There’s trouble in paradise between the two moms of Big Brother 25, according to one of them — Felicia Cannon.
Felicia and Cirie Fields were two of 17 contestants who moved into the Big Brother house for this summer’s 100-day battle to win $750,000. They were linked together for most of the game as allies, but there wasn’t a lack of speed bumps along the way. Both women betrayed the other during different instances, like when Cirie campaigned to evict Felicia over her closer ally, Izzy Gleicher, and when Felicia went on an anti-Cirie campaign weeks later in an effort to tank the four-time Survivor legend’s game and bolster her own.
There were also moments when they talked about the other behind their back in less-than-flattering ways.
But, by day 86, only five houseguests remained including Felicia and Cirie. “The Mafia” — the alliance of Jag Bains, Matt Klotz, and Bowie Jane Ball — had been running the show for several rounds of play at that point, and with only one competition win between them, the writing was on the wall for Cirie and Felicia, who spent most of their time together.
Cirie was taken out that week, and Felicia followed her out the door on day 96.
It’s been a few weeks since Big Brother 25 wrapped and Jag exited the house to collect the six-figure check. And when he recently spoke with Felicia on an Instagram live chat, the latter confirmed that their friendship had taken a nose dive.
“I do hate that Cirie and I kinda have fallen off because I genuinely liked Cirie in the house. I really did. She was really my bestie. But, when I see some of the live feeds now, the after-interviews, I have to assume she didn’t feel the same way. And so, you can’t do anything about that. If she reaches out to me, I would gladly like to talk [and have] a conversation. But, I just feel like I’ve got to let her be the one to reach out because she’s the one that’s made the comments that she’s made. She’s saying how she feels — I don’t push people to do anything. I’ve learned at 63 people are going to do them, whatever that is, and pushing doesn’t help. And so, I’m okay. I’m okay right where I’m sitting.”
If anyone caught Cirie’s exit-press comments about Felicia, the degraded relationship may not be a surprising revelation. The Traitors US season 1 winner spoke with Parade’s Mike Bloom in an interview published on November 3, the morning after she was sent to Jury. In it, Cirie likened her relationship with Felicia to The Odd Couples’ Felix Unger and Oscar Madison and said she felt like Felicia was “constantly undermining” her.
“Felicia knew everything. And regardless of what experience I had, or what information I had from those experiences actually living them, Felicia still knew more about it than I did. So it was kind of like pick your poison. Do I want to fight this fight with Felicia over how I make my bacon that I’ve been making for 30 years? Or do I just want to let it go?”
Cirie said Felicia was “constantly stabbing [her] in the back” while Cirie attempted to remain a close friend, and that their up-and-down relationship was an element of her “downfall” in the game. “Once we connect, I try to maintain that relationship, even sometimes to my detriment,” Cirie said. “And that’s what happened with Felicia and I.”
Felicia sang a different tune than Cirie during her post-game interview with Parade — not knowing what Cirie had said a few days prior. Although she had also said Cirie “undermined” her and it was “kind of hurtful” knowing Cirie had made moves against her, she didn’t “take it personally” and “actually liked her as a person outside of the game.”
Cirie may have been offended when Felicia said she viewed herself as a motherly figure to Jared Fields
During the Instagram live chat with Jag, Felicia theorized that her comments about Jared Fields may have hurt her and Cirie’s relationship. Cirie and Jared played alongside each other as a secret mother-son duo, and Felicia didn’t learn of their kinship until finale night.
Felicia and Jared had grown a close tie during the latter’s 58 days in the house. At one point, she told Cirie that she felt a motherly bond with Jared — not knowing Cirie was his actual mom. “I loved her and Jared,” Felicia said. “I could see how she probably got offended thinking I was trying to come into that mother space. Of course, I’m just thinking he’s just another guy in the house.”
Although Felicia said she meant no harm by sharing that sort of love for Jared, she understood if Cirie was upset by it. “I get it all day long, but you’ve got to be a mom to get that,” Felicia laughed.
Cirie and Felicia haven’t actually spoken about the latter’s comments about the 25-year-old exterminator. But, Felicia recalled a few live feed snippets she had seen of Cirie saying, “That’s my damn son,” as well as other comments to that effect.
Regardless, Felicia is feeling optimistic about her and Cirie’s future — but first, some time needs to pass. “Life is too short to hold stuff,” she said.