The current season of Big Brother will end in just a week and there is speculation whether host Julie Chen will say a farewell to the network at that time, or whether she’ll stay despite her husband leaving.
CBS has not renewed Big Brother for a 21st season. Typically, the network has made that announcement prior to the finale. Two years ago, in August, 2016, CBS renewed Big Brother for two more seasons, which was happily promoted by Chen during the closing weeks of Season 18.
Back in May, with Les Moonves at the helm, CBS gave the green light to a second season of Celebrity Big Brother. Another winter run is still the assumption, but CBS has not yet put it on the schedule.
If Chen is gone, it also presents challenges on who would host the show, what other changes might be made, and whether the network would really want to launch a post-Chen Big Brother era with a celebrity edition.
Here’s what we know for sure:
- Chen has not signed a contract to continue any role at CBS after the season finale of Big Brother.
- Sources at CBS say Chen has been “distant” with the crew and is acting as if she has “mentally checked out” of the show.
- Big Brother, which Chen has hosted since 2000, has not been renewed for a 21st season, and the announcement is coming late.
- The ratings for Big Brother this season, in the key 18-34 demo, have fallen all three nights (Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday) by about 18 percent.
- Celebrity Big Brother was renewed for a second season back in May, when Les Moonves was the CEO, but has not been placed on the schedule.
- Moonves, Chen’s husband and a huge fan of the show, is no longer the CEO of the network.
It’s the end of an era at CBS.
Chen, a respected broadcast journalist turned entertainment host, is pulling away from the network that she has called home for nearly two decades.
In a tearful goodbye message on Tuesday, Chen announced her decision to leave The Talk in a pre-taped segment.
Farewell ❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/1eOCpelor1
— Julie Chen (@JulieChen) September 18, 2018
CBS was quick to thank Chen for her contributions to The Talk after she announced her resignation.
“For eight seasons, Julie Chen has co-hosted The Talk with incredible energy, grace and professionalism. Her talents played a big role in our successful launch of CBS’ first network daytime talk show and in the series growth into an Emmy Award-winning broadcast. All of us here have tremendous appreciation for the dedication and passion she brought to the show every day and for her generous role as an ambassador for CBS Daytime. We are grateful for her many other contributions, respect her decision and wish Julie the best in everything she does.”
While a nice tribute from CBS, the statement is also newsworthy for what it did not say: That Chen is a valued member of the CBS team moving forward.
The news of Chen’s departure comes after her husband, Les Moonves, stepped down as Chief Executive of CBS on September 7. Moonves was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women in an expose published by the New Yorker in mid-August.
Chen showed support for her husband on last Thursday’s episode of Big Brother. Though Chen usually signs off of the live show using only her own last name, she said goodbye with “I’m Julie Chen Moonves” instead.