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Julie Suzanne Chen Moonves was born on January 6, 1970, in Queens, New York. She is the youngest of three daughters born to Chinese immigrants. Her mother, Wan Ling Chen, is of Burmese Chinese descent, while her father, David Y. Chen, was a Chinese American businessman. Julie grew up alongside her two older sisters, Victoria and Gladys.
Chen's maternal grandfather, Lou Gaw Tong, immigrated from a rural village in China and later became a successful grocery store owner. He had a large family, with nine wives and eleven children, which was not uncommon among his generation under traditional polygamous practices in China.
Julie Chen attended local schools in Queens and later attempted to enroll at the Bronx High School of Science like her sister, but did not pass the entrance exam. She went on to study at the University of Southern California, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and English.
In a BuzzFeed interview, Chen credited her career inspiration to watching Kaity Tong, a Chinese-American news anchor, on television. Her mother encouraged her aspirations, a moment Chen describes as pivotal: “It was like she planted that seed and I watered it myself,” she said, marking the beginning of her journey into broadcast news.
Chen began her career in the early 1990s as a desk assistant at ABC News in Los Angeles, eventually becoming a producer there from 1992 to 1995. She then moved to WDTN-TV in Dayton, Ohio, where she worked as a reporter from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 1999, she served as a reporter and weekend anchor at WCBS-TV in New York.
Her career advanced when she joined CBS News. In 1999, she began appearing on CBS Morning News and later The Early Show. Starting November 1, 1999, Chen co-anchored The Early Show, serving in that role until 2010 and then continuing as a special contributing anchor through 2011.
Julie Chen became notable for her role as the host of the American version of Big Brother, which premiered in 2000. As of today, she holds the record as the longest-serving host of the reality series. She became synonymous with the signature phrase “But first...,” a transition line she frequently used on the show. Over the years, this phrase turned into a catchphrase and earned her the affectionate nickname “The Chenbot.”
In addition to hosting Big Brother, Chen served as the moderator and co-host of CBS's daytime talk show The Talk from its inception in 2010 until 2018. She frequently appeared alongside co-hosts Sheryl Underwood, Sharon Osbourne, Eve, Sara Gilbert, and Aisha Tyler.
During the early 2000s, Chen was in a long-term relationship with television news editor Gary Donahue. She later began dating CBS President and CEO Leslie Moonves. Their relationship became public while Moonves was still married to Nancy Wiesenfeld Moonves, though the couple separated and finalized their divorce in 2004.
Julie Chen and Leslie Moonves married on December 23, 2004, in a private ceremony in Mexico. Together, they have a son, Charlie Moonves, born on September 24, 2009. Julie is also a stepmother to Moonves's three children from his previous marriage: Adam, Sara, and Michael.
In 2013, on an episode of The Talk, Chen publicly revealed she had undergone East Asian blepharoplasty early in her career. She cited professional pressure from a prominent agent and news director as the reason for the procedure. Although initially met with disapproval from her family, Chen said she reconciled with her decision over time and gained self-acceptance.
In addition to her work as a host and journalist, Julie Chen has made several cameo appearances on television. She voiced herself in a 2005 episode of The Fairly OddParents and acted in episodes of The Millers (2013–2014), The Comeback (2014), Madam Secretary (2014), Supergirl (2016), Life in Pieces (2017), and Jane the Virgin (2018). She also guest-starred in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles titled “In the Line of Duty,” playing a U.S. ambassador.
Chen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and incorporates mindfulness practices like yoga into her lifestyle, influences she attributes to her cultural heritage and her mother’s background.
While co-anchoring The Early Show, Chen covered significant global events such as the 2003 Iraq War and conflicts in Kuwait and Qatar. She also conducted interviews with notable public figures including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Queen Rania of Jordan, former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen, and entertainment personalities such as Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, and Jennifer Lopez.
Julie Chen’s early broadcasting career was met with criticism and skepticism, attributed partly to her heritage and gender. Facing various professional hurdles, including pay disparities and demands to alter her appearance, Chen remained resilient. She has stated, “Every negative thing that’s happened to me along my career path has ended up being a blessing in disguise and gotten me exactly where I am today.”
Chen has received multiple Daytime Emmy Award nominations for her work on The Talk. She was nominated for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host in 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2017, she and her co-hosts finally won the Daytime Emmy Award in the same category, marking a milestone in her broadcasting career.
Julie Chen Moonves has built an estimated net worth of approximately $8 million, accrued primarily through her long-standing roles on CBS programs including Big Brother and The Talk. From her humble beginnings as a desk assistant to becoming a prominent network television figure, her impact on American television has been both pioneering and enduring.
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