Like so many fans, longtime Big Brother host Julie Chen has been celebrating the franchise’s history during Season 25, and there are surely plenty of major moments. One of the more subtle — but significant — ones was the moment Chen began signing off as “Julie Chen Moonves.” That change was made as as a show of support for her husband, Les Moonves, the former CBS CEO who resigned in 2018 due to sexual assault allegations. The controversy didn’t impact Chen’s work on BB, but it ultimately led to her leaving The Talk. Now, as she releases her new memoir, Moonves is revealing her true feelings on the exit and how she felt “stabbed in the back” by colleagues.
When she wasn’t “Chenbot” (a nickname given by fans she’s embraced) on Big Brother, the hostess was taking up duties on CBS daytime talk show The Talk. Julie Chen Moonves left in 2018 as Les Moonves faced the allegations of sexual assault that ultimately led to his exit from the network. In her audio memoir, But First, God, she asserted that the decision to leave the program was not her own and that it was made for her by colleagues. During an interview, Good Morning America asked Chen Moonves about the reveal in her book, and she elaborated a bit more on her feelings:
Yeah, I never revealed that until ‘But First, God.’ That was a hard time. I felt stabbed in the back. I was, you know…I don’t know if I could’ve reconciled if I didn’t have God in my life.
At the time she exited, it seemed as though the veteran media personality had made the decision to leave on her own and did so to focus on her family. Around that time, co-host Eve talked about missing her presence on the show and adjusting to her sudden departure. The hostess also didn’t get an official farewell episode but merely a video featuring her goodbye message, which was aired during a taping. She filmed that final address, which can be found below, from the Big Brother set:
Following her departure, The Talk replaced Julie Chen Moonves with Dancing With The Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba. As of this writing, only one of Chen Moonves’ contemporaries from the show is left, and that’s Sheryl Underwood. The comedian actually mentioned in the past (via Closer Weekly) that she’d like to see her former co-host return, though it doesn’t seem like Chen Moonves is interested in returning at this time.
Those looking to learn more about the star’s past may consider checking out her memoir, which will be available for purchase beginning on Tuesday, September 19th. In it, she talks about her career and finding religion after spending decades of her life without it being a major factor. Other relevant moments from her professional life will allegedly be touched on as well, including the controversy she endured alongside her husband. Now that she’s getting candid, one has to wonder if she might eventually share more thoughts on her exit from the daytime staple.
Julie Chen Moonves can be seen hosting Big Brother Season 25, and those who are behind can totally catch up on it with a Paramount+ subscription. Subscribers can also check out clips from The Talk, though episodes of the series are unavailable for streaming.