CBS’s The Talk led off their Monday show with a nearly 10-minute-long discussion on the ouster of CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves following another disturbing but thorough report from Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker detailing new allegations of sexual misconduct. The four remaining hosts stated their support for the women and the need to hold Mooves accountable, but they also focused on Chen and the fear that they could lose their jobs.
Osbourne led the discussion, leading off the show by conceding that “it's a kind of bittersweet day for a season nine” premiere and that she has “never been nervous in my life, but I'm kind of very nervous” before first revealing that, being Moonves’s wife, Chen will be “taking off time to be with her family.”
Following a series of clips from the broadcast network morning newscasts, Osbourne spoke about how “Julie has always been there for me” as “a friend” for eight years and “somebody who I admire and respect greatly and it's very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband, but we do.”
She explained that she only “knew Les Moonves in a superficial way” but then dropped another piece of news that she was asked to run defense for Moonves when the first set of allegations arose:
I was asked a couple of months ago to make a statement supporting Leslie which I felt I was as diplomatic as I could be with the statement that I made, but now after seven more women have come out, the stories are so similar, the pattern is so similar that for me, it's — he's not been convicted of any crime, but obviously, the man has a problem.
The co-host bizarrely praised Mooves as “an extremely wealthy man and good luck to him for being a wealthy man” who “has worked hard” to make “this network number one” and then expressed fear about what will happen to not only The Talk but CBS employees writ large (click “expand” for more):
However, when a new regime comes into a company, we all know they sweep clean. Everybody here at CBS is nervous about their jobs. Yes, the ladies at this table will go on and we'll probably find another show if our show, please God, it's not taken off, we'll always find another job and nobody’s, you know, in that position yet. It's just historically when somebody new comes in, things change and I care about the producers. I care about the crew. I care about as, Mr. Moonves would say, the little people and that's who I care about and — [APPLAUSE] — anybody else got anything to say? Throw me a bone, would you.
As for when the allegations first arose, Osbourne floated a conspiracy theory to try and discredit these abused women in a since-deleted tweet:
Interesting timing, seems like an attempt to discredit Leslie before a major court case. I hope people don’t rush to judgement and let @CBS conduct their investigation. Sending my love and support to my friends @JulieChen and Leslie Moonves.
Back to the present, co-host Sheryl Underwood thanked Osbourne for her “very dignified” words and then Sara Gilbert picked up from there, reiterating that “Julie is our friend” whom they all love and support, but “this is an important time in our culture and just because this hits close to home, it doesn't change this all women's stories matter and these women's stories matter.”
Fellow co-host Eve added that “I now have come to care for every woman at this table and this is ridiculously difficult” and focused on the need to pray and support Chen and her family before concluding that, one day, we’ll never have to talk about gender inequality again.
Osbourne came back in to state that the story of Phyllis Golden Gottlieb and what Moonves did to her “broke my heart” because “that breaks somebody’s life” no matter when “men get power” and “it goes to their testicles.”
Underwood rounded out the segment by focusing on Chen but also the notion that it’s important for these stories to become public (click “expand” for more):
Well, I — I — Julie Chen I know is very strong, a resilient woman, but I think this is a blessing from God to be unburdened from secrets and unchained from lives and that now is the time for everyone to look inside themselves and become better people and...treat people the way they should be treated and women should not feel that they have to carry secrets and burdens and lives destroyed....[B]ut today, we have got to understand that women are carrying this around....Today we say enough is enough. And today we say we believe you. We hear you. And now is the time for you to go on with your life and hopefully somebody is going to ask you for forgiveness and somebody is going to say, I need to be a better person because God let your eyes open today. Do better with your life and never come back to this day ever again.
To see the relevant transcript from CBS’s The Talk on September 10, click “expand.”
CBS’s The Talk
September 10, 2018
2:00 p.m. Eastern [TEASE]ANNOUNCER: CBS C.E.O. Leslie Moonves steps down from the company he has run for two decades amid new accusations of sexual assault and harassment. We're talking about it.
(....)
2:02 p.m. Eastern
SHARON OSBOURNE: And it's a kind of bittersweet day for a season nine, yay! [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] We're about to talk about something that affects everybody's lives here at CBS. I have never been nervous in my life, but I'm kind of very nervous right now. As you all know, Julie's husband is in the news and she is taking off time to be with her family. [APPLAUSE] CBS chairman and C.E.O. Leslie Moonves stepped down last night and here is how the morning shows covered the story. Take a look.
