Julie Chen has been the only host of "Big Brother" since it debuted on July 5, 2000. Even though she is married to Leslie Moonves, the president and CEO of CBS, he had nothing to do with her getting the job. They married four years after she began hosting his CBS show. Today, he is her boss and her husband. They have a 7-year-old son named Charlie.
Julie was not the first choice to be the host. The first choice was Meredith Vieira, but she turned down the position. In fact, Julie has said she was the show's third choice because Moonves didn't think she wanted the job.
While the reality show has changed a lot in 17 years, Julie has been the only constant. Everything else has changed. The game, the house, the producers, the contestants, and the competitions have all changed. In other countries, the host has changed over the years, but In the United States, julie chen is synonymous with "Big Brother." Viewers can't think about one without thinking about the other.
About the host
Julie has affectionately been called Chenbot because of her robotic way of hosting the show. She is accustomed to saying, "But first" as she announces a transition between segments. In 19 seasons, fans have gotten used to the host, but she was highly criticized for the first few seasons.
However, Julie pushed through the criticisms and today she is widely accepted and is one of the most beloved hosts on television.
Chen is the host of CBS’s "Big Brother" as well as the co-host and moderator of CBS’s "The Talk." She says people get to know her better on the latter show because she gets to talk about herself more and her personality is not robotic.
'Big Brother' is the start of summer
Millions of viewers watch Julie each week during the summer and often tweet about her how perfect her hair is and what she is wearing. However, she remembers when the show first aired people hated the show and her. They thought the lighting in the house was always bad and the furniture was cheap.
They still think there should be more than one bathroom in the house with so many people. They thought Chen should go back to reporting the news instead of hosting a reality show.
Julie recalled that the first few seasons were really rough. She struggled with the criticisms, but she never gave up. She had to remind people that she is not starring in the show. The stars are the houseguests, and she is just there to facilitate and to interview them for about three minutes after they get evicted. She does know everything that goes on in the house. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to interview those who have been evicted. Julie does not advise the guests on how to play the game, but each week she does give interviews and express her opinions after a particular episode, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Julie has been through it all. She has been there for every fight, every showmance, every eviction, and has revealed every winner. Over the past 19 seasons, Chen has been able to connect with fans of the show. People jokingly say that summer doesn't start until you see Julie Chen on television hosting "Big Brother." Julie is very attached to the reality show. However, she says as much as she loves it, she would not watch it if she wasn't the host.