Julie Chen Moonves Ponders Eventual Big Brother Exit: ‘You Know When It’s Time to Go’

It will be a while before Julie Chen Moonves utters her final, “But first.”

Ahead of Big Brother‘s milestone 25th season on CBS, Chen Moonves — who has hosted the summertime staple since its 2000 debut — has weighed in on whether she’ll step down from the series anytime soon. And while any self-respecting Big Brother fan knows to expect the unexpected, it sounds like Chen Moonves will be around for seasons to come.

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“I like to take one season at a time,” the host told Entertainment Weekly. “Going into Season 25, I’m like, ‘I never want it to end.’ I think there would have to be a few things [to make me step away], like if I feel like the public is getting tired of me or the show is not what I want it to be. But with [executive producers] Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan leading the way, I can’t imagine it ever being something that I feel is not in alignment with me or what the show should be in my mind.

“I think you know when it’s time to go, whether as a show or me as a host, and I just don’t see signs of that right now,” she continued. “But you just never know.”

Across her 24 seasons (thus far) as Big Brother host, Chen Moonves hasn’t been immune to viewer criticism. In 2018, she drew ire after conspicuously adding the “Moonves” name to her Big Brother sign-off, just days after husband Les Moonves was fired from CBS in the wake of serious sexual assault allegations leveled against him. Then, in 2020, fans noticed (with mixed reactions) that Chen Moonves’ usual goodbye to viewers on the live eviction episodes had changed, and she was now encouraging the home audience to “be safe, be well, and be good to one another.”

“It’s totally an outside-of-the-game message,” she explained at the time. “I feel fortunate that the network and the producers have been so supportive in letting me put my own personal messaging at the end of our live shows.”

Big Brother‘s 25th season kicks off with a 90-minute premiere on Wednesday, Aug. 2 at 8/7c. Episodes will then air on Sundays at 8 pm (beginning Aug. 6), Wednesdays at 8 pm and Thursdays at 9 pm (beginning Aug. 10). CBS will also air a Big Brother 25th anniversary celebration on Wednesday, July 26 at 9 pm, featuring highlights of the series over the years, and interviews with Chen Moonves and fan-favorite houseguests.

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