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Julie Chen says she was offended by 'Big Brother' slurs

Julie Chen arrives for the the National Academy of Television Arts & Science's 40th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on June 16, 2013. UPI/Jim Ruymen
Julie Chen arrives for the the National Academy of Television Arts & Science's 40th annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on June 16, 2013. UPI/Jim Ruymen | License Photo

LOS ANGELES, July 9 (UPI) -- "Big Brother" host Julie Chen says she was offended by racist comments recently made by a trio of contestants on the U.S. reality competition series.

Spencer Clawson, Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman have come under fire for using bigoted slurs on Sunday's episode of the show.

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"Personally, I was offended," the Chinese-American television personality told TMZ Monday. "I was offended by all the comments -- the anti-gay, the anti-black, but especially the anti-Asian ones ... for obvious reasons."

Chen went on to say she hopes contestant Gries will be able to "change the way she thinks."

Gries was dropped by her modeling agency because of her comments and CBS issued a statement saying it does not condone racism.

"'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," the network said in a statement. "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."

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