Julie Chen is sticking it to CBS by… using her married name, Julie Chen Moonves

2015 CBS Upfront

I think I’ve been pretty generous of spirit in giving the benefit of the doubt to the wives of predators. I truly believed for a time that Georgina Chapman had no idea what her husband Harvey Weinstein was doing to women. But in the long-run, Chapman really did exhaust the benefit of my doubt. Same with Julie Chen – she stood by her husband Les Moonves in the immediate wake of Ronan Farrow’s first New Yorker article. Chen defended her husband on-air on CBS. Then the second wave of accusations came last weekend. Moonves was tossed out of CBS and we’re getting an even clearer picture of Moonves as a rampant misogynist and predator. Chen skipped out on appearing on The Talk all week, but she showed up for Big Brother on Wednesday night (she’s the host). She made a point of using her married name too.

Julie Chen returned to CBS to host Big Brother on Wednesday night, and she sent a subtle — but pointed — message of solidarity to her husband, the network’s former CEO Leslie “Les” Moonves. As she signed off from the show, she looked at the camera and said, “I’m Julie Chen Moonves. Goodnight.”

It was the first time that she has used the last name Moonves on the show — and it came just days after her husband was fired after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment.

Chen’s sign off elicited gasps in the control room. “No one was angry,” a source in Big Brother production tells PEOPLE. “It was more like ‘Did she just say that? I can’t believe she just said that.’” The source says that Chen’s message was crystal clear to people who work on the show. “Everyone knows that it’s a big ‘f— you’ to CBS that she did it, because she never, ever refers to herself as anything but Julie Chen. It’s sort of perfect when you think about it. The casual viewer probably didn’t even notice, but I promise you that the network did. They were watching every single second of the show to see if she would do anything. They must have been breathing a sigh of relief because the show was almost over, and then that happened!”

[From People]

What kind of dumb bulls–t is this? Did Julie Chen really think that she was making some kind of moral stand by using her married name on a CBS show? What is the message here? That Julie Chen is the kind of woman who enables her predator husband and stands by him when dozens of women come forward to tell their stories of how he harassed them, abused them, assaulted them and did irreparable damage to their careers simply because they were women? Now I hope CBS fired Julie Chen too. Sorry, JULIE CHEN MOONVES.

CBS, CW, Showtime Summer 2016 TCA Party

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.

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106 Responses to “Julie Chen is sticking it to CBS by… using her married name, Julie Chen Moonves”

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  1. LA says:

    How brave. 🙄

    • maisie says:

      Yep – she’s sticking by the money for sure.

      • Still_Sarah says:

        Yes. She married for the money (and career perks) and now she’s sticking by the money. And honestly, it’s not like she had a huge career to protect anyway. Yeah, she should stick by the 💰 money.

      • OldBeeyutch says:

        I’ve always been motivated by la vie d Boheme and never stuck w the money either w a job or a man. As I get older, I think of women like Chen as getting all the practicality in the universe. Really people- at age 60 I’m a wee bit broke because i quit jobs & walked out of a marriage when I felt dispirited. Maybe women like her have a point? Let me ask all of you to be extra patient w that older woman working at a Starbucks or whole foods. We may not have a facelift or nice jewelry, but -perhaps- had courage at some major crossroads!

      • Chanteloup says:

        Dear @OldBeeyutch, keep that fighting spirit! I too am older and broke, but there is not enough money in the world to tie me to the things I escaped — or an arshole predator like Moonves!
        Wishing you blessings

    • Christo says:

      Yes, brave in her complicity.

  2. minx says:

    Big whoop.
    She should get hers now and get out.

  3. Queenb says:

    At least that ends the speculation if she is complicit. She is.

    • Renee2 says:

      Ding, ding, ding!!!!

      Winner, winner, tofu dinner.

    • launicaangelina says:

      ^^^This!^^^

    • LadyT says:

      Yes. She answered that question deliberately and clearly.

