Julie Chen reveals in her new memoir, “But First, God,” that it was not her decision to leave “The Talk” in 2018.
The TV host previously claimed it was her choice, telling viewers at the time, “I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son, so I’ve decided to leave ‘The Talk.’”
Five years later, Chen, 53, now admits to “Good Morning America,” “That was a hard time. I felt stabbed in the back.”
Page Six has reached out to CBS, the network behind “The Talk” for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Chen was hired as the moderator and co-host of “The Talk,” CBS’s alternative to NBC’s “The View,” as of Season 1 in 2010.
Her exit from the daytime talk show after eight years on the program came on the heels of her husband Les Moonves’ sexual misconduct scandal.
The former CBS chief, 73, was accused of forcing at least a dozen women to perform sexual acts on him throughout his career.
“He absolutely ruined my career,” one of the accusers, TV exec Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, alleged at the time. “He was the head of CBS. No one was going to take me.”
Moonves acknowledged some of the encounters, noting that they were “consensual” but denied any wrongdoing. However, in September 2018, he stepped down as head of CBS.
Chen chose to stay by her husband’s side and support him. Her rep exclusively told Page Six in December 2018, “Julie remains committed to her marriage and is focused on her family.”
“In fact, this has drawn Julie and her husband as well as their entire family closer than ever,” the rep added at the time.
Chen remained loyal to Moonves during her interview with “GMA” on Monday, dismissing any chatter about the allegations levied against him.
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“That’s now what we’re here to talk about,” she told journalist Juju Chang in the sit-down interview. “I know my husband.”
Chen then shared that she told her and Moonves’ son, now 13, that there were “false” reports out there about their family and encouraged him to go to his parents “first” if he ever read or heard anything.
“‘You know this family, you know who we are, and don’t let anyone shake that,’” the “Big Brother” host said she also told her son.
Shortly after the scandal, Chen and Moonves were spotted enjoying some time away on a $590 million yacht, Page Six exclusively reported in January 2019.
An insider told us at the time, “Les isn’t hanging his head in shame; he’s living it up on a yacht in St. Barts. It seems that the Hollywood moguls look out for each other, no matter what.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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