By Mark Gray
2:30am PDT, Sep 25, 2023
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Back in 2018 when Julie Chen Moonves left "The Talk," she implied that it was all her decision. But in an upcoming book, she claims it was actually the opposite and alleges that she was forced out — largely due to sexual misconduct allegations that centered around her husband, Les Moonves.
In her new audiobook, "But First, God," the "Big Brother" host says her faith helped her get through that period of her life during which she felt like she was "stabbed in the back."
Keep reading to see how that moment transformed Julie from a "self-absorbed, career-minded" woman into the person she is now…
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While promoting her book on "Good Morning America," Julie Chen Moonves said the decision to leave "The Talk," which she'd moderated for nearly a decade, was made for her, not by her. "Yeah, I never revealed that until 'But First, God.' That was a hard time," she said. "I felt stabbed in the back. I was, you know?"
At the time, more than a dozen women had accused her husband, ViacomCBS CEO Les Moonves, of sexual misconduct. Les, who still maintains his innocence, told The New Yorker back then that he recognized a few of the sexual encounters detailed in Ronan Farrow's exposé but insisted they were consensual.
At the time of the allegations, Julie said in statement: "Leslie is a good man and loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being. I fully support my husband and stand by him."
Since then, she has "found God," which helped her during that trying time. "I don't know if I could've reconciled if I didn't have God in my life," she said on "GMA."
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Julie Chen Moonves seems disillusioned with the person she was before she left "The Talk."
"Julie Chen before she found God was a self-absorbed, career-minded, vain, gossipy, fun-to-be-with but probably kind of a shallow person," she said. "Julie Chen Moonves, who now knows the Lord, is someone who wants to help others, who wants to look at everyone with a soft heart."
The "Big Brother" host began referring to herself as "Julie Chen Moonves" — instead of just "Julie Chen" — after her husband's scandal.
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Julie Chen Moonves didn't want to talk about her husband's alleged sexual improprieties during an interview with Juju Chang on "Good Morning America."
"That's not what we're here to talk about, but of course, yeah. I know my husband, you know? I know my husband," she said when asked if she spoke to him about the allegations.
"I think that's getting off track from 'But First, God.' We all go through hard times in this world and in our life. Mine are not over just because I found Christ. I think we need to keep our focus on him," she added while steering the conversation back toward her book.
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In her book, Julie Chen Moonves describes speaking to her teenage son about the sexual misconduct allegations that his father faced.
"I told him that there were reports that were false about our family. … I kept it simple," she said on "Good Morning America."
"I said, 'So if you ever hear anything, or you read anything, you come to us first. You know this family. You know who we are. And don't let anyone shake that,'" she added.
