Survivor's Jeff Varner: How He Knew Zeke Smith Is Transgender - Yahoo ET) on CBS. I dont even think forgiveness means I have to be his friend and I dont think I ever will be his friend., But I think forgiveness is about hope hope that he understands why what he did was wrong, hope that he doesnt ever do something like this again and hope that whatever compelled him to give into his worst instincts in a dark moment is resolved for him, he continues. People think trans people are out there deceiving and they're predators and they're hiding in bathrooms and stuff that's just not true. On April 12, 2017, an episode of Survivor aired called What Happened on Exile, Stays on Exile. On it, Jeff Varner outed Zeke Smith as a transgender man at Tribal Council and was voted off unanimously after being blasted for blurting out something that was Smiths story to tell. Zeke Smith on Forgiving Jeff Varner After 'Survivor' Outing: 'I Didn't We've been dealing with this since last July and being unable to talk about it has really been the worst. Even if he feels the need to for whatever reason to do it at my expense. What were you feeling after watching your actions on TV last night? I feel horrible., Soon enough, Varner started crying as the gravity of his actions hit him: Im shocked, he said. "This has been a very difficult situation for both of us and I don't ever want to talk about my journey without acknowledging the fact that the real victim in this situation is Zeke. Zeke Smith Reflects On Being Outed As Transgender By 'Survivor' Co-Star So I spend a lot of time trying to analyze relationships and run scenarios, think of all the possibilities. RELATED VIDEO: PENs Survivor Fan Forum Reacts to Zeke Being Outed as Transgender. But this has been very difficult. After viewing the footage, Smith admits it was a hard moment to watch. So Im talking to several firms now that I know will care about and believe in their employees. My friends are here tonight and they were there with me that night [when the episode aired], and my friends are a big part of my family. [Editor note: Season 34 began filming before season 33 aired.] Survivor Game Changers: Jeff Varner Describes His 'Horrible - Parade I have been reading and working a lot with Dr. Bren Brown, who is the shame expert in the world, and she's helped me understand that vulnerability is the antidote to shame. Smith revealed that since the episode has aired, he has partnered with GLAAD and is actively using his platform to speak about his experience. He told EW that though hes in the wrong, his Survivor family has supported him behind the scenes. I have met with and spoken to several LGBT organizations Ive joined the board of a couple of them. Varner reached towards Smith for an emotional hug before picking up his torch and walking over to Probst. 'Survivor': Jeff Varner says 'I am absolutely devastated' over outing It was one of the most surreal moments I've ever encountered on the show. Survivor: Jeff Varner Fired From Job After Outing Zeke Smith - People.com Whats great is that nobody bought it., Its important people see he lost that fight, he added. And while they were sharing their feelings with Varner, I was still running it in my head. I do not get through this without them.". I was expending some energy trying to stay focused, and I just didn't have all of my faculties that I usually had in my hand in that merge. There was only one person I could trust in the merge, and that was Sarah Lacina, and I knew my game hinged upon her. You told me it would: 'Prepare yourself,' and it was really ugly for a period of time. I give him every inch of every room to feel and experience what hes feeling. Its awful. This week, he gives his on-the-scene and. Zeke Smith & Jeff Varner Speak Out During Survivor Finale - E! Online [Sobbing] My God, I'm crying. The star sits down with EW for a deep dive on his blockbuster Netflix franchise, those "overdramatized" retirement reports, the upcomingFuriosa, his hopes to "reinvent" Thor, and more. I just wanted to go out on an adventure and play a great game. Also, one castaways paranoia and overconfidence risks leading them to their downfall, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Oct. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Im so grateful and thankful that hes here with me. I do want to talk about that Tribal, but first, you mentioned studying up. They don't come from me. I did not expect it. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. We hang out together. If he wants to take swings at me, Im the one to hand him the bat. 