Former CBS boss Les Moonves' network ousting has made many headlines as of late, with his wife Julie Chen getting her share as well. Chen has stood by her husband in light of his sexual assault allegations, and many have wondered how her stance will affect her overall future on CBS. Chen left The Talk this week, and many became concerned she'll soon also exit her hosting gig at Big Brother. The latest news on this front, though, is that Chen reportedly has no plans to leave Big Brother, and is indeed in it for the long haul.
That reassuring-to-fans news does not come directly from Julie Chen, however, but insiders at CBS who spoke to TMZ. The current word is that Chen wishes to finish the current season of Big Brother, and if the show gets renewed for another season or more, she would want to host those successive seasons as well. More importantly, CBS is said to want Chen to remain on the reality competition, and will reportedly not attempt to push her out if she wants to stay. Big Brother doesn't appear to be in any danger of cancellation at the moment, even if it hasn't gotten another renewal, so provided these reports are accurate, Chen will likely be hosting the reality series for the foreseeable future.
Julie Chen has been the host of Big Brother since its beginning, so her potential exit probably would have been a blow to many fans. Chen's hosting future definitely seemed up on the air just days ago when she notably signed off one episode as Julie Chen Moonves, making sure to use her full married name in what was seen as a subtle, but public, show of support for husband Les Moonves. Chen's exit from The Talk came days later, bringing an end to her nine-year run on the CBS daytime talk show. Chen mentioned the exit was tied to wanting to spend more time with her husband and their son, but some skeptics believed it had more to do with CBS potentially pushing her out. In its defense, the network claims Chen's exit was entirely of her own volition.
The latest news comes after a prior report from People, which gave the impression that the typically engaged Julie Chen appeared to be "checked out" recently on the Big Brother set. That report alleged Chen has been isolated and keeping to herself in recent days, which was apparently different from her past behavior displayed in her 18 years on the show. Chen's solitude isn't indicative of her aiming to leave the show, of course, although Big Brother viewers may want to wait and see CBS or Chen drops an official statement before feeling too relieved about this latest development.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Sunday and Wednesday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET, and on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is on television in the coming weeks, be sure to visit our fall premiere guide.
