‘Big Brother’: Julie Chen to Remain as Host Until Fall 2019

Despite leaving behind co-hosting duties on The Talk, Julie Chen will remain the host of reality competition series Big Brother, at least until the end of her contract next fall.

The television personality, who is married to ousted CEO-chairman of CBS Corp. Leslie Moonves, reportedly has no intention of leaving her gig as the host of Big Brother, and Celebrity Big Brother, a position she’s held for the past 18 years.

According to Deadline, Chen notified individuals at the network that she wants to stay on the reality competition series, with sources telling the publication she looks forward to hosting the show for years to come.

The competition series has not officially been renewed for a 21st season by CBS, though with its consistently high performing ratings, and a second season of Celebrity Big Brother already set for midseason in 2019, the announcement seems imminent.

The outlet reports that the consensus at the network is to keep Chen for the new seasons of CBB and Big Brother next year.

Chen made headlines last week when during the live Thursday episode of the competition series she signed off referring to herself as Julie Chen Moonves, a name she had not used before in her career.

Chen also caused an uproar among The Talk fans when she announced earlier this week that she was exiting the series, after a one-week hiatus at the start of its latest season following the news of Moonves’ exit from CBS.

“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 in a pre-taped video filmed in front of the Big Brother house.

“I have been at The Talk since the day it started nine years ago, and the cast, crew and staff have become family to me over the years …”

“I will always, always cherish the memories we shared,” she added.

After the announcement aired on The Talk, CBS released a statement wishing her well.

“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,” the statement said. “We are grateful for her many other contributions, respect her decision and wish Julie all the best in everything she does.”

Big Brother will air episodes Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. The season 20 finale will air Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.