'Survivor' contestant who outed transgender player is fired from job Just grab your torch.. Varner's not telling the truth. Press service of Concord/Handout via ReutersOn Saturday night, with his heavily armed mercenaries closing in on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin abruptly announced . It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. I think if he wants to be an ally to trans people, he has a long way to go.. I think the hardest part is that if he was just some ignorant bigot, you could just write him off, but hes not, Smith says of Varner, who is gay. Pictured (L-R): Tribe Baka: Owen Knight, Sami Layadi, Mike 'Gabler' Gabler and Tribe Vesi: Noelle Lambert, Dwight Moore, Jesse Lopez, Cody Assenmacher. It was from my heart and as genuine as it could possibly be. Zeke and I did not go through this to simply go through this. I loved being a player, but it really made me wonder about that alternate timeline when I got to be on the other side. I forgive him for that. "Survivor" contestant Zeke Smith unintentionally became the first publicly transgender contestant on the reality series after his fellow competitor, Jeff . I forgive him for that. As for someone else bringing it up, Zeke was fully aware someone might suspect it or bring it up and he said, "I will deal with it as it arises." - Age. Survivor fans have been in uproar since watching Jeff Varner out Zeke Smith as transgender on Wednesday night's episode and if you missed the shocking moment, you can watch the entire. 2023 TV GUIDE, A FANDOM COMPANY. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. I am not a bad person. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Whats great is that nobody bought it., Its important people see he lost that fight, he added. '9-1-1: Lone Star' 's Brian Michael Smith Says Anti-Trans Political Wave 'Emboldens Me': 'I'm Still Fighting', Raquel Leviss's 'VPR' Costar Calls Her 'Sick' for Acting Like a Friend to Ariana Madix During Tom Sandoval Affair, Rob Lowe Shares 2 Secrets to His 31-Year Marriage: 'Forgiveness' and 'You Gotta Keep the Heat', 'Survivor' 44's Bruce Perreault Removed on Day 1 After Gruesome Head Injury, 2 More Players Require EMT Help, All About Dwyane Wade's Daughter Zaya Wade. That reasoning is infinitely worse than him outing me because its the same one used to discriminate against, attack and murder trans people. News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' The Eliza Dushku-starring 2003 horror film was followed by six other movies, with two more planned. Zeke Smith and Jeff Varner Reunite at 'Survivor' Reunion Show -- See Before my outing aired, if you were to Google trans person is outed, like the first 100 results are all news stories of trans people who had killed themselves after being outed. We've got to stop that. You don't see Zeke saying, "There is no deception. Witnessing that moment was so powerful because from my seat at Tribal, I could see it all. 'Survivor' Contestant Fired From Job After Transgender Outing Not only was Varner unanimously voted out of the game by his tribemates, but everyone from host Jeff Probst to viewers watching at home have since chastised Varner for his targeted attack. Extraction 2's Chris Hemsworth on his family, future, and fiery action sequel. Deceptions on levels, Jeff, that these guys don't even understand," he said, looking at Smith. And I think we both agree, it's rained enough. I never let what happened affect my core belief as a Survivor player, which is that you should be taking big swings every vote. Also, make sure to check out an exclusive deleted scene from. RELATED VIDEO: Survivors Zeke Smith on Jeff Varner Outing Him as Transgender on TV: I Really Struggle With Forgiving Him. It all went down during the tribal council, when Varner, 50, outed Smith, 29, in an attempt to paint the Brooklyn-based asset manager as deceitful and therefore worthy of being voted out. "I got a new job," he said. It was clear he was upset and the realization of it all was still washing over him. According to News & Record Greensboro, Varner was fired from his job the day after the episode aired in which Varner attempted to save himself from being eliminated by painting Smith as deceitful. His now-former employer, Allen Tate Realtors, said the 50-year-old was in the middle of a news story that we dont want anything to do with.. The Best Early Prime Day 2023 Deals Available Now, You can Stream Are You There, God? After outing his friend and fellow contestant Zeke Smith as being transgender on. [I warned the company that headlines might be coming], but apparently not the people who needed to hear it.. Pictured (L-R): Karla Cruz Godoy, Mike 'Gabler' Gabler, Owen Knight, Cody Assenmacher, Jesse Lopez, Cassidy Clark and Sami Layadi. Jeff Varner outed Smith in a shocking Tribal Council "Survivor: Game . We're both New Yorkers. Do you regret that move, or does it tie into what you just said about making big moves?Zeke: Well, I think it does relate to wanting to make big moves. He continually forgives me. Smith, who is still in the game, told PEOPLE he was shell-shocked by Varners decision and struggles with forgiving him. Have you forgiven him?Zeke: I would say that my tone of forgiveness has never changed. