Haley Thogmartin has broken her silence on the explosive confrontation that rocked her alliance with Angela Murray inside the “Big Brother 28” house.
Thogmartin, 29, said that the emotional fallout from Murray’s betrayal cut far deeper than the game maneuver itself. “I hated how upset she got in the moment before the whole blowup happened,” the telemedicine executive said, recalling the tension that preceded their on-camera clash. “I knew in that situation that I was getting lied to.”
The fracture came during week four, when Murray, 53, blindsided Lyric Medeiros, 25, by voting him out while Thogmartin held the Head of Household power. Murray concealed her vote for several days before finally confessing to Thogmartin, triggering the volatile exchange that became one of the season’s most talked-about moments.
Thogmartin attempted to de-escalate privately. “I did try to say, like, ‘Can we talk outside real quick?'” she said. “And then that didn’t happen.”
What followed left Thogmartin reeling not from anger, but from shared pain. “But truly I was just really upset that she was upset, because I was really, really close to her,” she continued. “And I just kind of felt all the sadness with it.”
Despite the public explosion, the two women rebuilt their bond before Thogmartin’s eventual elimination. Thogmartin described their dynamic as familial, saying that “fights happen” within close relationships. “She was somebody that I was not willing to let go of,” she said about Murray. “And I think vice versa. We’re actually like really, really close. And I spent a lot of time with her.”
Their reconciliation rested on personal conversations that transcended game strategy. Thogmartin noted the pair “talked a lot on a personal level,” and for that reason she considers Murray “definitely somebody that I see being in my life long term after.”
The betrayal stung more acutely because it involved not just Murray but also Dee Valladares, as the pair dismantled their “Tool Shed” alliance by ousting Medeiros and then covering their tracks. Thogmartin acknowledged she entered the house prepared for deception, yet still found herself wounded by the specific breach.
“In the moment, knowing that this is a game, I knew that there was bound to have some type of situation where a lie occurred or something, but I was so willing to wash it and just move forward because I thought what we had was so strong,” she said while reflecting on the blindside.
She added, “I was pretty bummed to see that. But again, I was still trying to be a ride or die with them still.”
Thogmartin is also hoping to repair relationships with two other houseguests she clashed with during her time in the game. She expressed particular interest in making amends with LaTrice Verrett and Taylor Brown, whose conflicts with Thogmartin added another layer of tension to an already volatile season.
“I hope that we can talk after this,” she said. “I think they’re both incredible people. They both bring so much to the table. And honestly, I would love to be a part of their life after this.”
The week four blindside that shattered the “Tool Shed” alliance became a defining inflection point of the season. Thogmartin had placed her trust in Murray and Valladares, only to watch them orchestrate Medeiros’s exit while she held the HOH title that should have guaranteed her control. Murray’s prolonged deception—maintaining the lie across multiple days—amplified the damage when the truth finally surfaced, transforming a standard game move into the emotional confrontation that played out across live feeds and broadcast episodes.
Thogmartin’s elimination ended her run in the house, but her reflections reveal a player still processing the personal costs of strategic gameplay. The admission that she prioritized loyalty even after discovering the betrayal—remaining “a ride or die” with her duplicitous allies—underscores the tension between emotional connection and competitive survival that defines the “Big Brother” experience.
“Big Brother 28” airs every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.
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