In a preview for the upcoming Bravo series Small Town Trouble: Texas, Aaryn Williams — who competed on Big Brother in 2013 under her maiden name, Aaryn Gries — connects her past Aaryn Williams Big Brother racism controversy to the household she grew up in. The clip shows Williams speaking with her husband, Nick Williams, about the fallout from her time on the CBS reality show.
A Father’s Influence
Williams, 36, says her late father, George, raised her with racist beliefs. In a confessional, she explains that while he was alive her perspective was limited, and she describes growing up surrounded by racism. She also says she wanted to make her father proud during her Big Brother appearance and states plainly that he instilled a racist mindset in her.
She offers a specific example: her father would not share her prom photos on Facebook because her date was Black. Williams says that if she had not been confronted over her behavior, she doubts she would have been the one to break the cycle within her family.
Acknowledging the Past
During the conversation with Nick, Williams recalls their first meeting and the warning she gave him: not to search for her online. Nick says that at the time he knew nothing about Big Brother and saw her only as someone who had made a serious error. Williams pushes back on that framing, telling him the conduct was not a one-off mistake but a reflection of who she was then.
In her confessional, Williams says it took her a long time to grasp how deeply embedded those attitudes were and how many people she harmed with her comments on the show. She calls it the biggest regret of her life.
She also says she had not yet processed trauma from her past when she appeared on the program, which left her unaware of her own ignorance.
The 2013 Controversy
Williams drew widespread criticism during Big Brother Season 15 for racist comments about Black and Asian people as well as homophobic remarks. Her modeling agency dropped her, and she was booed by the live audience after her eviction. Host Julie Chen Moonves questioned her about the behavior in a tense exit interview.
At the time, Williams, then 22, said being Southern was a stereotype and that some of her remarks had been taken out of context and did not reflect her views. She denied intending to come across as racist and apologized to anyone she offended.
Looking Ahead
Williams now appears on Small Town Trouble: Texas, which Bravo describes as following a group of wives, mothers and social insiders in Boerne, Texas. The cast includes Annari Uys, Gabby Hernandez Huffman, Alli McAnelly and Hailey Head, along with their husbands. The series premieres on Bravo on Nov. 18.
Williams says that with Nick’s support, their four daughters will not have to worry regardless of who they become.
