CBS at TCA Press Tour: CEO finds 'Big Brother' racism 'appalling'
While CBS has come under fire over the racist remarks of Big Brother houseguest Aaryn Gries, it turns out the show is also taking flak internally, as network CEO Les Moonves labeled some of the controversial comments on the show "absolutely appalling."
However, while Moonves spoke out against the racial insensitivity, he stated that he ultimately felt the network handled the situation "appropriately. . . We didn't comment until they affected things in the household."
Gries, 22, lost her modeling gig after her comments ignited a media firestorm. She wasn't the only contestant to cause a backlash either, as houseguest GinaMarie Zimmerman, 32, a former pageant coordinator from Staten Island, was also caught on camera making insensitive statements, referring to welfare as "n-word insurance" in a segment that aired exclusively on the show's official CBS website. In addition, Zimmerman also said of a black contestant, "She's on the dark side, but she's already dark," to which Gries replied, "Be careful what you say in the dark because you might not be able to see the b----."
Moonves said the comments were "unfortunately reflective of how some people behave in America."
But is Moonves even all that big a fan of the show? His statements seem to suggest that he could take it or leave it, as he joked to the audience that he only watches Big Brother because "my wife would kill me if I didn't." His wife is none other than Big Brother host Julie Chen.
If nothing else, Moonves likely doesn't appreciate the uproar created by this controversial season: in another high-profile flub, Gries also referred to a fellow contestant as "a queer" and mocked the accent of an Asian-American contestant.
Moonves stated Big Brother has always been "a social experiment," and added that he personally has final say over the contestants.
Via: NY Daily News