Julie Chen has resigned from The Talk after harassment allegations against husband Les Moonves
The couple have been married for more than a decade
Julie Chen is leaving The Talk just days after her husband Les Moonves stepped down as CEO of CBS amid sexual harassment allegations.
A week ago, an expose published by Ronan Farrow detailed harassment allegations against Farrow from six different women. Although he completely denied the allegations, Farrow resigned from his post as CEO of CBS, saying in a statement, “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.”
Following this, his wife of more than a decade stepped down from her position as co-host of The Talk in a pre-taped emotional video message. Chen will remain on Big Brother, which is about to go on a shooting break, after which she will still have a more manageable schedule.
Chen said:
“I have been at The Talk since the day it started nine years ago and the cast, crew and staff have become family to me over the years, but right now I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son, so I’ve decided to leave The Talk. I want to thank everyone at the show for the wonderful years together. I will always, always cherish the memories we shared. Most important, I want to thank you, the viewers, for allowing me into your home every day. It was a privilege that I will forever be grateful for.”
She added, “To everyone behind the scenes, I send you my love. I will miss you all very very much.” Reacting to her resignation, CBS News released the following statement, saying,“For eight seasons, Julie Chen has co-hosted The Talk with incredible energy, grace and professionalism. Her talents played a big role in our successful launch of CBS’ first network daytime talk show, and in the series growth into an Emmy Award-winning broadcast. All of us here have tremendous appreciation for the dedication and passion she brought to the show every day and for her generous role as an ambassador for CBS Daytime. We are grateful for her many other contributions, respect her decision and wish Julie all the best in everything she does.”
Chen bid her team and former job farewell by saying, “I love you all and I know this show and the sisterhood it stands for will live on for many, many, many more years to come. You ladies got this and I cannot be more proud to call you my friends. I love you.”
Julie and Chen share son Charlie Moonves together.