Julie Chen

Julie Chen-Moonves
Chen with her husband Les Moonves at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born Julie Suzanne Chen
(1970-01-06) January 6, 1970
New York City, U.S.
Education University of Southern California
Occupation
  • Presenter
  • anchor
  • producer
Years active 1990–present
Height 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Spouse(s)
Les Moonves (m. 2004)
Children 1
Julie Chen
Traditional Chinese 陳曉怡
Simplified Chinese 陈晓怡

Julie Suzanne Chen-Moonves (born January 6, 1970) is an American television personality, news anchor, and producer for CBS.[1] She has been the host of the U.S. version of the CBS reality-television program Big Brother since its debut in July 2000 and is the longest-serving host of any country's version of the show. She was a co-host and the moderator of the CBS daytime show The Talk for eight seasons.[2] Previously, she was a co-anchor of The Early Show on CBS.

Early life

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Julie Chen-Moonves was born in Queens, New York City.[3] Her grandfather, Lou Gaw Tong, grew up "dirt poor" in the rural village of Penglai in the Shandong province of China, but became wealthy through a chain of grocery stores and ultimately became a polygamist with nine wives and 11 children.[4][5][6] Julie has two older sisters, Gladys and Victoria.[7][8]

Chen-Moonves attended junior high school in the Whitestone area of Queens.[9] Chen-Moonves went on to graduate from St. Francis Preparatory School in 1987. She attended the University of Southern California and graduated in 1991, majoring in broadcast journalism and English.[3]

Career

One of her earlier jobs came in June 1990, interning at CBS Morning News alongside Andy Cohen[10][11] – the series which she would anchor a decade later – where she answered phones and copied faxes for distribution. The following year, while still in school, she worked for ABC NewsOne for one season as a desk assistant. She was subsequently promoted to work as a producer for the next three years. The following year, she traveled to Dayton, Ohio, to work as a news anchor for WDTN-TV, from 1995 to 1997.[12][13] During her time in Dayton, Chen-Moonves underwent blepharoplasty, a surgical procedure to make her eyes appear larger.[14]

From 1999 to 2002, Chen-Moonves was the anchor of CBS Morning News and news anchor of CBS This Morning and later The Early Show, alongside Bryant Gumbel, Jane Clayson, Hannah Storm, Harry Smith, Maggie Rodriguez, Erica Hill, and Rene Syler. From 2002 to 2010, she was a co-host of The Early Show on CBS, before leaving the daily position but remaining as a special contributing anchor of the program until its cancelation. Before CBS News, she was a reporter and weekend anchor at WCBS-TV in New York City.

The Talk co-hostesses Julie Chen, Aisha Tyler, Sharon Osbourne, show creator Sara Gilbert, and Sheryl Underwood in 2012

Since 2000, she has also been the host of the American version of Big Brother. During the first season (2000), Chen-Moonves was widely criticized for her heavily scripted, wooden delivery in her interaction with the studio audience and in the interviews on the live programs, earning her the nickname "Chenbot." She has indicated in two interviews[15][16] that she takes no personal offense at the term, adding that it may derive from her "precise on-air style" which comes from "a desire to be objective." She again acknowledged the nickname while discussing mugs made in her likeness when she proudly proclaimed, "I am the Chenbot!" in a segment[17] on The Early Show.

Chen-Moonves was the moderator of the CBS daytime talk show The Talk, which premiered on October 18, 2010.[18] The show is similar to The View, although not as politicized. The show features Chen, Eve, Sharon Osbourne, show creator Sara Gilbert, and Sheryl Underwood as the co-hosts. Former co-hosts include Marissa Jaret Winokur, Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete,[19][20][21] and Aisha Tyler.[22] On September 18, 2018, Chen-Moonves officially announced in a pre-recorded tape that she will not be returning to The Talk.[23][24][25]

Personal life

Following her graduation from the University of Southern California as a broadcasting and English major, she became a news assistant for ABC News in Los Angeles, in September 1991. There, she met her future longtime boyfriend, television news editor Gary Donahue, though their relationship did not last.[26] She began dating Les Moonves, president and chief executive officer of CBS Television, during his marriage to Nancy Wiesenfeld Moonves, and on April 22, 2003 (a week after Les Moonves signed a five-year multimillion-dollar contract with Viacom[27]), his wife filed for divorce in L.A. Superior Court citing irreconcilable differences.[28] Divorce proceedings were delayed for almost two years because of financial settlement disagreements. On December 10, 2004, Moonves got a court to grant an early divorce, leaving spousal support and child support to be determined at a later date.[29][30]

On December 23, 2004, Chen-Moonves and Moonves were married in a private ceremony in Acapulco, Mexico.[31] In 2009, Chen-Moonves gave birth to their son.[32]

