Julie Chen Moonves revealed that her departure from CBS daytime talk show “The Talk” in 2018 was not entirely her choice, saying that she “felt stabbed in the back” by her team.
Departure from “The Talk”: While Chen Moonves, 53, previously said she was leaving the show to “spend more time at home with my husband and our young son,” she revealed that she was actually forced to leave the show in an interview with “Good Morning America” (“GMA”) on Monday.
“That was a hard time,” she told “GMA.” “I felt stabbed in the back. I was!”
Husband’s alleged sexual misconduct: Her exit from the CBS daytime show coincided with her husband Les Moonves’ stepping down as chief executive of the network amid allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women. The 53-year-old journalist and host publicly supported her husband during that period.
Newfound faith: The interview with “GMA” was meant to center on Chen Moonves’ new audio memoir, “But First, God,” where she speaks about her personal transformation after leaving the show. She attributed her newfound faith to a change in her character, explaining that her faith has allowed her to look at life with a softer heart and with a desire to help others.
“I don’t know if I could’ve reconciled if I didn’t have God in my life,” Chen Moonves said. “‘But First, God’ means God before anything and everything. What I hope people get is what I got from starting a personal relationship with God. I want everyone to have that because once I’ve started that, I found peace. But most of all, I found hope.”
CBS representatives have not commented on Chen Moonves’ remarks. Despite leaving “The Talk,” Chen Moonves has never stopped hosting CBS reality mainstay “Big Brother.” She continues to host the show to this day amid the ongoing 25th season.
