Carrie Ann Inaba grabbed one of daytime TV’s most talked-about openings, taking over Julie Chen‘s duties on CBS’s The Talk.
The gig opened when Chen left the show in the wake of revelations that her husband, then-CBS honcho Les Moonves, had become embroiled in the sexual-harassment scandal.
That shocking turn of events eventually saw mega-mogul Moonves leave the company — without, as RadarOnline reported in December, his golden parachute!
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While Rob Shuter reported that Talk co-hosts Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert, and Sheryl Underwood avoided Julie after what an insider described as her “awkward” departure, Inaba’s occasional guest-host turns on the show made a positive impression.
In a press release announcing the hire, CBS touted Carrie Ann’s “warmth, heart and vulnerability,” which contrasts with at least one prospective host The ENQUIRER reported as being in the mix.
“Rosie [O’Donnell] lobbied hard for the job and was very close to being signed,” a source told The ENQUIRER in October.
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“But several of the current cast members privately expressed serious concerns about her volatility and the circus-like atmosphere which always seems to follow Rosie.”
The caustic comic enjoyed stirring the pot for years as a co-host on ABC’s The View and was a guest host on The Talk Sept. 28, just 10 days after Chen announced her exit.