    • Erinn says:

      Yep. After all that’s come out – even if you weren’t aware of just how effed up this dude was while being married to him – you’re choosing to send a big ol’ “SCREW YOU” to everyone he’s harmed. What a piece of garbage.

      • lucy2 says:

        Exactly. Her choices now are going to define her, and so far it is NOT looking good.

      • pottymouth pup says:

        this was a huge mistake on her part – the allegations that came out the led to his immediate departure are pretty ugly. she looks like a hypocrite and a right beyotch for this

    • FluffyPrincess says:

      Aaaaand, no one is surprised–but it’s nice to have it officially confirmed. Go have a seat with Camille Cosby and Georgina Chapman–I’m sure you have loads to talk about. . .

      • LA says:

        I mean, in fairness, at least Georgina LEFT.

      • LadyT says:

        Georgina Chapman is questionable, sure, but not in the same category as the other two IMO.

      • Jan90067 says:

        Chapman only “left” when her business was threatened seriously by still being with him. She’s no “heroine”.

      • Erinn says:

        I don’t think anyone is calling her a “heroine” but at least she disassociated with him. It’s not honorable, and it’s not some big sacrifice, but at least she gave him the boot in the end. The others have just doubled down.

      • Fluffy Princess says:

        Honestly, the fact she left Harvey doesn’t give her any points in my book. You cannot tell me that she did not know about Weinstein’s behavior when she met/dated him. I am sure people warned her. I mean let’s be real here–even I knew about Weinstein in the late 90s/00s based on gossip columns. If a nobody like me knew, I refuse to believe someone that was connected in fashion and movies didn’t know. There were too many people who knew–even if they were not close friends they probably gave her the head’s up. But, she wanted his connections to launch her fashion house and kept turning a blind eye afterwards — for years…So no props for leaving him, none.

      • Original T.C. says:

        Chapman is the only one of the three that was *directly* involved in the abuser’s scheme by Harvey personally passing his victims over to his wife. His wife in turn took advantage of their lack of choice in what clothing or designer they wore. They were *required* to wear her clothes. Yet she is the only one of the three that gets excused or made excuses for. I truly don’t know why, is it because she wasn’t as involved in press interviews.

  4. jessamine says:

    Bravo, Julie Chen Moonves. You sure showed them.

    How does she see this playing out, exactly?

    • Jan90067 says:

      Well, if they fire her for ANY reason now, she will most likely claim wrongful termination based on bias for this move.

      • jwoolman says:

        Having an icky husband is not grounds for getting fired. She has to actually do something terrible herself to warrant firing.

        And no, supporting her icky husband in public by using her full name is not on the list of fireable offenses either.

        It seems a tad unreasonable to expect spouses and siblings and parents and children to blast their icky spouses, siblings, children, and parents in public. I don’t think I could do that myself. No problem blasting Trump and Congress etc., but they’re not family.

      • Meg says:

        you can refrain from criticizing your spouse publicly and yet not insist on going by your married name for the first time publicly to make a statement- there is a middle ground where she could’ve signed off as usual but her including her married name was intentional and sent a message of solidarity to him. it would take a lot of pride swallowing to hold someone accountable you’re so accustomed to having an alliance with-you’d inevitably feel foolish for ‘not seeing it’ or accepting that you turned the other cheek because it was easier, etc. it’s one of the reasons why people with cheating spouses seem to be much more mad at who they cheated with than their cheating spouse. so I think it’s possible Julie is a nice person who feels the need to defend herself and her association with him and is focusing on that as opposed to the victims of her husband-which is course is selfish of her absolutely-but this may be a look into her thought process.

      • Kitten says:

        The issue isn’t that she didn’t blast her husband publicly, the issue is that she made a sign of public support for him, when no one asked for her damn opinion. It’s a slap in the fact to the victims. Silently support your husband, sure, ok that’s your right but there is NO need to make the victims feel like sh*t by essentially saying you believe your husband over them.

