Caitlyn Jenner sent a message of support to Survivor‘s transgender contestant Zeke Smith after he was outed by a fellow contestant in a shocking episode of Survivor: Game Changers on Wednesday, April 12.
“@Zekerchief Bring trans in the public eye is no joke, but you did good buddy,” the former Olympic gold medalist, 67, tweeted in Thursday, April 13. “You made us proud.”
.@zekerchief Being trans in the public eye is no joke, but you did good buddy. You made us proud. https://t.co/YaOGh4s4h2
— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) April 13, 2017
As Us Weekly previously reported, Smith’s fellow contestant Jeff Varner accused the 29-year-old of being “deceptive,” during a heated and emotional tribal council on the reality show, and in an effort to save himself from elimination, Varner outed his fellow tribe member.
“There is deception here. Deception on levels, Jeff, that these guys don’t even understand,” Varner said before turning to Smith and asking, “Why haven’t you told anyone here you’re transgender?” (Watch the controversial moment in the video above.)
Varner was immediately and loudly condemned by the fellow members of his tribe, and subsequently booted by the show’s host, Jeff Probst.
The three-time Survivor contestant later tweeted an apology, calling what he did “the worst decision of my life.”
In an emotional interview with Us Weekly on Thursday, Varner, 50, revealed that he’s been undergoing therapy after what he did in the scene that was shot almost a year ago.
“I just make zero excuses for what happened,” Varner told Us.
Smith taped a video message on Thursday to thank fans for their support. “Hey, Survivor fans. I want to say thank you for the overwhelming love and support I’ve received during the past 12 hours,” he said. “I’m truly touched, and it’s been such an honor to play and to have you along with me on this journey over the past nine months. I’m very honored. Thank you.”
Survivor: Game Changers airs on CBS Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
A special message from @zekerchief to Survivor fans. #SurvivorGameChangers pic.twitter.com/08URcMXcn9
— SURVIVOR (@survivorcbs) April 13, 2017
