I would like to begin this story about Julie Chen Moonves commenting on the future of Big Brother by noting the longtime host of the CBS reality series is not planning an exit anytime soon. There will, well likely, be no goodbye episode for her in the near future, but given the show’s popularity, I’d be willing to bet she’ll retire before Big Brother is off the air. She’s seen the conversations surrounding her exit, and she’s honestly in agreement.
So, first let’s talk about the fan speculation. As recently as three months ago, some fans were speculating they think Julie Chen Moonves will leave Big Brother after Season 30. Season 28 just wrapped with Rick Devens as the winner, and the show airs in the summer, which would give her a couple more seasons on the TV schedule before bowing out. Of course, this is complete speculation, and the reality host has not said anything either way.
In other threads, fans have mentioned thinking that Big Brother and Amazing Race contestant, and Big Brother: Unlocked star could be the ideal choice. Honestly, it’s been a bit divisive, with some fans noting:
- This thread is just gonna be full of hate. Lowkey feel like this is a setup post.
- I guess I didn’t know taylor was this divisive! last season the fanbase rallied around her, so this was a genuine surprise.
- From calling her “one of the greatest winners ever” to “based off a 5 minute appearance she could host a show” there’s a small subset of people here that are just a little too obsessed with her. Her win was impressive and her final speech was one of the best of all time. But cool the jets.
- I had to reset my password on this account just to comment this: NO!!!
- Everything she says is very polished. It isn't necessarily fake but it's definitely altered. There isn't much when it comes to real reactions so I don't think she would be a fun host.
Even though the issue is apparently divisive, I know in general Big Brother fans can be haters and in many ways Hale would be an obvious and solid choice. The people worried about her being too polished in particular I think are reading into it hard. Chen Moonves herself is polished, professional and deeply unemotional as the host. I honestly think Hale would be a nice segue if the OG host were to leave. She may not be for everyone, but Chen Moonves isn't for everyone either.
I guess what I'm saying is it's impossible to make everyone happy, and Julie Chen Moonves is not a hater when it comes to Taylor Hale. In an interview with Variety, the interviewer casually mentioned the possibility of Taylor Hale taking over, and this is what Chen Moonves had to say.
I’ve wondered that too because, to me, she would be perfect.
She did tell the outlet Big Brother has had so many notable names that would be as solid as Hale, also name-dropping BB and Traitors' Derrick Levasseur, Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd. Her one takeaway though?
But then I don’t know how the network would feel about, ‘Is it too close to home that they’ve walked in their shoes? Does that put them too much in a position of judgment?' Part of me feels like maybe you want to keep the air pristine and have someone who comes from a news background. I got hired because I know how to do live interviews.
Interestingly, she actually talked about how she got the gig on Big Brother recently, telling fellow reality host Phil Keoghan CBS wanted someone with a news background to do the work on the show. At the time, it was heavily a social experiment as much as a reality show, and her background fed into that.
It would change things if Julie Chen Moonves were to leave, but I do think another contestant would be close enough to the franchise to step into her shoes flawlessly, and Taylor and Derek in particular do have the background to potentially do so.
Of course, this is if and when she ever steps down. She previously told EW she was "playing a game of chicken" with CBS' Jeff Probst and Phil Keoghan and would stick it out as long as they would. (Note: Jeff and Phil are also both older than the 56-year-old star is at 65 and 59 respectively.) We'll have to wait and see what happens, but I'm just saying, don't expect an announcement tomorrow.
