| Julie Chen | |
|---|---|
 Big Brother USA Host 2000-Present | |
| Born |
Julie Suzanne Chen January 6, 1970 Queens, New York, United States |
| Education |
St. Francis Prep University of South Carolina |
| Occupation | Presenter, news anchor, producer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouse |
Leslie Moonves 2004-present |
| Children | Charlie |
Julie Suzanne Chen is an American television presenter, news anchor and producer. Julie has hosted every series of Big Brother USA since 2000 and continues to do so.
Big Brother[]
Despite already being well known as anchor of The Early Show and CBS Morning News, Julie was noticed by many after becoming host of the American version of Big Brother. Initially she was heavily criticised for her supposedly mechanical and heavily scripted presenting and interviewing, earning her the nickname, "Chenbot". Julie has indicated that she takes no offence to the term, stating that it was a result of her "precise on-air style" which comes from a "desire to be objective". She embraced her nickname during a segment on the CBS Early Show where mugs were made in her likeness, in which she said "I am the Chenbot!". During Big Brother 12, housemate Matt Hoffman made a reference to her nickname during his pre-vote speech, to which Julie replied, "Ooh, bringing out the Chenbot?"
Julie's news anchor style of presenting remained and has become a feature of Big Brother. Julie would commonly report news from the house like a news broadcast. She regularly uses the phrase "...but first", when moving from one topic to another. During evictions, after the live votes have been cast, Julie says: "It's official, with X votes, Housemate will be going home tonight". When it comes time to announce the evicted houseguest, Julie's regular dialogue is: "By a vote of X to X, Housemate, you are evicted from the Big Brother House.
Julie continued to present Big Brother USA 11 during her pregnancy.
Early Life[]
Julie was born in Queens, New York. Chen's mother grew up in Rangoon, Burma, where Chen's grandfather was a leading industrialist. Her father was born in China and was one of the top leaders in the Kuomintang government of Chiang Kai-shek. Consequently, her family moved everywhere in China, eventually fleeing to Taiwan.
Julie attended Junior High School 194 in the Whitestone area of Queens, New York, where she was voted "Most Intelligent" and "Most Likely to Succeed." She graduated from high school in 1987 from St. Francis Prep after having missed the cutoff scores for specialized high school entrance exams for schools like the Bronx High School of Science, the school her older sisters attended. She attended the University of Southern California and graduated in 1991 with a major in broadcast journalism and in English.
Career[]
One of her earlier jobs came in June 1989, at CBS Morning News—the series which she would anchor a decade later—where she answered phones and copied faxes for distribution. The following year, while still in school, she worked for ABC NewsOne for one season as a desk assistant. She was subsequently promoted to work as a producer for the next three years. The following year, she traveled to Dayton, Ohio to work as a newsanchor for WDTN-TV, from 1995 to 1997.
From 1999 to 2002, Chen was the anchor of both early-morning shows, CBS Morning News & The Early Show, alongside Bryant Gumbel and Jane Clayson. Since 2002, she has been a co-host for The Early Show on CBS. Before CBS News she was a reporter and weekend anchor at WCBS-TV in New York City.
Since 2000, she has also been the host of the American version of Big Brother. During the first season (2000), Chen was widely criticized for her presenting style which earned her the nickname "Chenbot", a name which she has been seen to embrace and be proud of.
Chen will host a talk show on CBS titled The Talk along with a panel of other moms. The panel will include Chen, Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini and Marissa Jaret Winokur. The show is similar to The View and is scheduled to premiere on October 18, 2010.
Personal Life[]
In December 2004, she married Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Television. Chen is the stepmother of Adam, Michael and Sara.
Julie Chen announced in April 2009 that she was pregnant with her first child on The Early Show with her due date in October 2009. She revealed she wouldn't be taking medical leave and would continue to present Big Brother during her pregnancy and did so. On September 24, 2009, she gave birth to a boy named Charlie.