Julie Chen Moonves Reacts to Jerry O’Connell Hosting Big Brother

Sometimes even the Chenbot needs to power down.

Julie Chen Moonves missed a Big Brother eviction episode for the first time in the show’s history on Thursday, September 12, spanning 26 regular seasons, three celebrity editions and 2016’s Big Brother Over the Top.

While a mild bout with COVID-19 kept Chen Moonves, 54, sidelined, the Big Brother host also known as “Chenbot” expects to be back next week. But first, she watched from home as The Talk cohost Jerry O’Connell filled in for her.

“I love Jerry, and I loved how he did the ‘But first,’” Chen Moonves told Entertainment Weekly, referencing her eviction night catchphrase. “He made it big, and it shows he gets the joke part of it. Hysterical. His personality really comes through in all he does ’cause he’s a genuine and genuinely funny guy. He made it his own and he did awesome!”

O’Connell, 50, has long been a Big Brother fan himself and appeared to relish the opportunity to pinch hit for Chen Moonves. First, he surprised the houseguests live with the news that he was filling in, while adding his own flair to what is normally a rigidly structured episode.

Chen Moonves and other fans watching were treated to a jam-packed hour in which houseguest Makensy Manbeck used her power of veto to take Angela Murray off the nomination block, leading head of household Chelsie Baham to nominate a replacement. She chose superfan Quinn Martin, who was ultimately evicted.

Angela coming off the block for a third time made her the all-time Big Brother US record holder for most times a different houseguest has used the veto on her.

“Be warned: Angela knows this game and knows how to stir it up when she wants, and that has served her well,” Chen Moonves cautioned fans. “She can also show her loving, nurturing side, or her vulnerable side, and people gravitate to that.”

Quinn, meanwhile, became the first member of the seven-player jury that will vote for the winner of the game during the season finale on October 13. He left viewers in stitches during the episode, shouting out a famous phrase from fan favorite houseguest Britney Haynes and an off-color video from former player Terrance Higgins during his eviction speech.

When he left the house, he showed O’Connell a fake immunity idol he had made, joking that he should have used the Survivor prop to try and stay in the house.

After O’Connell’s interview with Quinn, he closed the episode by laying out the next week and ending with Chen Moonves’ famous sign-off of “love one another.”