Big Brother contestants Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman have been fired from their modeling jobs after they were filmed using racial slurs on the CBS show.
Zephyr Talent released a statement today saying that they did not condone Aaryn’s views and decided that it was best for her to leave the company.
Zephyr said in a statement : “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.”
Zimmerman’s company, East Coast USA Pageant, Inc., also released a statement saying that they had fired the Big Brother contestant.
The Pageant said : “We have never known this side of GinaMarie or have ever witnessed such acts of racism in the past. We are actually thankful that this show let us see GinaMarie for who she truly is. We would never want her to be a role model to our future contestants. In a business where we are surrounded by beauty every day we are saddened to see something so ugly come from someone we put on a very high pedestal.”
Gries and Zimmerman were both caught using some pretty despicable language on the show’s live feed. Gries can be heard calling one house guest “queer.” In reference to Helen, an Asian-American contestant, Gries said “shut up and go make some rice” and “she is the first Asian I know who doesn’t do nails.” Gries, 22, also insulted Candice, an African-American contestant, by saying: “Be careful what you say in the dark, you might not be able to see that b—-.”
Zimmerman’s comments were equally hateful. The Big Brother contestant even dropped the N-word on the show when she called welfare “N—er insurance.”
A petition was started to get the Big Brother contestants fired from the show but it doesn’t look like CBS will be kicking the girl’s out of the house. The network said that they did not condone Gries’ beliefs or comments but added that Big Brother is all about capturing how people act 24/7.
CBS said: “ 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.”
Do you think the Big Brother contestants deserved to get fired?