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Julie Chen: Everything you want to know about the Big Brother 20 host

By Joanne Eglash

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 01: TV Personalities (L-R) Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Julie Chen accept Emmy the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on May 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 01: TV Personalities (L-R) Sheryl Underwood, Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Julie Chen accept Emmy the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel on May 1, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Earl Gibson III/Getty Images) /
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Julie Chen earns cheers from Big Brother fans each season for her role as BB host: Find out more about the ‘Chenbot’ as she hosts Season 20!

Julie Chen has ruled as the Big Brother host for 20 seasons, and she’s just fine with the fact that some fans enjoy referring to her as the Chenbot, she told People.  Chen explained that when she first took on the role of Big Brother host in 2000, she worked as a CBS Morning News anchor. That straight news job had a strong effect on how she spoke, and one of Julie’s pals broke the “bot” news to her.

"I was used to my news [personality, where I wasn’t supposed] to show anyone how I feel about anything. My friend called me and said, ‘You know they call you ‘The Chenbot’ because you deliver that line, ‘But first,’ the same exact way week after week….I embraced my inner Chenbot because I realized all the criticism was dead-on."

More than 15 years after that first season of Big Brother debuted, Chen continues to accept that she really is “The Chenbot.”

Julie Chen’s rise to fame

Before becoming the host of Big Brother and moderator of The Talk, Julie took on the news anchor role for CBS’ The Early Show.  Chen had various roles on CBS’ morning news shows.

How did she get so skilled at interviewing the sometimes cranky Big Brother players? Julie has interviewed celebrities ranging from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Queen Rania of Jordan to Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Lopez.

Inside the Big Brother host’s personal life

The multi-talented co-host of The Talk is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. As for how she stays so limber, Julie practices yoga faithfully. Chen views this mind-body form of fitness as the best way to begin her busy day. And she proved on Twitter, Julie even is brave enough to try out Big Brother‘s rock-climbing wall!

Originally from Queens, New York, Julie is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she studied broadcast journalism and English. Chen and her husband, Leslie Moonves, are bi-coastal, residing in both New York and Los Angeles.

Related Story: Big Brother 20 host offers sneak peek in new interview!

Julie and Leslie have a son, Charlie. She also is the mom to three stepchildren, Adam, Sara, and Mike. Make sure to tune in to the new season of the show to see more of Julie Chen. The Big Brother 20 cast is ready to go and the summer 2018 schedule begins on June 27. The schedule also profiles two Big Brother companion shows.

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