Big Brother: Why Julie Chen Moonves Wasn't Meant to Be Original Host
Julie revealed she was not CBS's first choice for the Big Brother hosting position. Another well-known journalist was asked to fill the role first.
Although Julie Chen Moonves has been the face of Big Brother since the show's start in 2000, she recently revealed on For Real: The Story of Reality TV that she was not originally intended to be the host of the competition series. In fact, CBS initially had their eyes on a different famous journalist, Meredith Vieira, to host instead. Now, 21 years later, Julie is opening up about how she almost did not get her big hosting break.
Julie was just 30 years old when she hosted the first season of Big Brother. Over the years, she has never failed to impress viewers with her fashionable looks during the live shows. Each and every season, Julie becomes just as invested in the competition as viewers do while watching at home. Often times she will post her favorite Big Brother memories on her own Instagram account as she gets excited for another season of the show.
Big Brother could have been completely different if CBS had gone with their original choice of host. Julie revealed on a recent episode of For Real: The Story of Reality TV that Meredith Vieira was actually intended to get Julie's hosting job. At the time, Meredith was best known for her co-hosting position on the daytime talk show The View. Julie, on the other hand, was just getting her career started with her local news correspondent position. During the episode, Julie explained she had just joined the CBS network 8 months prior to being offered the Big Brother hosting gig. When Julie questioned why she was being offered the position, the network explained they needed a journalist to fill the role. They originally asked Meredith to do it, but she turned the offer down. Julie joked that she asked, "So how low was I on the list?!"
Meredith saying no to taking on the hosting role changed Julie's life forever. She went from a local news reporter to being on a national stage overnight. Now, 21 years later, Julie has hosted 22 seasons and met with nearly 300 houseguests from all over the country. Although Julie has grown a love for the show, she didn't always agree with the show's format. During the early days of the series, Julie questioned how damaging the lack of privacy would be for the contestants. On the other hand, she also described the show as being "the most real because there’s no privacy." The series wasn't always a success, though. In fact, the first season was considered to be a flop due to the decision of having viewers control the votes. A lot has changed about the show since the first season, which is most likely why it has become so successful.
Julie, along with longtime viewers, is getting ready for another summer full of competition, drama, and fights. Big Brother is currently casting for season 23, but a premiere date has yet to be announced. As fans continue to guess all of the potential twists that may be added to the new season, one thing they won't have to worry about is Julie's return to the show. She will more than likely continue to host as long as the show continues to air.