Julie Chen

Julie Chen Headshot

Anchor • Personality • Journalist

Birth Date: January 6, 1970

Age: 54 years old

Birth Place: Queens, New York City, New York

Spouses: Les Moonves

Julie Chen's face graced television screens for years, at times even book-ending a viewer's day by co-anchoring "The Early Show" (CBS, 1999-2012) in the morning and hosting the wildly popular reality show, "Big Brother" (CBS, 2000- ) during primetime hours. A respected and well-known Chinese-American television personality, Chen had well over 12 years experience as a newscaster, but was also a journalist and producer who just happened to be married to one of the most powerful men in modern media, CBS president and CEO, Les Moonves.

Julie Suzanne Chen was born on Jan. 6, 1970 in Queens, NY. Her mother grew up in Rangoon, Burma, while her father was born in China. He was a prominent political figure in the Kuomintang government of Chiang Kai-shek. The Chen family moved all over China, even living in Taiwan. Her older sister, Gladys, was Chen's first role model. In seventh grade, the younger Chen went with her parents to visit Wellesley College, where Gladys was a freshman. It came as no surprise that she decided she wanted to attend Wellesley as well. While in Junior High School 194 in Queens, NY, she was voted "Most Intelligent" and "Most Likely to Succeed" before then graduating from St. Francis Prep in 1987. She did not end up attending Wellesley, but graduated with a double degree in broadcast journalism and in English from the University of Southern California in 1991. While attending USC, Chen started working for "CBS Morning News" (1987- ) in June of 1989, answering phones and making faxed copies for distribution - in a major move up the career ladder, little did she know she would anchor the same show 10 years later. The following year, Chen spent a season working for ABC NewsOne (the network's affiliate news service) as a desk assistant. Within three years, Chen was eventually promoted to producer of the show. However, aching to be at the desk, she left California in 1995 and moved to Dayton, OH to work as a news anchor for WDTN-TV for two years. In a major upgrade in markets, Chen moved back from the Midwest to her hometown of New York City in 1997, working at WCBS-TV as a reporter and weekend anchor.

After that switch up, things moved rather quickly for Chen's career. In 1999, she was offered the anchor position for both CBS early-morning programs - "CBS Morning News" and "The Early Show." It did not take long for Chen's infectious onscreen charm - to say nothing of her intelligence and sophistication - to win over viewers. Most importantly, she also showed exceptional news reporting skills, particularly in March 2003 when she went to Kuwait and Qatar during the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Two reality television programs swept the ratings and caught the attention of the media in 2000. CBS debuted "Survivor" - where castaways competed for a million dollar prize on a remote island and were subsequently voted off by their fellow contestants - and "Big Brother" - a house filled with hidden cameras documenting every step of the lucky inhabitants' lives. Chen was picked to host "Big Brother" but was criticized for her "way too scripted" and stiff performance - even earning herself the nickname, "Chenbot." She did, however, turned the words "but first" into the show's (and possibly, her own) official catchphrase. Trumping all the professional accomplishments, however, was her marriage on Dec. 23, 2004 to Les Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Television, at a private and small sunset ceremony in Acapulco, Mexico.

Credits

Big Brother: 25th Anniversary Celebration

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2023

Live with Kelly and MarkStream

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Talk
2023

Sherri

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2022

Access Daily With Mario & Kit

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2022

Big Brother: Celebrity EditionStream

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Reality
2018

Access Live

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2017

Daily Blast Live

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2017

Live with Kelly and Ryan

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2017

A Good Dream

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Lara
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2017

Big Brother: Over the Top

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2016

Page Six TV

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2016

Big Brother After Show

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2016

The Price Is Right Primetime Special: Big Brother Edition

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2016

Celebrity PageStream

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2016

SupergirlStream

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Julie Chen
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2015
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Life in PiecesStream

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Boss's Wife
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2015

The Late Show With Stephen ColbertStream

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2015

Une famille en or

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2015

Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter

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2015

CBS Summer Preview

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2015

The Late Late Show With James CordenStream

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2015

Celebrity Name Game

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2014

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

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2014

The MillersStream

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Heself
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2013
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The Queen Latifah Show

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2013

The Arsenio Hall Show

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2013

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2013

Larry King NowStream

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2012

CBS This Morning

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2012

The Talk

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2010

Access Hollywood Live

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2010

TV's Greatest Surprises: A Paley Center for Media Special

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2010

Who Do You Think You Are?Stream

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2010

I Get That a Lot

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2010

NCIS: Los AngelesStream

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2009

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

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2009

Million Dollar Password

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2008

Big Brother After Dark

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Big Brother After Dark

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Rachael Ray ShowStream

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2006

The UnitStream

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2006
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Entertainment Tonight Canada

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ET Canada

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The ComebackStream

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The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson

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Veronica MarsStream

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The Fairly OddParentsStream

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Yes, Dear

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Big BrotherStream

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The Early Show

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MauryStream

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Late Show With David Letterman

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Charlie RoseStream

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Entertainment Tonight

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Good Morning America

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The Young and the RestlessStream

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Herself
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1973

The Price Is RightStream

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1972

The Price Is RightStream

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1972

News aboutJulie Chen

'Big Brother Reindeer Games'

‘Big Brother’ Sets Holiday-Themed ‘Reindeer Games’ to CBS Winter Lineup

Julie Chen Moonves and Leah Reimini

Julie Chen Moonves Addresses Past Feud With ‘The Talk’ Costar Leah Remini

Gordon Ramsay Idiot Sandwich

Gordon Ramsay ‘Idiot Sandwich’ Show in Works at Fox

Big Brother Host - Julie Chen Moonves

‘The Talk:’ Julie Chen Moonves Speaks Out About Exit from Show, Says She Was ‘Stabbed in Back’

