Big Brother 26’s Matt Hardeman Reacts to His ‘Crazy Eyes’ Label

Matt Hardeman was the first boot of Big Brother 26, but his rivalry with Angela Murray made his time in the house unforgettable.

After Matt, 25, told then-Head of Household Angela, 50, that he wouldn’t hesitate to target her if she nominated him for eviction, Angela called him out in front of half the house, claiming that he “aggressively” threatened her. In her impassioned speech, Angela repeatedly called Matt “Crazy Eyes.”

One day after his Thursday, July 25, elimination from the CBS reality series, Matt exclusively told Us Weekly what he thinks about the “Crazy Eyes” label.

“At the end of the day, I don’t think we should comment on people’s eyes that are of a certain ethnicity,” said Matt, whose mom is from the Philippines. “My eyes are just brown. They’re not even that unique in my opinion. … I’ve never had my eyes be a topic of discussion, ever, until now.”

Matt was blindsided by the rant, telling Us that when Angela began her verbal lashing, he thought that something positive was about to happen.

“Angela comes [downstairs] clapping, … and we all know [being] HOH was definitely wearing on her mentally [and] she was struggling. We were all hoping that she was gonna just have a better day as a human being. And so, she comes clapping down the stairs, and I start clapping,” Matt recalled. “I’m like, ‘Come on, let’s have a good day.’ And then she goes, ‘Matt’, and I thought she was gonna say, like, ‘Would you get up and dance for all of us? Because today’s gonna be a good day.’ … I went from thinking I was gonna be called to bust down to, ‘You’re dumb and you’re ugly.’”

While Matt may not have agreed with Angela’s decision to confront him, he was impressed by the performance.

“I’m like, ‘Does she have a writer? Is she, like, a rapper outside of this house?’ Because her disses were creative, Like, they were lyrical,” he said. “Even after, I kept laughing to myself, like, ‘Dude, somebody’s grandma just told me to shove my words up my rear because they’re crap.’” (Angela’s exact words were, “Your words are s—t, so you should just put it back in your ass.”)

Matt was not one of Angela’s initial nominees — she put Kimo Apaka, Lisa Weintraub and Kenney Kelley on the block during the nomination ceremony — but she chose him as the replacement nominee after Lisa, 33, won the power of veto competition.

During Matt’s final plea to his fellow houseguests before Thursday’s live eviction vote, he noted that he forgives Angela, which she didn’t seem to appreciate. However, Matt hopes they can work out their differences in the real world.

“I would love to find good graces between the both of us on the outside,” he said. “I would never bash her personally. So, I hope I get that opportunity to make amends with her.”

In addition to his feud with Angela, Matt will be remembered for his connection with Makensy Manbeck, which he told Us could have “absolutely” turned into a showmance if he’d stayed in the house longer.

“I think me and Makensy, on paper, are like peas and carrots,” he said. “We even found out we were almost at the same concert days before we both entered into this [Big Brother casting] process and experience. Both of our lives align, our values and what we want. … I don’t think our story’s over.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.