[CLIPS FROM CBS THIS MORNING, GMA, and TODAY]
OSBOURNE: Ok. First of all, I want to say that whatever times I have had of hardship over the last eight years, Julie has always been there for me. She's been a friend. She is somebody who I admire and respect greatly and it's very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband, but we do. We feel it's right and I personally knew Les Moonves in a superficial way. It was “Hello. How are you?” Nothing more. I know nothing about the man other than he was Julie's husband and he was the head of the biggest network in the world. And the most powerful man in TV. I’m — I was asked a couple of months ago to make a statement supporting Leslie which I felt I was as diplomatic as I could be with the statement that I made, but now after seven more women have come out, the stories are so similar, the pattern is so similar that for me, it's — he's not been convicted of any crime, but obviously, the man has a problem. I like to say that Mr. Moonves to step down and Mr. Moonves is an extremely wealthy man and good luck to him for being a wealthy man. He has worked hard. He made this network number one. However, when a new regime comes into a company, we all know they sweep clean. Everybody here at CBS is nervous about their jobs. Yes, the ladies at this table will go on and we'll probably find another show if our show, please God, it's not taken off, we'll always find another job and nobody’s, you know, in that position yet. It's just historically when somebody new comes in, things change and I care about the producers. I care about the crew. I care about as, Mr. Moonves would say, the little people and that's who I care about and — [APPLAUSE] — anybody else got anything to say? Throw me a bone, would you.
SHERYL UNDERWOOD: I think what you said was very dignified, Mrs. O. [APPLAUSE]
SARA GILBERT: You know, I — I agree Julie is our friend. You know, this is our ninth season and we've been together since the beginning. I love her. I support her always. You know, but — however, this is an important time in our culture and just because this hits close to home, it doesn't change this all women's stories matter and these women's stories matter [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] You know, this is very serious and the appropriate actions need to take place. And so I am happy when women are heard because for a long time, they haven't been. [APPLAUSE]
EVE: I mean, I now have come to care for every woman at this table and this is ridiculously difficult. You know, we've talked about other instances with other people and it's easy to say however we feel but when it's someone that you know, what do you say? How do you feel? And for me, I just echo the same — I support Julie and I'm — and I’m praying for her and praying for her family and hoping and just sending her strength, you know, because this is — it's really, really hard and I can't wait and I hope and pray that we get to a place where we don't have to talk about anymore, where women are equal, where this won't have to happen anymore. I need us to get to this place.
OSBOURNE: Can I just say — sorry, I just want to say in reading the story that came out yesterday, there was one of the ladies particularly that, that really struck me. It was Phyllis Golden Gottlieb and her story just broke my heart. It really broke my heart and I don't care whether it was yesterday, 20 or 30 years ago, but somebody that breaks somebody's life like that has to be accountable and — [APPLAUSE] — all the women, all the women that have been involved in that and I have to agree that Phyllis said in her story, you know, who would believe me? I'm a nothing and this man is, you know, everything and powerful, that power, power, and why is it that when men get power, it goes to their testicles? I do not know why. But it's true. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
UNDERWOOD: Well, I — I — Julie Chen I know is very strong, a resilient woman, but I think this is a blessing from God to be unburdened from secrets and unchained from lives and that now is the time for everyone to look inside themselves and become better people and treat — [APPLAUSE] and treat people the way they should be treated and women should not feel that they have to carry secrets and burdens and lives destroyed. They don't have equal opportunity and feel that there is a safe place for me to say something has happened to me, but also men don't feel that they can stand up and say, I had a problem and I need to go get help and I need to turn myself in. If was just all brought out in the open so that problems could be solved and lives are not destroyed and jobs are not risked, so they, I know a lot of people say I lean on my faith, I'm thanking God for today and I'm thanking God for today because this is out in the open now. [APPLAUSE] We're not smiling in each other's faces.
EVE: Yeah, no. The discussion is important
UNDERWOOD: That's right, it's out in the open and this is somebody that we see every day, that he was Mr. Moonves to me, too. I never called him by his first name because he was the boss, but today, we have got to understand that women are carrying this around and then you wonder why I can't get a job, and why these things can't happen. Today we say enough is enough. And today we say we believe you. We hear you. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] And now is the time for you to go on with your life and hopefully somebody is going to ask you for forgiveness and somebody is going to say, I need to be a better person because God let your eyes open today. Do better with your life and never come back to this day ever again. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
OSBOURNE: Oh, that was tough and we're going to be right back.