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! I saw Jeff Varner turn to Zeke and make what was essentially a statementvaguely disguised as a question: "Why haven't you told anyone here you're transgender?" Sarah explained to me that her family would probably have reacted the way a lot of hateful people in the world react just because of where she's from and what they're in the middle of. If we let it, our pain will reveal our purpose," he continued. In case you've forgotten, just before this season's merge, Jeff Varner decided to cruelly out fellow contestant Zeke Smith as transgender in an incredibly misguided attempt to paint him as. That reasoning is infinitely worse than him outing me because its the same one used to discriminate against, attack and murder trans people. The message should be clear that hate will always lose.. "If he was just some ignorant bigot you could just write him, off but he's not," Survivor's Zeke Smith says of Jeff Varner. I have spent 10 months stewing in this awful, horrible mistake I have made, Varner said. Jeff Varner, a three-time Survivor contestant, said he was completely blindsided by his firing from a real estate company. Finally, we always take a sneak peek at what's coming up. RELATED VIDEO: PENs Survivor Fan Forum Reacts to Zeke Being Outed as Transgender. I feel for him and Ill do whatever I can in the future to help him if hell let me I feel like now the healing can begin, not only for me but hopefully for Zeke and hopefully for trans people across the world, said Varner at the time. I hope Varner is able to take this moment and turn it into something positive. I deserve it. With the shows therapist, with a local therapist. This just happened. I have apologized to him weve spoken several times on the phone. EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Varner Reveals He's Been in Therapy Since Outing 'Survivor' Castmate Zeke Smith This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. As bad as this is and as bad as I feel, I'm glad that's what's happened as a part of this. She was so . ", EXCLUSIVE: Zeke Smith 'Surprised' by Media Support After Being Outed on 'Survivor': 'I Feel a Lot More Love'. It's awful. Zeke was so composed in his response to what Jeff Varner did. Would love your thoughts, please comment. She called me right before tribal. Varner told Entertainment Tonight at the time that he was so sorry for what he did to Smith and wanted to make it right if he could. But we were in touch with the producer on the beach that night to just ensure everything was going okay. But now her family is sitting down and they are talking about it and they are sympathizing with trans people. I recklessly revealed something I mistakenly believed everyone already knew. It took hours after my press junket to get anyone with the company on the phone to tell me personally, and even longer to calm my clients, all of whom, by the way, are coming with me to my new firm. We left on March 28th thinking we were going to play one season, and then threw all caution to the wind and agreed to play another season. Have you spoken to Zeke at all since that tribal council? One of the things that breaks my heart the most is that thats one of the stigmas that trans people fight the most, Varner said. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' I still have my original notes from that meeting. And theyre doing the best they can to support us both. Also, one castaway will spy something hidden in plain sight, on SURVIVOR, Wednesday, Nov. 30 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Zeke Smith Reflects On How Jeff Probst & 'Survivor' Handled His Granted this happens to be a pretty severe one, but as you saw even with Zekethere is hope that something good can come from this. We didn't know who Zeke was when he showed up. Getty It's just so important that that's where we head. This season of Survivor, dubbed Game Changers for its 34th installment, had been filmed 10 months ago in the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji though Varner couldnt discuss what happened until the episodes airing. Andrea was selected because she seemed to be playing harder and was more of a threat to win individual immunity. He is 56 . And they have nothing but love and support for,eand Im grateful for that., Theyve got two kids who are in the middle of this and they need to choose one or the other, he added. Fairplay returned to the spotlight in December 2020 when he was arrested for larceny and accused of stealing furniture and a necklace from his grandmother, the same grandmother Fairplay claimed was. I just wanted to be known for my game., FROM COINAGE: Ask Yourself These Questions Before You Buy A Home. I think he's a hell of a guy. Any final thoughts on this season?Zeke: Just that the people who make Survivor are really incredible. Watch PEN Fan Forum: Survivor, on the new PEOPLE/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN) here, or download the free app on your Smart TV, mobile and web devices. I don't want to go into this whole this, that and the other about how I knew because I don't think that's respectful, not only to Zeke but to other trans people. I know that there are going to be haters out here that are just aren't going to buy anything I have to say.