Julie Chen Breaks her Silence on 'Big Brother' Racism

Julie Chen, host of the hit CBS reality show 'Big Brother' for an impressive fifteen seasons, has been asked a lot of questions of late. After the scandal hit regarding the racist and homophobic comments being uttered in the 'Big Brother' house by contestants GinaMarie Zimmerman and Aaryn Gries, Chen has been pressed for comment. On the latest episode of 'Big Brother,' CBS finally opted to recognize that the scandal was taking place, featuring Zimmerman & Gries' hurtful comments in a montage segment and allowing the other houseguests to comment on how the slurs made them feel. Yesterday, on CBS' 'The Talk,' Julie Chen (who acts as 'The Talk's moderator) decided to join CBS in breaking the silence about the issue. 

Chen, aged forty-three, is of Chinese descent, and had no trouble admitting that the racial slurs Gries made about Asian-Americans hurt her. "I have to be honest: it stung," Chen explained to her co-hosts on 'The Talk.' "Those things, in my opinion ... it felt mean-spirited. It felt ugly and it felt mean."

Zimmerman's hurtful comments were about African-American houseguests, while Gries has been caught on camera sardonically impersonating an Asian accent, telling Asian houseguests to "go cook some rice," referring to "slanty-eyed" Asains, as well as calling houseguest Andy "a queer." 

"I have to be honest, the Asian ones hit me the most," Chen continued. "It stung. I took it personally. I'm a human being. ... It took me back to the '70s when I was growing up in Queens and I was 7-years-old getting bullied, being called a chink. I thought, 'Wow, I haven't heard comments like that [in years].' The year is 2013. I felt ignorant. There are still people in the country who feel and act that way? Yes there [are]. It made me sad. [Aaryn is] 22 and she's college-educated."

While both Zimmerman and Gries have lost their jobs outside of the reality series due to their shameful behavior, time till well how CBS intends to handle the houseguests on the program. Gries was "Head of the Household" last episode, making her safe from elimination. 

You can watch Chen's eight-minute segment on 'The Talk' below. Presently in its third season, 'The Talk' is a discussion program that links the issues of the day to parenting and motherhood. 'The Talk' was recently renewed for a fourth season, to debut this fall. 

How should CBS handle the racist and homophobic remarks on 'Big Brother?'