Julie Chen-Moonves reveals who was originally offered job as ‘Big Brother’ host but turned it down
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Although Julie Chen-Moonves ended up marrying the network boss, she didn’t have the inside track to hosting “Big Brother.” In fact, CBS had someone else in mind entirely for the gig.
The Emmy-winning journalist and TV personality, who has hosted the flagship reality competition series for 24 seasons since its 2000 debut, revealed who the network originally wanted to commandeer the popular series.
“I wasn’t the first choice to host,” she told ET in an interview published Friday. “It was offered to and turned down by Meredith Vieira.”
Her husband, former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves, confirmed the nugget: “I asked him. I said, ‘You know, I heard stories back when I was cast on ‘Big Brother’ to host that you guys asked Meredith Vieira first.’ And he said it was true.”
The honcho confided that “Big Brother” was a “kind of a trashy show” and the brass wanted Vieria to “class it up.”
“They offered it to her because she was a very well-respected name in the business,” Chen dished.
Vieira got her start in local TV before making her way to the national stage on CBS staples “60 Minutes” and “CBS Morning News.” She served as the moderator for the ABC daytime juggernaut “The View” from it’s inaugural season in 1997 until 2006, when she left to take on a role at the “Today” show. She also served as the host of the highly rated game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” from 2002 to 2013.
After Vieira turned down the “Big Brother” gig, Chen — who was then an anchor for “CBS Morning News” — was presented with the opportunity, a month away from launching the show. It wasn’t until roughly three years later that she began dating Moonves.
“I know that I was meant to host ‘Big Brother,’” she says now, while confessing that she had a rocky start. “I was terrible in the beginning. [But] I’ve grown so much as a human being and as a host… And I love it. I can’t imagine not hosting ‘Big Brother’ anymore.”
Season 25 of “Big Brother” premieres Aug. 2.