Julie Chen Breaks Silence On Orchestration Behind Her Exit From 'The Talk'

Julie Chen Moonves is speaking out for the first time about her departure from "The Talk" in 2018, asserting that her exit from the CBS daytime show was a decision made on her behalf. Her departure occurred shortly after her husband, Les Moonves, was removed from CBS following allegations, which he has denied, of sexual misconduct by over a dozen women.

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When she announced her departure from the hit series, Chen avoided mentioning the allegations against her husband. Instead, she cited her need "to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son" as the reason.

Now, years later, she has seemingly hinted at the real reason behind her shocking exit from the panel. Per PEOPLE, she touched on the topic during an appearance on Good Morning America while promoting her new audio memoir, "But First, God," saying:

"That was a hard time. I felt stabbed in the back. I was, you know."

The audiobook, which marks the first time she has opened up about the circumstances surrounding her departure, also sees her sharing details of her spiritual journey in the aftermath of her husband's scandal. That journey, the television personality describes as having profoundly transformed her. Speaking about that on GMA, she shared:

"Julie Chen before she found God was self-absorbed, career-minded, vain, gossipy — fun to be with, but probably kind of a shallow person. Julie Chen Moonves, who now knows the Lord, is someone who wants to help others; who wants to look at everyone with a soft heart."

Her new path has led her into growing faith, which has helped Chen reconcile her ill feelings around her departure from "The Talk." As she admitted, "I don't know if I could have reconciled if I didn't have God in my life."

That faith might have also had a hand in the 53-year-old's return to CBS, this time as the host of the long-running, "Big Brother." Reporting the story at the time, The Blast shared that she announced the news, exclaiming, "So excited to be back on this stage," with her arms raised high in the air.

In July 2022, fans and former contestants alike expressed strong outrage over the unjust treatment of Taylor Hale, a former Miss Michigan USA who endured bullying and racial discrimination while on "Big Brother."

Chen soon chose to address the issue, acknowledging the microaggressions and bullying that the former beauty queen endured. As reported by The Blast, she had ranted during an interview:

"It's so interesting that you use the term 'mob mentality.' Because isn't that what Twitter has done? Aren't you all being hypocrites? There has been this mob mentality created against people in the house, who viewers feel have not been kind to Taylor. I think anytime you're nominated; it'll bring you to tears."

Mixed in with Chen's anger was some sympathy for the now-28-year-old stylist, who eventually won the reality television show. She stated, "We all walk through life thinking that we're good, decent people. You don't set out to be unlikable. It hurts, and I have sympathy for her. I have sympathy for everyone in that house. It's not easy."

When talking about it during a different interview, the news anchor alluded that the bullying Taylor suffered possibly came from the "pressure cooker" setting of her then-environment.

"Microaggressions are real, and they happen. I don't think most people, when committing it, are even aware of what they're doing. I think that with the live feeds, it is easy. I think what we need to do is ask ourselves, 'Who am I — who is anyone — to judge somebody else?'" the CBS producer explained.

"We haven't been in that pressure cooker situation. And a lot of times when someone is feeling insecure about themselves, or seeing another individual as a threat to their game, that's when you see classic Big Brother 'I'm going to trash talk someone behind his or her back,'" The "When I Grow Up" author pointed out.