It was widely believed to be the case but today it’s official: Julie Chen has decided to exit The Talk. The decision comes after Chen’s husband, former head of CBS Les Moonves, parted ways with the network amid sexual harrasment allegations that had 12 women coming forward with claims against him.
The opening of The Talk teased a “message from Julie” and co-host Eve told viewers at the top of the show that they would hear from Chen within the hour. The show carried on wit the co-hosts addressing other stories in the news and it wasnt until the end of the show that Chen addressed the audience and co-hosts via a video message.
Eve introduced the video, which was recorded from the set of Big Brother, and revealed that the co-hosts and the audience were hearing the video for the very first time. Here is a piece of what Chen said in the video message:
“I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son so i’ve decided to leave the talk…I’ll always cherish the memories we shared. I know this show and the sisterhood it stands for will continue for many years to come.”
Chen did not address the allegations against Moonves and since the message aired at the end of the show, the co-hosts didn’t really comment on the content. The camera eventually cut back to the main set where all the co-hosts were in tears. Sara Gilbert quickly thanked Julie for her contributions to The Talk and the show ended there without further discussion.
Chen’s decision comes more than a week after taking a leave of absence from her role on the show after her husband resigned from his post after facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Inititially, Chen said she would be gone a few days to spend time with her family but many industry insiders knew it would be difficult for her to return to a show where #MeToo discussions would be at the forefront. This would have to be extremely awkward for her, considering the allegations being leveled against her husband.
Chen is expected, for now, to continue as host of Big Brother, which is set to wrap its 20th season. Chen showed a strong sign of support for her husband when she returned to that show and signed off at end as “Julie Chen Moonves”, something she hasn’t done in the 18 year run of the show.
