The Metropolis

Big Brother's Kenneth Tong gives mega creepy interview

Darren Atwater | Thursday 13 January, 2011 13:49

Fans of Big Brother may remember rich boy Kenneth Tong, boyfriend of housemate Karly, who was added to the show minutes before she was voted out. The one who was warned by BB producers that telling another housemate, Bea, he could “pay someone to deal with [her]” could be construed as threatening. That guy.

For some reason, Tong had started promoting an anorexia pill on Twitter, which he later said was a hoax.

Before he announced it was a hoax, however, Johann Hari sat down for a long interview with the man. And it’s pretty good:

Kenneth: I have always enjoyed preferential treatment. I don’t know why, as in… I would actually say that people do respect me, I don’t know why. As in, I guess…but is that how I feel about myself? Absolutely. Especially…the preferential treatment, yes, sometimes I question why. But I guess that’s-

Johann: Well I can tell you why. It’s because your father was rich.

Kenneth: Right.

Johann: Right, so it’s not a mystery, is it?

Kenneth: Yeah, you’re right, you’re right.

“ I can do as I please in London?”

Johann: Sam Pepper [another Big Brother contestant] criticised you on Twitter and you said to him, also on Twitter: ‘ I don’t think you know who you’re talking to, kid. You should watch your mouth, son and apologise. I didn’t threaten you but hinted I can do as I please in London’. What did you mean?

Kenneth: He did mouth off to me. He did mouth off to me and stuff. He subsequently apologised.

Johann: When you say ‘I can do as I please in London’, you say ‘I didn’t threaten you but can do as I please in London’ –

Kenneth: I never threatened anyone, I maintain that –

Johann: If I said to you ‘I’m not threatening you’. If I said now to you, I’m not threatening you, but I’m hinting ‘I can do what I please’-

Kenneth: Is that the entire context that I said?

Johann: You said ‘I didn’t threaten you’ but hinted ‘ I can do as I please in London’.

Kenneth: That was that long ago and stuff but the kid did run his mouth.

Johann: Right. What did you mean when you said ‘I’m not threatening you but I’m hinting I can do as I please in London’.

Kenneth: Um. I just didn’t like his tone and attitude.

Johann: No, I understand what you were responding to. What did you mean when you said ‘I didn’t threaten you but hinted I can do as I please in London’?

Kenneth: Well, as long as I stay with in the perameters of the law I do, realistically, think there’s no need for someone speaking to me like that. And, realistically, I didn’t threaten him with anything. He called me and apologised, it was all straight.

Johann: That doesn’t answer the question. ‘‘I didn’t threaten you but hinted I can do as I please in London’. What does that mean?

Kenneth: Dude, it’s that long ago I don’t even remember. And-

Johann: Well. Think about it. What does it mean? Explain it to me.

Kenneth: In London, I did enjoy a bit of free reign, as in, I do enjoy the freedoms that essentially – it goes back to the whole privilege thing – and I just didn’t appreciate the way he spoke to me.

Johann: What do you mean you enjoyed a free reign?

Kenneth: Um, I just felt…very comfortable here. As in, the city welcomed me and a lot of the more important individuals did as well.

Johann: When you said, ‘I can do as I please in London’, what does that mean?

Kenneth: Just that I’d do what I want. And, yet again, like with this whole campaign, I’ll just be dead honest with everybody.

But the creepy stuff is really on anorexia:

Johann: You are telling people to starve themselves, I am asking what age-

Kenneth: Whenever, whenever, they feel the need to.

Johann: Eight? Is eight a good age to start? If an eight year old feels they’re fat do you think, would you advise her to starve herself?

Kenneth: If supervised correctly.

Johann: A six year old?

Kenneth: I’m sure her parents would supervise her very well.

It’s all gold. Read it here.

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