Controversial South African reality TV couple Peet Viljoen (57) and Mel Viljoen (39) have broken their silence from United States (US) immigration detention centres, launching shocking attacks on US President Donald Trump after previously supporting him and his views on South Africa.
Speaking exclusively to Rapport through text messages facilitated by US authorities, Peet Viljoen accused Trump of being “a bully” and compared conditions at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE detention centre to “Hitler’s Auschwitz on steroids”.
The dramatic comments come just months after the couple publicly praised Trump and echoed controversial claims about so-called “white genocide” in South Africa.
According to reports shared by content creator Bianca van Wyk and Rapport, Peet said he was now “very disappointed” in Trump and his administration after his detention experience in the United States.
“Trump is a bully and ‘Alligator’, Alcatraz was built on the plans of Hitler’s Auschwitz,” Peet reportedly claimed.
The disbarred lawyer went even further, adding: “At least Hitler killed people; Trump derives pleasure from torture.”
@biancasays3 #peetviljoen #melviljoen #southafrica #suidafrika #usa ♬ original sound – BiancaSays3
The Real Housewives reality-television couple’s sudden change in tone has shocked many online, particularly because they previously publicly defended Trump after relocating to America from South Africa.
In a TikTok video shared in December 2025 after their move to the United States, Peet said, “Mel and I are happy in America. We’re going to stay here. We don’t have to explain to anyone if we have green cards. I regularly speak about Trump. Everyone knows about white genocide. I’ve done my part”.
Mel Viljoen also previously backed Trump’s controversial remarks about South Africa.
“Trump is right about everything. I’m from South Africa, where there are race laws against white people and where white people are getting killed,” she said at the time.
The couple’s legal troubles escalated earlier this year when they were arrested on 10 March 2026, in Boca Raton, Florida.
Authorities accused them of allegedly stealing more than $3,000 worth of goods from a Publix supermarket over six months.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials later identified the pair as “illegal aliens” who had entered the country on B-2 tourist visas on 25 May 2025, but allegedly failed to leave by 24 November 2025.
Reports indicate that Peet Viljoen is currently being held at the California City Detention Facility, while Mel is detained at the Denver Contract Detention Facility.
South African private investigator Mike Bolhuis has also claimed that US authorities are planning to deport the couple back to South Africa rather than prosecute them criminally.
Despite their detention ordeal and public criticism of Trump, the Viljoens reportedly still hope to remain in the US.
Their explosive comments and ongoing legal troubles have continued to dominate headlines both in South Africa and abroad as public fascination around the controversial couple intensifies.