      • Mariposa says:

        @kitten – Yes! She is trying to claim some kind of victim status herself here, as if big bad CBS has screwed her husband over and now she’s going to stand up to them.

      • jackie says:

        CBS can surely just choose not to renew any shows she is on next season. Another channel will pick up Big Brother which makes money and nobody will miss the Talk

    • noway says:

      I really don’t like Julie Chen, excuse me Julie Chen Moonves, even before all this happened. She was positioned as a journalist, then she’s doing Big Brother and a talk show, but still kind of had the my crap don’t stink and I’m smarter and more high class than you persona. I always felt most of her jobs were bought by Leslie Moonves. Still she’s crafty and the quintessential “suck up”employee, this new Chen-Moonves thing is really not crafty just dumb. Her best way would have been to just do her job as host of a stupid show. I really thought she was going to do that since she didn’t appear on the Talk. Who knows maybe she really loves him and doesn’t believe it, or she figures her career is ruined anyway so go all in. I don’t care she was awful at her job to begin with, this is just a cherry on top and not in a good way.

      • FuefinaWG says:

        @noway: ^^^ This! The very smug Chen-Moonves only has her job(s) because of her husband. I don’t watch the Talk, but I admit to watching Big Brother, and she’s inept as the host. Last night she was probably so nervous about throwing Chen-Moonves out at the end that she actually called the last person voted out “Brent” instead of Brett.
        (They need to bring on Derrick Levasseur as the host for BB21.)

      • Deering says:

        She was not-great as a journalist, anyway. Can’t recall a single memorable interview or story she broke.

    • holly hobby says:

      They don’t have to fire her. All they will do is marginalize her. I think NBC plays that very well. See Curry, Ann. She can’t sue them. She’d be “reassigned.”

      And when more news comes out and she ultimately leaves him, she will not be able to get another job in broadcast TV. Julie Fox is always looking for someone with questionable morals.

  5. Jenns says:

    What an a-hole.

    I wonder what will happen if she does return to The Talk. There is no way I could be on that panel and not call her out on all of this.

    • holly hobby says:

      I hope the rest of the ladies aren’t afraid of calling her out. She is no longer the lady boss.

  6. Indiana Joanna says:

    She’ll divorce him within the year.

    • Chaine says:

      She better file now so she gets her divorce settlement before his victims get theirs from the sure-to-follow lawsuits.

  7. TheHufflepuffLizLemon says:

    *throws up hands*
    [redacted because I don’t want to get into an argument here]

    Get in freakin’ formation, Julie. You’re a great representation of part of the problem, wanting to secure your own life at the cost of women everywhere.

  8. BlueSky says:

    Thanks for showing everyone you are complicit and doormat.

  9. Mia4s says:

    Oh f**k off Julie. You gambled on an affair with a married man and had a good run. Now that life is about to fall apart because you married and enabled a sexual predator and misogynist. Zero sympathy. Does she really think either of her shows would lose even a single ratings point if she disappears?

    There comes a point when it is just pathetic.

    • Really? says:

      Julie was never lauded as a journalist like Connie Chung once was. You don’t need to be a trained journalist to host The Talk or Big Brother. It is unlikely that Julie was ignorant about her husband’s MO. He probably did the same to her, but in her case, she welcomed his advances. I guess she is of the belief system, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

    • ChillyWilly says:

      Well said. She only has those gigs because she screwed her way up to the top. I enjoy her on Big Brother but she’s a real asshole for defending her monster of a husband.

  10. Wen says:

    And her next statement will be that she supports #metoo and all women speaking out. But HER husband would never do anything and all THESE women are lying. Anything to protect her perfect little life.

  11. Lala11_7 says:

    The only positive thing about this situation is that soon…she will be using the same door her corrupt and putrid husband used to exit CBS forever….

