'Big Brother' 15 Cast Member Aaryn Gries' Mom Offers Defense: 'She's Not Racist'
"Big Brother" contestant Aaryn Gries was evicted from the house last week, but the controversy surrounding comments made inside the house has not died down. Gries' mother, Elizabeth Owens, spoke to a paper about her daughter's behavior, which she says does not make her racist; yesterday, host Julie Chen also addressed the situation on "The Late Show with David Letterman."
"It's been a very hectic, controversial summer for the show," Chen told Letterman. "It was shocking and it was astounding to watch because when she [Gries] first got picked to be one of the housemates, we all thought, 'Oh, she's going to be America's sweetheart.' And it wasn't until a couple weeks in the house that she said some pretty ugly things."
Gries was heavily criticized for making racial and homophobic remarks about her fellow contestants. The comments were caught on the show's live-stream, and CBS decided to air them in prime time, setting off a frenzy of media scrutiny and conversation about race relations. While Gries tried to apologize and defend herself after the eviction, she is still sequestered in the "Big Brother" Jury House until the show wraps.
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Her mother, Elizabeth Owens, has spoken out about her daughter's behavior and insists that she is not a racist. She also lambasted host Chen for "attacking" her daughter and CBS for using Aaryn's comments to boost ratings.
"While I love and continue to support my daughter Aaryn, words cannot describe my disappointment in some of her comments made on 'Big Brother,'" Owens wrote in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. "These inappropriate comments certainly do not represent the value system under which her father and I have raised her."
Owens then noted that Gries went to her prom with an African American man who was "one of her closest friends through high school" and that her daughter's "first true love was Cuban American, and she has cousins of Japanese descent who she truly loves."
"It is my hope and prayer that those who have been hurt can find it in their hearts to forgive Aaryn," Owens concluded.
CBS has responded to Owens' comments, saying in a statement that they "believe the show has handled a very difficult situation appropriately, and that Aaryn's comments on the live 24/7 Internet feed and on the broadcast speak for themselves."
Gries has yet to learn that her comments cost her the real-life job she had before entering the "Big Brother" house.
