Julie Chenwill continue her role as the host ofBig Brother.
“She will continue to work onBig Brotherand looks forward to hosting the show for years to come,” a source close to Chen, 48, tells PEOPLE.
On Tuesday, Chen addressed her departure from the popular daytime talk showThe Talkin a videotaped message to viewers.
“Right now I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son,” she said. “So I’ve decided to leaveThe Talk.”
“I know this show and the sisterhood it stands for will live on for many, many years to come,” she concluded.
“For eight seasons, Julie Chen has co-hostedThe Talkwith incredible energy, grace and professionalism,” CBS said in a statement. “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’s departure fromThe Talkcomes just over a week after CBS announced that Moonveswas no longer the chairman and CEO of the networkfollowing multiple allegations ofsexual misconduct.
Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Shortly after his departure, fans began to question Chen’s future onBig Brother.
“[Julie] has always been very hands-on as the host,” a source close to the the network’s reality competition show previously told PEOPLE. “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 ofBig Brother. A lot of the crew members are millennials who grew up watching her, and she has been so great to them. She’s very approachable, and she really cares about making the show as good as possible.”
“The last few weeks have been different, though,” the source added. “She comes in, does what she has to do, and leaves. 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. It’s not that other people can’t host a show like this, but I don’t know how you get someone who cares as much as she does. It feels like she’s totally checked out ofBig Brother, which makes everyone nervous.”
Last week, Chen returned to CBS to hostBig Brotherand sent a subtle message of solidarity to her husband as she signed off from the show, looking at the camera and saying, “I’m Julie Chen Moonves. Goodnight.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS
It was the first time that she has used the last name Moonves on the show — and it came just days after her husband exited CBS after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
An insider close to theBig Brotherproduction previously told PEOPLE, “Everyone knows that it’s a big ‘f— you’ to CBS that she did it, because she never, ever refers to herself as anything but Julie Chen.”
Chen and Moonves married in 2004 and share 8-year-old son Charlie.
source: people.com
