'Big Brother' Contestant Fired From Job for Offensive Comments on Show
"Big Brother" 15 contestant Aaryn Gries has been fired from her job at the Zephyr Talent modeling agency after comments she made on the show were aired. Gries has not responded to the allegations or firing.
According to reports, Gries called one of the houseguests a homophobic slur and told an Asian-American contestant to "shut up and go make some rice. Be careful what you say in the dark, you might not be able to see that [expletive]," she said in reference to an African-American contestant.
Her comments were allegedly captured on film during the off-hours and aired on one of the live feeds from the house. Gries was then fired from her job as a model and slammed for her words.
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"Aaryn, season 15 cast member of Big Brother, revealed prejudices and other beliefs that we (Zephyr Talent) do not condone. We certainly find the statements made by Aaryn on the live Internet feed to be offensive. Upon much consideration, we have decided to release Aaryn from her contract with Zephyr Talent," the agency said in a statement to TMZ.
CBS issued a statement about the situation as well.
"Big Brother is a reality show about watching a group of people who have no privacy 24/7 - and seeing every moment of their lives. At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone. We certainly find the statements made by several of the Houseguests on the live Internet feed to be offensive. Any views or opinions expressed in personal commentary by a Houseguest appearing on Big Brother, either on any live feed from the House or during the broadcast, are those of the individual(s) speaking and do not represent the views or opinions of CBS or the producers of the program," executives told BuzzFeed.
Celebrities have been in the news a lot lately for making offensive comments off-the-air. Paula Deen was released from her contract with Food Network and a whole host of endorsements after it was revealed that she had used the "n" word to describe African Americans.
"MasterChef" contestant Krissi Biasiello was recently discovered to have posted racist tweets before appearing on the reality competition. Now fans are hoping that she loses, but Biasiello has at least issued an apology via Twitter.
"I'm very sorry for any offensive posts I've made on social media," Biasiello tweeted. "It was never my intention to hurt or offend anyone and I deeply apologize."
Given that Gries is cut off from the rest of the outside world for the next 30 days, it's possible she may not even be aware of the situation.
"Big Brother" airs Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday nights on CBS.
