Celebrity Big Brother won’t return to screens this year after the series ‘struggled to attract big-name housemates’.
The original version of the reality series first aired on Channel 4 and then Channel 5 between 2001 until 2018, before being revived by ITV six years later.
In the two seasons that have aired over the past two years, a string of high-profile famous faces including Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, Fern Britton and Patsy Palmer, have taken part.
However, it’s now been reported that the series won’t be airing this year after the broadcaster struggled to lock in notable housemates.
‘Despite announcing the programme was moving from ITV1 to sister channel ITV2, fans were still expecting another series this year,’ a TV insider told The Sun.
‘Executives also confirmed it wouldn’t be returning to the March/April air date it’s had for the last two seasons and instead would have to go out in late 2026.
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‘So, the latest development is likely to rock devotees when they realise it will be almost two years between series, which is relatively unusual for a big ITV show. It also raises questions over CBB’s long-term future.’
The most recent season of the show aired in April, however, now isn’t expected to return until spring 2026, where it will air on ITV2.
That means there will be a two-year break between seasons of the show – which is hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best.
However, in a statement to Metro, an ITV spokesperson said: ‘We are committed to both Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother beyond 2025, and scheduling for any new series will be confirmed in due course.’
‘The show remains a priority reality format for us having recently hit 150 million streams on ITVX,’ they added.
Soon after the news broke, fans of the series shared their thoughts online.
‘This is sort of surprising – there were plenty of issues with the last series, but it seemed like BB was getting back some cultural clout,’ user gggggggrace posted on Reddit.
‘Kinda shocked at this. I don’t even care for the celeb version but the Jojo/Chris stuff bringing a lot of attention plus it being the most watched celebrity series in a while meant I thought it would still stick around,’ Only1Scrappy-Doo shared.
‘Gutted that CBB has been rested this year, give me CBB over the Traitors any day,’ LostSouluk2021 added.
However, sporto89 declared: ‘ITV have completely ruined it anyway. Channels 4 and 5 had the grit it needed, it’s far too family friendly now, which is never how the show was intended to be. It not coming back this year is for the best.’
Last year ITV boss Kevin Lygo admitted the channel was ‘in a battle about the price’ of Celebrity Big Brother with its production company Endemol.
He went on to say changing the series to air on ITV2 would allow for celebrity signings to be ‘more interesting and niche’.
‘We’re thinking NOT on the main channel, that’s the answer. It’s so difficult now to book big celebrities, famous people, which is what we need on the main channel,’ he said.
Although the show did generate more than 150 million streams on catch-up service ITVX, the most recent season had viewing figures of between one to two million on each night the episodes aired.
Despite Celebrity Big Brother having a break, the civilian series is expected to return to ITV2 in October.
But since hitting screens, Celebrity Big Brother has faced a string of controversies over the years – including last year when Mickey Rourke was booted within a week for using offensive language.
On the day that he entered the house, the former boxing star and actor came under fire for ‘harassing’ host AJ, grabbing her and twirling her around while she was trying to interview him.
Just two days in, he then received a warning after telling Dance Moms star JoJo Siwa that she ‘would not be gay anymore’ if he stayed.
He then proceeded to use the F slur and stated he was going to ‘vote out the lesbian’.
Mickey then went on to say he was simply ‘talking smack’ but then apologised to JoJo.
However after this he body-shamed comedian Donna Preston and openly insulted Patsy Palmer’s cooking, before coming to blows with Love Island star Chris Hughes, whom he started swearing at during a run-in.
Celebrity Big Brother's biggest controversies
In the years since Celebrity Big Brother first aired 24 years ago, it’s come under the spotlight several times for a string of controversies. Here are some of the biggest to have unfolded…
2007- The most infamous controversy unfolded during the 2007 season when Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd, and Jo O’Meara were accused of racially bullying Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, which then sparked huge public outcry, official complaints and even protests in India. Shetty eventually won that season.
2015- In 2015 Coronation Street star Ken Morley was kicked off the show for using ‘unacceptable language’, including repeatedly saying a racial slur. He later appeared on Loose Women and said he used an ‘outdated expression’ but denied he was racist. ‘It was banter in an odd situation, but I understand entirely I’ve upset a lot of people from everywhere in the world… I am not a racist. Never have been,’ he said at the time.
That same season, former Baywatch actor Jeremy Jackson was kicked off the show after former page three girl Chloe Goodman claimed he had drunkenly tried to look at her breasts by opening her dressing gown while the pair were alone in the toilet. While Jackson claimed his actions were a result of him being interested in ‘bikini designs’, he was later given a police caution for common assault.
Another controversy erupted on the 2015 season when American model Tila Tequila was removed from the house after less than a day when controversial Facebook posts came to light. Two years earlier she’d posted antisemitic comments and praised Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
2016- Actor Christopher Biggins was removed from the Big Brother house during the 2016 season after repeatedly making offensive statements regarding bisexuality, race and religion. The pantomime icon, who is gay, declared that bisexual people ‘cannot be trusted’ and said the sexuality is merely a ‘phase’, branding the community ‘the worst type’. His biphobic jibes were followed by a conversation in which he claimed AIDS was a ‘bisexual disease’. In unaired scenes, he also made comments to his Jewish fellow Housemate and former X Factor contestant Katie Waissel that Big Brother considered ‘plainly capable of causing offence to Katie and the viewing public’. He later apologised, noting that he had ‘crossed the line’.
2018- In 2018 actress Roxanne Pallett falsely accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of punching her ‘repeatedly, unprovoked and completely deliberately’ during a play-fight. While he was then given a formal warning, Thomas said there had been ‘no malice’, but Pallett called him a ‘liar’ and ‘woman beater’. However, she later admitted she’d made a ‘horrible mistake’ after her claims were challenged. The incident sparked more than 25,000 complaints to Ofcom.
That same year, TV personality Jessica Alves was kicked off the show after repeatedly using a racial slur, which she said during a conversation about the type of sexual partner she preferred. She initially blamed excitement and alcohol consumption for her actions.
2025- Hollywood star Mickey Rourke was eliminated just days into the series after using homophobic slurs against JoJo Siwa and ‘threatening’ language towards Chris Hughes.
Shortly after, Mickey was called to the Diary Room and warned about ‘threatening’ language before being shown the exit.
At the time an ITV spokesperson said that: ‘Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother house this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour.’
The move to rest Celebrity Big Brother comes after ITV also did the same to another flagship programme – Dancing on Ice.
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Days after the 2025 season aired, the broadcaster announced that the series was being put on ice itself.
At the time an ITV Spokesperson told Metro: ‘Following another successful series earlier this year, Dancing on Ice will be rested in 2026 with no current plans for another series.
‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the cast and crew who have worked on the show since 2006, and over the previous 17 series, for all of their hard work both on and off the ice.’
Over 200 celebrities had taken part in that series, which was first broadcast in 2006.
Metro has contacted ITV for comment.
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