In September 2013, during the first week of Season 4 of The Talk, Chen-Moonves revealed that she had undergone blepharoplasty early in her career after being pressured by her previous news director and a high-profile agent. Chen-Moonves said that her decision "divided" her family, but stated she must "live with every decision that I've made and it got me to where we are today. And I'm not going to look back."[33]

Chen-Moonves speaks Mandarin Chinese but does not consider herself fluent. Regarding her heritage, she stated: "When my son was born it was like a revival of me trying to get back in touch with my Chinese roots. It's important for me to have it back in my life, so I could put it into my son's life."[6] She is also a devoted yogini.[34]

References

  1. ↑ "Julie Chen". NNDB.
  2. ↑ Miles, Frank (2018-09-17). "Julie Chen leaving 'The Talk' following husband Les Moonves' disgraced CBS exit, report says". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-09-18.
  3. 1 2 "Official CBS Bio: Julie Chen". Archived from the original on March 27, 2012.
  4. ↑ Zhao, Helen (September 16, 2014). "Julie Chen reveals that her grandfather was a polygamist with nine wives". The Daily Mail. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ Lee, Esther (September 16, 2014). "Julie Chen Reveals Family Secret on The Talk: My Grandfather Was a Polygamist". US Weekly. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Tempesta, Erica (March 9, 2015). "'I respect him more than I ever did': Julie Chen changes her views on her polygamist grandfather's controversial lifestyle after learning about his philanthropic work". The Daily Mail. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ Dec 10 episode of The Talk.
  8. ↑ Morales, Tatiana (February 11, 2009). "Julie Chen: Dancing Queen?". CBS News. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  9. ↑ 194
  10. ↑ Werthmann, Colleen (December 15, 2011). "Andy Cohen and Julie Chen on Their Shared Past – The TV Titans Started Under the Same Roof". The Dish (blog of Bravo). Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  11. ↑ Davies, Madeline (February 24, 2011). "Andy Cohen Talks About Getting His Ass Kicked by Real Housewife of New Jersey's Teresa Giudice". The Talk (blog of Gawker). Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Julie Chen Biography". tvguide.com. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  13. ↑ WDTN-TV Big Brother Star Julie Chen Reports 1996 on YouTube
  14. ↑ "Julie Chen Reveals She Got Plastic Surgery to Look Less Chinese: See the Before and After Pictures". Us Weekly. September 12, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ Rice, Lynette (June 2, 2006). "Big Shot – What It's Like to Host Big Brother – Julie Chen Opens Up About Hosting a Summer Reality Series, Marrying Her Boss, and Earning a (Derogatory?) Nickname". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  16. ↑ Adalian, Josef (July 26, 2006). "Inside Move: Mugs Don't Bug Chen – 'Brother' Host's Robotic Side Immortalized on Merch". Variety. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  17. ↑ "The Early Show". CBS. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
  18. ↑ Domanick, Andrea (August 11, 2010). "CBS' 'The Talk' to Premiere Oct. 18". Broadcasting and Cable.
  19. ↑ Rizzo, Monica (January 14, 2011). "Marissa Jaret Winokur Is Leaving The Talk". People. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  20. ↑ Abrams, Natalie (August 15, 2011). "Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete Leaving The Talk". tvguide.com. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  21. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (August 15, 2011). "'The Talk' Co-Hosts Leah Remini And Holly Robinson Peete Likely To Exit". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  22. ↑ "'The Talk': Aisha Tyler Bids Farewell to CBS Daytime Show".
  23. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (September 10, 2018). "Julie Chen Absent From 'The Talk' Season 9 Premiere Amid Moonves Ouster". Variety. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  24. ↑ Iannucci, Rebecca; Swift, Andy (September 18, 2018). "The Talk's Julie Chen Confirms Exit in Tearful Video Message: 'I Will Always Cherish the Memories' — Watch". TVLine. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  25. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (September 18, 2018). "Julie Chen Officially Exits 'The Talk'". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Lightly Toasted by Critics, Big Brother host Julie Chen May Prove a Survivor". People.
  27. ↑ James, Meg (April 15, 2003). "CBS Chief Signs a New Contract With Viacom". Los Angeles Times.
  28. ↑ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna; Widdicombe, Ben (April 23, 2003). "Moonves' Marriage May Get An Airing". Daily News. New York.
  29. ↑ "Legalzoom.com".
  30. ↑ "Smoking Gun: Moonves Divorce".
  31. ↑ "Here Are 6 of the Splashiest Media Weddings Ever".
  32. ↑ "Julie Chen Welcomes Son Charlie".
  33. ↑ "Julie Chen's Big Reveal: 'I've Had Plastic Surgery'". September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  34. ↑ "The Talk Host: Julie Chen (Host)". October 21, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
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