Big Brother star Rylie Jeffries‘ mother is defending his relationship with fellow house guest Katherine Woodman amid fan concerns.
“He’s not some obsessive stalker-type person like everyone is saying,” Rylie’s mother, Michelle Jeffries, told TMZ on Wednesday, August 20. “He’s got a great heart and wears it on his sleeve.”
The professional bull rider’s romance with Katherine has been one of the biggest talking points throughout season 27 of the hit reality TV show. While many found Rylie and Katherine’s connection wholesome at first, there have been concerns about the intensity of his emotions in recent episodes.
For her part, Michelle suggested that her son was simply acting “over the top on TV,” since there is very little for the house guests to do each day.
“They’re stuck in a house with no TV, no radios, no phones,” she pointed out. “They’re getting to know each other on a personal level we don’t understand.”
Michelle described Rylie as someone who loves “strongly” with his “whole heart,” in addition to offering her support for his new relationship.
“If Rylie’s happy, we’re happy and that’s all that matters to me,” she said, before clarifying: “If she’s not happy, they will figure that out on their own. Their relationship is their decision.”
Katherine’s father declined to offer any comment on the relationship when contacted by the outlet.
Many Big Brother fans have called out disturbing moments from the show’s live streams, where Rylie seemed to act possessively towards Katherine.
“I’m being with you, outside of this, whether you like it or not,” he demanded in one scene.
When Katherine admitted they could break up inside the Big Brother house, Rylie replied: “We’re not going to? Why would you even say that? … I don’t ever think about stuff like that. You need to stop thinking about stuff like that.”
Rylie later insisted that he was going to “marry” Katherine after they finished filming Big Brother, to which she simply replied: “Okay.”
When Katherine theorized that Rylie’s feelings may be “a manifestation,” he corrected her by claiming they were “a promise.”
“I get to wake up next to you forever,” he said in another scene.
Big Brother’s very passionate fans have shared their concerns throughout the season, with some even calling for Rylie to be removed from the show.
“Rylie does nothing but love bomb and passive aggressively say odd things to katherine as if she has no choice in any matters. it’s scary and sad,” one viewer complained via X.
Another insisted: “Until katherine comes out that house and says point blank that she likes rylie and is comfortable with his behavior i will be defending her against him.”
“Rylie’s continued behavior towards Katherine is getting to an increasingly disturbing and concerning degree and the fact that production is giving him a hero edit and portraying his relationship with Katherine as lovey dovey is disgusting. Give him a warning or expel him,” a third Big Brother fan demanded.
Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves has previously shown support for the “showmance,” calling Rylie and Katherine’s connection “adorable.”
“I like that they got to know each other first as friends and got to show each other that their feelings for one another are more important than the game,” she told Entertainment Weekly on August 8. “Rylie was ready to sacrifice his game for Katherine.”
A separate controversy developed when Rylie entered the Big Brother house in July, as a former partner accused him of leaving her while she was pregnant to become a contestant on the CBS reality competition. Rylie’s mother, Michelle, insisted that the bull rider would be open to taking a paternity test, though his family has “no reason to believe” Rylie is the biological father.
“[Rylie will be] extremely upset and mortified [by the accusation],” Michelle said.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can watch live feeds from the house anytime on Paramount+.
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