Big Brother Winner Ashley Hollis Claps Back on Claim She's Not Black

Big Brother winner Ashley Hollis reacted to claims about her racial identity after fellow contestant Mickey Lee expressed that she was the only “traditional Black woman” in season 27.

By Adrianne Reece Oct 28, 2025 3:02 PM
| Updated Oct 28, 2025 4:41 PM
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Watch: Big Brother Winner Ashley Hollis Claps Back on Claim She's Not Black

Ashley Hollis isn’t tolerating disrespect outside of the house. 

Indeed, the reigning Big Brother winnerwho took home the title during the season 27 finale on Sept. 28responded to comments about her racial identity after fellow house guest Mickey Lee claimed that she was the only “traditional Black woman” on the show. 

“When a castmate from your season does an interview saying you’re not Black,” Ashley, 25, wrote on her Oct. 27 TikTok video, which sees her dancing with her parents. She then pointed out their familial traits and race, saying, “Looks like two black parents to me.”

Though Ashley didn’t publicly name her former castmate, fans in the comments section quickly pointed out the statement Mickey, 35, made about her experience as a Black woman competing in the Big Brother house. 

Shortly after she was eliminated from the CBS series on Sept. 5, she clarified her words. 

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“I am 100 percent African American,” Mickey told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I come from areas where I do experience a lot of racism. I’ve never had a leg up in certain opportunities. I think I am the only one that experienced that. I do believe that Ashley is African American as well, but we do come from different backgrounds.”

She continued, “When I say traditional Black girl, I mean the ones that people always stereotype.”

Mickey doubled down on her stance that following month, explaining that she believed she was “the only Black woman in the house that was being treated through a stereotypical lens.” 

“I felt like I was being asked a lot of questions about my hair being real or people insisting that my hair was not real because it was so long,” she shared in her Oct. 10 TikTok. “I was asked if I knew who my father was because I said I was raised in a single parent household. I was asked about food stamps, rap songs, do I know how to twerk on a handstand, so on and so forth.”  

Paras Griffin/Getty Images

And while she wanted to share insight into her experience on the show, Mickey noted that she didn’t intend to “invalidate or devalue anyone’s Blackness.” 

“Not to say that I was treated badly,” she continued, “but I did feel as though it was a lot of pressure on me to perform and live up to these stereotypes that people had me boxed in as.”

Keep reading to see more contestants from season 27 of Big Brother

Lauren Domingue

Age: 22

Hometown: Lafayette, La.

Occupation: Bridal consultant

Adrian Rocha

Age: 23

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

Occupation: Carpenter

Vince Panaro

Age: 34

Hometown: West Hills, Calif.

Occupation: Unemployed

Katherine Woodman

Age: 23

Hometown: Gwinnett County, Ga.

Current City: Columbia, S.C.

Occupation: Fine dining server

Jimmy Heagerty

Age: 25

Hometown: Sarasota, Fla.

Current City: Washington, D.C.

Occupation: AI consultant

Kelley Jorgensen

Age: 29

Hometown: Burbank, S.D.

Occupation: Web designer

Keanu Soto

Age: 33

Hometown: Miami, Fla.

Current City: McKinney, Texas

Occupation: Dungeon master

Cliffton "Will" Williams

Age: 50

Hometown: Wallace, S.C.

Current City: Charlotte, N.C.

Occupation: College sports podcaster

Eva Pearl

Age: 24

Hometown: Long Island, N.Y.

Current City: New York, N.Y.

Occupation: Aura painter

Rylie Jeffries

Age: 27

Hometown: Luther, Okla.

Occupation: Professional bull rider

Isaiah "Zae" Frederich

Age: 23

Hometown: Paducah, Ky.

Current City: Provo, Utah

Occupation: Salesperson

Zach Cornell

Age: 27

Hometown: Cartersville, Ga.

Occupation: Marketing manager

Amy Bingham

Age: 43

Hometown: Stockton, Calif.

Occupation: Insurance agent

Ashley Hollis

Age: 25

Hometown: Chicago, Ill.

Current City: New York, N.Y.

Occupation: Attorney

Mickey Lee

Age: 35

Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla.

Current City: Atlanta, Ga.

Occupation: Event curator

Morgan Pope

Age: 33

Hometown: Palm Springs, Calif.

Current City: Los Angeles, Calif.

Occupation: Gamer

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