Carrie Ann Inaba‘s guest seat on The Talk is about to become permanent.
According to a source in December 2018, Inaba will permanently fill the seat left vacant from original host Julie Chen. Chen departed the series after sexual misconduct allegations leveled against her husband, former CBS boss Les Moonves, came to light. She still hosts Big Brother, one of the network’s most popular reality shows. When Chen exited the show with a taped message, she gave Inaba a shout out.
“Carrie Ann [Inaba], I don’t know, but in my opinion, you look awful good sitting in that chair my Asian sister. I’m just saying,” Chen said.
Inaba was a frequent fill-in host on The Talk over the years. She previously was a guest host on Live opposite Kelly Ripa. The host, who also serves as a judge on Dancing With the Stars, will joins with Sara Gilbert, Eve, Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood on The Talk panel. The CBS chat fest made it official on Wednesday, Jan. 2.
“Everyone’s Talking about it, and I’m excited to confirm it. We’re welcoming Carrie Ann Inaba to The Talk table,” Angelica McDaniel, executive vice president of daytime programs at CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “Carrie Ann connects with audiences by being genuine. We appreciate her warmth, heart and vulnerability, and love what she brings to the show.”
“Having the opportunity to sit at the table with Eve, Sara, Sharon and Sheryl has been such an enriching experience and I’m honored and looking forward to joining them daily,” Inaba said in a statement. “It’s the authentic conversations and connection with the audience and the ladies that really drew me to The Talk. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this show.”
Past hosts on The Talk include Marissa Jaret Winokur, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, and Aisha Tyler.
Inaba has been a judge on DWTS with Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli since the show stared in 2005. She’s an accomplished dancer and choreographer and was one of the original Fly Girls on Fox’s In Living Color.
The Talk airs daily on CBS.
Originally published on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, 2:17 p.m. PT.