Julie Chen has been the host of Big Brother since its very beginning, but as with most things in life, not everything can stay gold forever. There may come a day when she decides to leave the CBS reality series, and with 20 years under her belt already as host, she had addressed the question of how long she would like to stay on the series if given the option to choose.
Big Brother fans have been prepped to "expect the unexpected," so it's possible some fans may have been expecting Julie Chen Moonves to suddenly reveal she's walking away after this season. However, when the host spoke to EW about her hopes for her Big Brother future and exactly how long she'd like to stay on as host of one of television's wildest reality game shows, she thankfully didn't have any terrible news to reveal.
As long as I can form a sentence. I love it. I feel like it’s my baby, and I can’t imagine ever not doing it. I can’t imagine the show existing and me not being part of it. So as long as it’s on the air, I’d love to continue doing it.
If Julie Chen Moonves has her way, she's going to continue hosting Big Brother until she's physically unable to do so. That's not too surprising given how dedicated she's been to the franchise, even throughout some pretty personal issues from her life going public. The host is married to ousted CBS CEO Les Moonves, who vacated his position amidst much controversy a few years back, which led to her leaving The Talk at the time. As a show of support for her husband's situation, the host specifically started adding her married name to her sign-offs on Big Brother, as opposed to just Julie Chen.
Not that Julie Chen Moonves' entire history on Big Brother was all peachy in the early days. She faced criticism from professionals within the industry for switching from being a news anchor on CBS Morning News to the host of a reality television series in its first season. Granted, Moonves revealed last year that her hosting the reality television series wasn't quite so much a choice as it seemed, but she embraced the role all the same and slowly won over the hearts and minds of fans.
For many, Big Brother isn't Big Brother without Julie Chen Moonves. Her hard-hitting questions for the cast and her iconic "but first" catchphrase would feel weird coming from anyone else, so it's a good thing fans won't have to face that reality anytime soon. At least, not if she has anything to say about it!
Premiering on Wednesday, July 7, Big Brother Season 23 will air on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This season should be an absolute treat for fans, who should definitely check out our in-depth look at the things we love about this season's house to help get excited about the new season's cast.
