Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Julie Chenwillofficially returnto her role as the host ofCelebrityBig Brother.
CBS confirmed that Chen, 48, will continue her duties on the show in a press release announcing its midseason schedule on Tuesday.
The press release also referred to Chen as “Julie Chen Moonves,” as she continues to support her husband, former CBS CEO Leslie “Les” Moonves, amid his sexual misconduct scandal.
“[Julie] has always been very hands-on as the host,” a source close to the the network’s reality competition show previously told PEOPLE. “She knows everyone’s name on the crew, and she is very involved. She’s been doing this show for 18 years; she’s the face ofBig Brother. A lot of the crew members are millennials who grew up watching her, and she has been so great to them. She’s very approachable, and she really cares about making the show as good as possible.”
“The last few weeks have been different, though,” the source added. “She comes in, does what she has to do, and leaves. She doesn’t make small talk; she doesn’t talk to the crew. She comes in, does her job, and leaves. It’s clear you can’t approach her. If she’s not on camera, she’s either on her phone or she retreats to her room. It’s like a different host. It’s not that other people can’t host a show like this, but I don’t know how you get someone who cares as much as she does. It feels like she’s totally checked out ofBig Brother, which makes everyone nervous.”
Fans began to further question her future withBig Brotherafter she announced her departure from the popular daytime talk showThe Talk.
In a videotaped message to viewers, Chen told viewers she decided to leave the show in order to spend more time at home with her family.
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Julie Chen and Les Moonves
“Right now I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son,” she said. “So I’ve decided to leaveThe Talk.”
“I know this show and the sisterhood it stands for will live on for many, many years to come,” she concluded.
“For eight seasons, Julie Chen has co-hostedThe Talkwith incredible energy, grace and professionalism,” CBS said in a statement. “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 all the best in everything she does.”
RELATED VIDEO: Julie Chen to Leave The Talk Amid Husband Les Moonves’ CBS Ousting: Report
In September, Chen returned to CBS to hostBig Brotherand sent a subtle message of solidarity to her husband as she signed off from the show, looking at the camera and saying, “I’m Julie Chen Moonves. Goodnight.”
It was the first time that she had used the last name Moonves on the show — and it came just days after her husband exited CBS after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.
An insider close to theBig Brotherproduction previously told PEOPLE, “Everyone knows that it’s a big ‘f— you’ to CBS that she did it, because she never, ever refers to herself as anything but Julie Chen.”
Chen and Moonves married in 2004 and share 8-year-old son Charlie.
source: people.com
