Julie Chen And Husband Les Moonves Photographed Together At Temple
Big Brother host and Julie Chen, 48, and her husband, Les Moonves, 68, former CEO of CBS, have been photographed in a rare public moment together. This appearance follows his firing earlier this month for alleged misconduct against female employees and colleagues.
The couple attended a Yom Kippur service at a temple in Los Angeles with their son, 8-year-old Charlie. All three family members were seen wearing navy blue suits and appeared to be in good spirits, according to US Weekly.
The day before the photos were snapped and published by US Weekly, Chen said — in a pre-taped video — that she was leaving her long-running daytime show The Talk.
“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,” Chen said. “But right now, I need to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son. So I’ve decided to leave The Talk. I want to thank everyone at the show for our wonderful years together. I will always, always cherish the memories we shared.”
Julie Chen did not co-host "The Talk" today — but she did make an appearance. Standing on the "Big Brother" set, Chen announce her exit from "The Talk" following her husband, Les Moonves' departure from CBS. pic.twitter.com/fvAPFjDHzm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 18, 2018
Prior to his ouster amid accusations of misconduct by 12 women, Moonves was one of the most powerful media executives in the country. As chairman and CEO of CBS, he oversaw popular television shows ranging from 60 Minutes to The Big Bang Theory. The network also produces the reality TV show Big Brother, which his wife has hosted since it first began airing in 2000.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and as reported in The New Yorker, Moonves earned nearly $70 million dollars a year, making him one of the highest-paid corporate executives in the world.
“Moonves and CBS will donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace,” CBS said in a public statement after the news broke. They added that Moonves will not receive any severance benefits other than certain fully accrued and vested compensation and benefits.
Chen has stood by Moonves since the allegations of misconduct were first made against him in July and, on recent episodes of Big Brother, she pointedly signed off as “Julie Chen Moonves.”
Moonves has denied all of the allegations made against him, saying in a public statement shortly after he was fired, “Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me that are not consistent with who I am.”