    • Renee says:

      @ Lala11_7, Exactly THIS!!!

    • Christin says:

      I hope that happens.

      Side note —- I just read your comment from yesterday’s thread and completely agree. The network had a bunch of great shows for years, and then everything went downhill (turning into macho violence/frat boy humor). Now we know why.

  12. Aang says:

    She may be angry at CBS for rightly pulling the $100 million golden parachute from her disgusting husband. She should have cut and run, this will not end well for her.

    • Jan90067 says:

      Thing is, that won’t affect their lifestyle at all; they have more than enough for 100 lifetimes. It’s that people KNOW they’re not getting the $$$$. A CBS board member was quoted in an article yesterday saying even with the $120M being put into a secured trust for now, it’s pretty much certain he’ll never get it.

      What burns me is CBS paying the $20M to #metoo FOR Moonves. Not only should HE pay, but CBS should be paying an additional $20M OR MORE for allowing this culture to fester for all these years (see Fagen, Charlie Rose, etc).

  13. Toc says:

    If she is staying by his side it’s because despite being fired, he still holds power in CBS and he still have friends there that will support her pay check. His firing was just to save face. CBS will keep being a boys frat club. Women like her jump out of the boat quickly. If she still didn’t do it, it’s because things are ok for her and her career.

  14. Nancy says:

    I just read a bio on her. She had an affair with him while he was still married. So, in my opinion, she never had respect for other women. Her talents have been questioned and her delivery on Big Brother described as wooden and heavily scripted. I can never understand her. But she’s sleeping with the enemy, her boss, so she had a steady gig. Good for you. Of course when she finally leaves him, she will plead that she never in a million years…………..bullshit.

    • ChillyWilly says:

      Her nickname on Big Brother is The Chenbot. Lol

      • Wellsie says:

        Her delivery is truly terrible. Obviously her husband is the real villain here, but if Julie thinks she was employed based on her talent alone and not who she is married to she is sadly mistaken.

    • holly hobby says:

      I remember when his divorce got ugly and the ex named her as the other woman in the paperwork. I never respected her. Sorry.

  15. Darla says:

    I’m just glad I said what I said about her yesterday in the moonves thread. I read her like a cheap novella. Took her one hour to prove my estimation of her character.

  16. Christin says:

    I just finished reading yesterday’s post about Linda (someone I’d always wondered what happened). Now I suddenly realize why network TV show content went down the tubes 20-plus years ago.

    I am thrilled that this guy is getting his long overdue comeuppance. Let his wife rename herself all she wants. What a petty little thing to do, because she will just play victim if the network challenges her on saying his last name.

    • Nancy says:

      It is petty. Take that. It just makes her seem so much more desperate than she already was. The Talk is the worst show on daytime tv. Makes The View seem interesting.

      • Christin says:

        I don’t think I have ever seen The Talk, but have watched a few minutes of The View. If it’s worse, that says a lot.

  17. notthisagain says:

    IMO She did it because they assumed she might resign out of shame /embarrassment or solidarity with her husband
    Basically she is saying if you want me out then Pay me out, cus I am not going to go away quietly and technically they have no reason to fire her

    • perplexed says:

      Why would she need to use her married last name to get that point across though? Couldn’t she just keep working and they’d figure out she’s not going to resign?

    • holly hobby says:

      They can cancel BB and she can’t say boo about it. She can ask the other women, who’s shows Leslie cancelled, about that.

  18. SamC says:

    Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete must be smiling a little. IIRC The Talk was Sara Gilbert’s brainchild, she put together the initial panel, and adding Julie Chen was the trade off for getting a “go” from the network. Then Julie Chen, sorry, Julie Chen Moonves, didn’t gel with Leah and Holly so she went to her husband and they were gone.