Julie Chen Moonves with son Charlie

Julie Chen Moonves Wants Her Son to Host ‘Big Brother’: ‘I Would Love to Pass It On’

Julie Chen Moonves, Meredith Vieira

Julie Chen Moonves Says Meredith Vieira Turned Down ‘Big Brother’ Hosting Gig

'Big Brother: 25th Anniversary Celebration' logo

‘Big Brother’ Sets 25th Anniversary Celebration Special — What Will It Reveal About New Season? (VIDEO)

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‘Big Brother’: Kyle Capener Promises to ‘Learn & Grow’ After Comments About Race Exposed

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Meet the Cast of ‘Big Brother’ Season 24 (PHOTOS)

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‘Big Brother’ Season 24 & ‘The Challenge: USA’ Premiere Dates Set for Summer 2022 on CBS

Julie Chen Moonves for Big Brother

‘Big Brother: Celebrity Edition’ Season 3 Set for Winter 2022

Eve, Sharon Osbourne, and Elaine Welteroth in The Talk

Who Has Left ‘The Talk’ So Far — and Why?

Big Brother 23 Premiere

‘Big Brother’ Fans React to Most Diverse Cast in Show’s History

Big Brother - Julie Chen
Preview

Inside ‘Big Brother’ Season 23: An All-New Cast, Surprise Twist & More

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‘Big Brother’: Meet the Houseguests of Season 23 (PHOTOS)

The Talk Season 1 Cast

Where Are the Former Cohosts of ‘The Talk’ Now?

Big Brother Season 22 Da'Vonne Bayleigh

‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Was the Right Person Evicted in Week 5? (POLL)

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Spoiler Alert

‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Was the Right Person Evicted in Week 4? (POLL)

Big Brother All-Stars - Janelle Pierzina and Kaysar Ridha
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‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Was the Right Person Evicted in Week 3? (POLL)

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‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Who Should Be Evicted in Week 3? (POLL)

Big Brother All-Stars Season 22
Spoiler Alert

‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Was the Right Person Evicted in Week 2? (POLL)

Julie Chen Moonves Big Brother Houseguest Tips

Julie Chen Moonves Shares Her Top 5 ‘Big Brother’ Survival Tips

Big Brother All-Stars Season 22

‘Big Brother’: Which All-Star Should Win? (POLL)

Big Brother Season 22
Spoiler Alert

‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Were the Right People Nominated in Week 2? (POLL)

Big Brother All stars
Spoiler Alert

‘Big Brother: All-Stars’: Was the Right Person Evicted First? (POLL)

Big Brother Season 22 Premiere

Wednesday TV Ratings: CBS’ ‘Big Brother’ Scores Big in Pandemic Return

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‘Big Brother’s Season 22 House Pays Homage to Its History in Sneak Peek

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‘Big Brother’ All-Stars to Reveal Season 22 Cast in Live Premiere

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‘Big Brother’ Sets 2-Hour ‘All-Stars’ Return for Season 22

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TV News Roundup: ‘Mad About You’ Revival Premiere Date, ’13 Reasons Why’ Casting & More

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‘Big Brother’ Contestant Responds to Offensive Comments Made in the Game

Big Brother 19

CBS Announces Two-Night ‘Big Brother’ Season 21 Premiere Event

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‘Celebrity Big Brother’ 2019 Premiere: Julie Chen Returns, Anthony Scaramucci’s Debut & More Must-See Moments

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Rosie O’Donnell & More Guest Co-Host ‘The Talk’ — Who Should Fill Julie Chen’s Seat Full-Time? (POLL)

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Julie Chen Moonves to Remain as Host of ‘Big Brother’ Through Fall 2019

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Julie Chen Returns to ‘Big Brother’ Using Les Moonves’ Name Again (VIDEO)

Julie Chen

Julie Chen Leaving ‘The Talk’ After 9 Seasons Amid Les Moonves Scandal (VIDEO)

2017 CBS Upfront

Julie Chen Stands by Husband in ‘Big Brother’ Return: ‘I’m Julie Chen Moonves’ (VIDEO)

Julie Chen

Julie Chen Taking Break From ‘The Talk’ After Husband Les Moonves’ CBS Exit

Les Moonves to Stay on at CBS Amid Investigation — Plus, Wife Julie Chen Speaks Out on ‘The Talk’ (VIDEO)

Big Brother -Josh Martinez plays the HOH Competition on Big Brother. BIG BROTHER airs on Sundays and Wednesdays (8:00-9:00PM, ET/PT) and on Thursdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

‘Big Brother’ Celebrates 20 Seasons: A Look Back on Highs & Lows From the Past

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‘Celebrity Big Brother US’: The Celeb Who Was Almost Cast & an Omarosa Update

Eve Jeffers Cooper

Eve Joins ‘The Talk’ as New Co-Host

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Spoiler Alert

‘Big Brother’: It’s a Meatball Explosion (RECAP)

The Talk - Julie Chen
Q&A

Expect the Unexpected: Julie Chen Dishes On ‘The Talk’ and the Return of ‘Big Brother’

Julie Chen

Julie Chen Teases ‘Big Brother’ Season 19 Twist: ‘The Houseguests Will Be Tempted Like Never Before’

Big Brother Season 19

‘Big Brother’ Season 19 Houseguests Revealed (PHOTOS)

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CBS Sets ‘Big Brother’ Season Premiere, New ‘Candy Crush’ Game Show for Summer

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CBS Reveals Reality All-Stars Competing on ‘The Price Is Right’ Primetime Specials

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What’s Worth Watching: Big Brother Adds Twists Galore For The New Season