Les Moonves’s Wife Julie Chen to Remain Big Brother Host After Quitting The Talk

Julie Chen will still be the host of “Big Brother,” amid speculation after sexual allegation against her husband, former CBS CEO Les Moonves, and her recent departure from “The Talk.”

Sources told TMZ that CBS isn’t looking to punish Chen for the accusations against her husband. They want her to stay on as host and return for subsequent seasons as long as the show itself isn’t canceled.

Yesterday, “The Talk” aired a clip of Chen announcing she would not be returning to the show, after not making an appearance since last season. She gave a tearful goodbye of thanks and praise to those who she has worked with since the show’s initial season.

Leaving the show was 100 percent her decision, according to TMZ. She said she wants time to focus on her family. The TMZ article suggests that leaving “The Talk” and staying with “Big Brother” was a strategic move, as Chen would no longer be in a talk show format with sexual harassment topics potentially on the table.

Chen and Moonves married in 2004, not long after Moonves divorced his previous wife, Nancy Wiesenfeld, according to Town & Country. Chen gave birth to son Charlie in 2009.

Chen didn’t bring up Moonves in her goodbye monologue, filmed on the set of “Big Brother.” She subtly showed support for Moonves during a Sept. 13 “Big Brother” episode, when she signed off as “Julie Chen Moonves,” as a clip posted by TMZ shows. According to People, it is the first time she ever referred to herself that way.

“I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late ‘90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years. Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband, and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent, and moral human being. I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his statement,” Chen wrote in a statement that she posted to Twitter.

Moonves Forced to Resign

The scandal started after The New Yorker published an article in August titled “Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct,” followed by another article, “As Leslie Moonves Negotiates His Exit from CBS, Six Women Raise New Assault and Harassment Claims,” published Sept. 9.

Moonves was forced to resign the same day as the later New Yorker article. His statement, obtained by Deadline, follows:

“For the past 24 years it has been an incredible privilege to lead CBS’s renaissance and transformation into a leading global media company. The best part of this journey has been working alongside the dedicated and talented people in this company. Together, we built CBS into a destination where the best in the business come to work and succeed.

Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me that are not consistent with who I am.  Effective immediately I will no longer be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CBS.

I am deeply saddened to be leaving the company. I wish nothing but the best for the organization, the newly comprised board of directors and all of its employees.”

A source told People that Chen has changed following the allegations, making staff nervous.

“She knows everyone’s name on the crew, and she is very involved. She’s been doing this show for 18 years; she’s the face of ‘Big Brother,’” the source then went on to notice differences in recent weeks. “She doesn’t make small talk; she doesn’t talk to the crew. She comes in, does her job, and leaves. It’s clear you can’t approach her. If she’s not on camera, she’s either on her phone or she retreats to her room. It’s like a different host.”

From NTD.tv