    • Nancy says:

      Don’t know how Sara Gilbert got so much clout. Don’t like Remini, too loud and opinionated and was mega pissed when she got the axe. I do like Holly. Sharon Osborne and Julie Chen Moonves are the wise old women, I guess. I find them both insufferable. I agree Leah and Holly are having a moment! I only watched it a couple times, but that was enough to realize it’s literally a time filler…..something to watch if you’re home with the flu.

    • Deering says:

      Jesus, really? Between this and the Janet Jackson thing, seems the Chenbot has big-time problems with black women.

  19. Sherry says:

    I think in her mind she’s telling herself, “That was before he met ME! He’s a different person now. He’s a great husband and father.

    And he’s worth almost $800 million … ”

    We see you, Julie.

    • Pandy says:

      Fir sure that’s what she’s telling herself. But she knows her time at CBS is limited and he’s worth mega dough so yup, going with the money trail!!

    • Pandy says:

      For sure that’s what she’s telling herself. But she knows her time at CBS is limited and he’s worth mega dough so yup, going with the money trail!!

    • Deering says:

      He’s going to be worth a lot less after the lawsuits and legal fees. 😈

  20. Whatever Gurl says:

    Look it up!

    She went after Camille Cosby so The Talk.

    Such a hypocrite!!!!

  21. adastraperaspera says:

    She got the $$$, and she intends to keep it. This behavior makes it so clear that she has cheerfully been a cover for him, while pretending to be a feminist on TV. Couch casting winner, I guess. These kind of people are freaks. No morals apply to them.

    • ravynrobyn says:

      Your use of the word “cheerfully” gutted me…you are absolutely correct, in a way that I couldn’t see before. UGH.

  22. paranormalgirl says:

    Screw the Chen-bot.

  23. Tiffany says:

    So. she must have gotten the memo that they are phasing her out at CBS and this was her response. Like her married name is enough of a threat for them to do something about it. Woman, these people just told a former CEO husband that they are not paying him a dime in severance and are ready for a public fight. Who do you think you are?

  24. Nic919 says:

    The people article is incorrect in that she said it last night (Thursday) but accurate in everything else. Oh and let’s add that she messed up one of the names of the evicted contestants who had been on the show for 85 days. Chen bot has been a running joke on Big Brother for years and she is easily replaceable. Her moment of solidarity with her rapist husband shows just how despicable she is. She’s chosen a side and must be punished accordingly. I mean would she have any jobs at this point at CBS if not for her husband? She was complicit and I don’t feel bad for all the vitriol she’s going to get for this.

    • Leigh-Klein says:

      Me either. She’s shown zero compassion for all of victims as well. I have to wonder what goes through this type of woman’s head. It should be “How can this many women be lying?” “How can so many women who don’t even know each other have such similar stories?” Yes, she and her abusive bastard of a husband deserve each other. They’ll get what’s coming to them, and neither of them will starve in the meantime, either.

    • Meg says:

      I wonder if that’s why shes responding like this-she knows her value at CBS was because of him and without him now she feels powerless and is desperate to keep her job. having to spend all day with an abusive husband sounds awful-i’d want a day job too

      • holly hobby says:

        If she wanted to keep her job, she wouldn’t pull a stunt like that. Nope she just threw the gauntlet. I think CBS will just blackball her.

  25. Adrien says:

    Isn’t she married to Maury?

    • Adrien says:

      I checked, it’s Connie Chung. I am having a Prince William moment.

    • Aang says:

      I think that’s Connie Chung. You and Prince William can attend the “all Asian food/people are not the same” classes before you return to polite company. (I’m joking)

  26. Ninks says:

    That’s fine. If she wants to be called Julie Chen Moonves, let her. Let her forever be associated with him and his appalling crimes. I had no idea she was married to him but now I’ll never forget it.

  27. Ginger says:

    Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.

