Julie Chen is out at The Talk, according to a video message she posted to Twitter on Tuesday. Chen’s exit was first reported Monday night by The Hollywood Reporter.
Farewell ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/1eOCpelor1
— Julie Chen Moonves (@JCMoonves) September 18, 2018
Chen is the longtime host and moderator of the CBS daytime talkshow, as well as the host of CBS reality show Big Brother, which she has hosted since the show began in 2000. Before joining The Talk, Chen was co-anchor of The Early Show, also on CBS. Chen is also the wife of former CBS chairman and CEO Leslie “Les” Moonves, who resigned his executive role on September 9. She has been on leave from The Talk following Moonves’s resignation, though she has continued to host Big Brother.
Moonves was accused by a dozen women of sexual harassment, abuse, and physical intimidation dating back to the 1980s, detailed in two stories in the New Yorker. Dozens more women came forward with complaints about widespread sexual misconduct at CBS. Moonves left the company without a severance package, according to the Los Angeles Times. Since his resignation, CBS says it will donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement.
Thought he’s officially out at CBS, Moonves continues to hold a role as an unpaid advisor to the network. That position is slated to last one year, unless the allegations against him are proven true before then. If they are, Moonves will be out for good.
As for Chen’s fate in moderating Big Brother, she made no indication that she would step down from the job. In fact, her resignation video for The Talk was filmed on the Big Brother set, where just days ago she signed off as “Julie Chen Moonves” for the first time, which may be a sign that she isn’t being voted off, yet.
