Julie Chen Talks About Hosting 'Big Brother' Following Her Husband's Scandal

From Good Housekeeping

Big Brother fans weren't sure what was going to happen to host Julie Chen after the season wrapped up last September.

Weeks prior, Julie's husband of 15 years, former CBS executive Les Moonves, was forced to resign after several sexual misconduct allegations (Les still denies any non-consensual sexual relations). About four months later, CBS took away Les's $120-million severance package. The board claimed in December that they had every right to let Les go, saying that he committed "willful and material misfeasance" and didn't cooperate in the company's investigation.

Just days after Les was fired, Julie announced that she was departing from CBS's The Talk. Back then, she cited wanting to spend more time with her family as the reason.

But even though Julie stepped away from The Talk for good, she's still very much a part of Big Brother. In May, the show's Instagram account verified her return with a photo of Julie holding keys to the famous Big Brother house.

While it may surprise some, Julie's return isn't actually all that shocking. After all, Julie hosted the second season of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, which began in January 2019. Back then, Julie gave her fans insight into how she was feeling coming back to the show for the first time since her husband's scandal.

"So excited to be back on this stage," Julie wrote on Instagram prior to Celebrity Edition's first episode.

However, Julie has made it very clear that she is standing by her husband. Following a July 2018 New Yorker exposé where six women accused Les of sexual misconduct, Julie tweeted that she "stood behind him" and claimed that he is "a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader."

What's more, when Big Brother season 20 ended last fall and the Celebrity Edition began in January, Julie signed off the episodes saying, "I'm Julie Chen Moonves. Good Night." She had previously only called herself "Julie Chen" before the scandal.

Deadline reports that while Julie may be coming back this year, it's not set in stone that she'll return again. Her contract is good for season 21, but it's still up in the air whether or not CBS will ask Julie to host beyond this summer's series.

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