Big Brother's sixteenth-season houseguest Caleb Reynolds is being scrutinized for making a racist and homophobic slur on social media, however, his family is rushing to his defense.

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Reynolds referred to President Barack Obama as a "Muslim monkey" on his Instagram account and used an offensive anti-gay word in the same post in which he verbally attacked a Democrat. While Reynolds' family has since deleted his account, they're also insisting his comments were harmless, TMZ reported.  

The family told TMZ that Reynolds -- a 26-year-old Iraqi war veteran and adventure hunting guide from Dallas, TX, who currently resides in Hopkinsville, KY -- wrote the post two years ago and therefore shouldn't be criticized for it today. 

"A racist man doesn't fight next to a black man for this country," the contestant's brother explained.

A friend of Reynolds, who is black, also reportedly posted a YouTube video recently defending the future Big Brother houseguest's character.

Big Brother's fifteenth season racked in very high ratings seemingly due to racist and homophobic controversies surrounding Aaryn Gries and GinaMarie Zimmerman. Both girls made national headlines -- repeatedly -- for their ignorant comments.

TMZ is suggesting CBS is well aware of Reynolds' rant or stance considering the network does thorough background checks on each contestant.

Big Brother's sixteenth season will feature 16 new houseguests and premiere on Wednesday, June 25 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS. Like prior Big Brother seasons, the upcoming edition will award a $500,000 cash prize to the competition's winner.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.