Watch Julie Chen Announce ‘The Talk’ Exit Live

Julie Chen announced on Tuesday that she would be exiting The Talk, sharing the news in a pre-taped video segment that aired during the broadcast.

“I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son, so I’ve decided to leave The Talk,” Chen said.

The 48-year-old also thanked the cast and crew of the show, saying, “I have been at The Talk since the day it started nine years ago, and the cast crew and staff have become family.”

Ahead of her exit, the Big Brother host did not appear on the Season 9 premiere of the show, which aired on Sept. 10, or its subsequent episodes.

“I am taking a few days off from The Talk to be with my family,” she said in a statement before the season premiere, via Variety. “I will be back soon and will see you Thursday night on Big Brother.”

NBC News reports that Chen will continue as the host of Big Brother through the series’ season finale next week.

Chen is married to Leslie Moonves, who was CEO-chairman of CBS Corp for 25 years before stepping down after facing allegations of sexual assault.

The allegations were revealed in a New Yorker exposé by reporter Ronan Farrow which followed an initial exposé in July that included allegations from six women.

The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne addressed the news during the show’s season premiere.

“It’s a very bittersweet day for a Season 9,” she said. “We’re about to talk about something that affects everyone’s lives at CBS. I’ve never been nervous in my life, and I’m very nervous right now. As you all know, Julie’s husband is in the news, and she’s taking off time to be with her family.”

“I want to say that whatever times I’ve had of hardship over the past eight years, Julie has always been there for me,” Osbourne added. “She’s been a friend. She’s been someone who I admire and respect greatly. It’s very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband, but we do. We feel it’s right. I personally know Les Moonves in a superficial way. It was, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Nothing more. I know nothing about the man, other than that he’s Julie’s husband, and he was the head of the biggest network in the world, and the most powerful man in TV.”

Chen and Moonves married in 2004, and Chen has spoken out in support of her husband.

“I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his statement,” she tweeted in June.

Photo Credit: Getty / Tibrina Hobson