Survivor's Jeff Varner Apologizes For Outing Zeke Smith in the 'Worst Decision of His Life'

Jeff Varner has broken his silence following a controversial episode of Survivor in which he outed fellow contestant Zeke Smith as transgender during a tribal council.

He took to Instagram to apologize to Zeke in a written statement.

“Yep. I did that. And I offer my deepest, most heart-felt apologies to Zeke Smith, his friends and life allies, his family and to all those who my mistake hurt and offended,” Jeff wrote. “I recklessly revealed something I mistakenly believed everyone already knew. I was wrong and make no excuses for it. I own responsibility in what is the worst decision of my life.”

“Let me be clear, outing someone is assault,” he continued. “It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. It can leave scars that haunt for a lifetime. I am profoundly sorry. Zeke is a wonderful man and I will forever be amazed and inspired by his forgiveness and compassion. I thank God for that and the gift of being an example as to why you should never do what I did.”

MORE: Survivor Fans React to Zeke Smith Being Outed As Transgender