As the "Big Brother" contestants continue to spew racist comments, host Julie Chen is speaking out.
On "The Talk" on Monday, Chen showed a clip of the fight between contestants Candice, Aaryn and GinaMarie. Aaryn said, "Whatchu gonna do girl?" to Candice and at one point, GinaMarie got in Candice's face and asked if she was going to "let the black come out."
"My heart is pounding," Chen said after the clip aired. "Am I the only one who feels so enraged? This is the third time I've watched that clip, and it does not get any easier. I think it shows us all that in 2013, race is still a deeply, deeply personal issue and it is so extremely hurtful. And unless you have ever been on the receiving issue end of it, you simply do not know what it's like to walk a mile in someone's shoes."
Before last night's episode of "Big Brother," CBS added a prejudice disclaimer for the first time. The "Big Brother" racism controversy erupted when contestants, including Aaryn and GinaMarie, were seen on the "Big Brother" 24/7 live feed using racial stereotypes and homophobic speech.
CBS released this statement following the live feed comments: “'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.”
Eventually, some of the comments made it into an episode of "Big Brother."
"It was ultimately part of the story in the house," Allison Grodner, an executive producer on “Big Brother,” told The New York Times after the Sunday, July 7 episode featured some of the comments. Aaryn became the temporary leader of the "Big Brother" house and other contestants spoke out about her comments. “That gave us a launching pad to be able to tell this story,” Grodner said. “I do feel it would be irresponsible to put hate on the airwaves just for hate’s sake. You need to have some sort of context."
Chen said Aaryn is clueless about what she's saying. "Aaryn, in my opinion, has no clue what it's like to be on the receiving end," Chen said on "The Talk" on July 15. "I think she's ignorant, I think she's young, and I think she's immature. I hope she watches that and is as appalled as we all are."
"Big Brother" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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