend.
- CBS is billing the slate as Big Brother's biggest summer ever, featuring more programming hours than any season in the franchise's history, and will cross the 1,000-original-episode mark (date to be announced).
- O'Connell, a former The Talk co-host and self-described Real Housewares superfan, said in a statement that Big Brother 'is my summer and rolls into my fall too' and called Hale 'my all-time favorite Big Brother winner (sorry, Jag).'
Why it matters: O'Connell's signing gives Unlocked a host with prior live-eviction experience — he already subbed for Julie Chen Moonves during BB26 — while CBS pairs the hire with the franchise's biggest programming push yet, anchored by an interactive fan vote that directly shapes gameplay rather than serving as a cosmetic side feature.