  28. RBC says:

    Maybe Julie is being so cocky because she knows where the bodies are buried at CBS?
    Les may have told her all the gossip happening at the network and using her married name was a way of saying” you may have dragged my husband down but I still have some power here”

  29. als says:

    Marriage is serious stuff. One may not get to know their SO completely, but it gets pretty close. This is why I tend to believe the wife knows. And in this case when she worked in the same work place…she must have heard rumors, stories.

    • Leigh-Klein says:

      And the fact that he was married when he (probably) hit on her should have clued her in. What a mess. Entirely self-inflicted, too.

    • jwoolman says:

      People do show different sides of themselves to different people. That’s pretty normal, we react to each relationship and each person in different ways. So it’s always possible “the wife didn’t know”. Suspecting something is off is not the same as knowing, and often people don’t even suspect anything.

      Look at how many mass murderers and serial killers are a big surprise to friends and family and neighbors.

  30. Ali says:

    You do you Julie Chen Moonves.

  31. Erbs says:

    How is using her married name a “statement?”

  32. filsun says:

    Did anyone see that Yashar thread about how moonves froze Janet Jackson out? That clip of her when the talk were discussing Janet’s Super Bowl incident told me she’s definitely complicit https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1037897915023409152

  33. Moonlight says:

    Wonder how she got The Talk & Big Brother anyway? She’s boring and talentless. 😏🤔

  34. Molly says:

    Julie can toss around her last name all she wants, but at the end of the day, she’s still a woman and person of color. If she think simply saying “Moonves” is going to ultimately save her, she’s sorely mistaken.

    • holly hobby says:

      Also to the Magats, just because she’s married to a white dude doesn’t mean she’s “one of them.”

  35. Miss Melissa says:

    You know what’s ironic?

    It was Moonves who came running into the broadcast booth after the Janet Jackson super bowl boob stunt to watch the tape again to decide how to handle it. He was watching the game from the luxury suite next door and had the network folks set up a special TV to replay the incident during the 3rd quarter of the game.

    He was on site and dictated the response and he led the narrative against Janet as the guilty party. He was behind the blackballing of her career, and completely derailed it.

    This predator.

  36. EllieMichelle says:

    When you marry for money you earn every cent. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  37. Fred says:

    Can’t see how she can go back to THE TALK now that her co hosts are against her husband

  38. Catfoodjunkie says:

    She needs to lay off the fillers. Yikes!

    Jus thought I’d get superficial. You guys have said it all. 💯

  39. tw says:

    Yeah Ok Camille Cosby. GFY

  40. Leapin' Lizards! says:

    She’s his enabler, along with Camille.

  41. Evie says:

    Les Moonves is only out as CBS CEO. Under the terms of his dismissal, the wording in the Termination agreement says that CBS can employ him for the next TWO YEARS as a consultant to help them transition his duties to others!!! And CBS will still give him office space in their LA Headquarters, soooo….

    I actually like The Talk. On Monday’s episode Sharon Osborne alluded to the fact that CBS might axe the show saying that when a new regime comes in, they often sweep away the old. Osborne said she hopes that’s not the case, but clearly they are worried.

  42. Emily says:

    I’m a Big Brother fan and watched the episode. I was shocked she used her married name as it was obviously an FU to CBS.

    At first I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt; that she wasn’t ready to admit to herself that her husband sucks (denial stage of grief) by what she did last night shows she’s not thinking about it – she’s defiant.

  43. Estelle says:

    We used to call girls like that “dicks before chicks”.

    I was never friends this this type.

  44. Ginger says:

    What a good little handmaid.

  45. Indiad says:

    as quoted above
    (They need to bring on Derrick Levasseur as the host for BB21.)

    holy essss, watching his guest spots recently, his knowledge of gameplay is so spot on
    i would so much prefer someone who actually knows the frickin game
    and does not rely on constant robospeak like the ChenBot to take over.

    his insights would be actually worth watching. i just fast forward thru her robotic segments of the show. her inability to speak clearly and concisely during any episode is telling, she can be counted on to flub a line every show!