– Julie Chen Moonves opens up about her “traumatic” departure from The Talk
– The TV host feels hurt by the lack of support she experienced
– Chen Moonves now focuses on her future and embracing opportunities
In a recent interview with Los Angeles Times, Julie Chen Moonves opened up about her turbulent exit from CBS‘ daytime talk show, The Talk, calling it “traumatic.” Chen Moonves, who had been with the show since its inception in 2010, left in 2018 when her husband, Les Moonves, stepped down as CEO of CBS following multiple sexual misconduct allegations, which he continues to deny.
The 51-year-old television host admitted to feeling hurt by her former co-hosts, who she says did not support her during that tough period. She revealed, “When someone attacks your spouse, you feel like, ‘I got to protect you. I have to defend you.’… I went on the defense and I became a target.” Chen Moonves added, “I still don’t know who to really trust.”
Despite the heartache, Chen Moonves, who hosts the hit reality show Big Brother, chooses to focus on embracing new opportunities that come her way. She explained, “It’s a new day. It’s a new opportunity, when one door closes, the most amazing one is just about to open, and you never saw it.”
In the interview, Chen Moonves reminisced about her early days when joining her “TV sisterhood” in the form of co-hosts Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, and Leah Remini. She remarked, “The chemistry was great. But we lost that.” Chen Moonves also reflected on how everything changed when her husband became the focus of news stories and scandals. “It shifted from a daytime show to reporting and dissecting my husband,” she stated.
Despite her painful departure, Chen Moonves doesn’t hold any malice toward her former The Talk colleagues. As she put it, “I want everyone to win. I don’t view life as this competition. I’m rooting for them. I really am. I hope it hits every mark on the person it’s supposed to.”