“Big Brother” Season 26 has been full of historic firsts, but longtime host Julie Chen Moonves having to miss her first live eviction episode ever has to take the cake. Luckily, “The Talk” cohost Jerry O’Connell was there to step into the beloved Chenbot’s hosting shoes.
The actor and TV host stepped in for Chen Moonves in Thursday’s live eviction episode after she revealed on social media she had to stay home after testing positive for COVID. In a note to fans, she explained feeling like she had a sore throat on Sept. 6 and was still testing positive on the day of the live show, which led the CBS reality competition series to enlist O’Connell for the essential role.
Afterwards, O’Connell opened up about his experience hosting the show, noting his shock that “Big Brother” has never been nominated for an Emmy across 26 seasons.
“There are so many moving parts to that show, and I’m not even getting into the live feeds. I’m simply talking about the hour of live television that we did on Thursday,” O’Connell told TheWrap from a coffee shop in Calabasas. “I cannot believe that they have not been nominated for an Emmy … [Big Brother] is reality television at its finest. It was like jumping into a Lamborghini.”
Fans and the remaining houseguests (contestants) were shocked by the announcement of Chen’s absence, but gave O’Connell a warm welcome to the “substitute teacher” for the episode, as was noted in the farewell interview for evicted houseguest Quinn Martin.
O’Connell said he found out about the casting opportunity at 8 a.m. PT Thursday — nine hours before the show went live for Thursday’s live eviction episode. He also had to take care of his regular job on “The Talk,” which also had its own historic moment as former co-host Chen Moonves called in (appearing on the show for the first time since her exit in 2018) to give him advice on the gig.
“To have Julie back on ‘The Talk’ was really heartwarming, not only for me but I think for Sheryl Underwood, who worked with Julie for so many years,” he added. “I wouldn’t have a job at ‘The Talk’ if it wasn’t for Julie … Every time I walk onto the stage of ‘The Talk’ I think about Julie and what Julie has built on CBS.”
Though he admitted to being nervous about the live aspect of the show, O’Connell said it was a blast incorporating Chen Moonves’ beloved hosting catchphrases into his approach to the job. He made sure to pay special attention to her “But First” slogan, which signals a recap of the houseguests’ gameplay between the veto meeting and Thursday’s eviction. And he signed off the show with her signature “Love one another” message to viewers.
Comedian Howie Mandel, who happened to be sitting with O’Connell for coffee during the conversation with TheWrap, jumped into the call and celebrated his friend’s performance in Thursday’s episode, saying, “I’m a host of talent. And if there was a hosting award, he’s got a Golden Buzzer,” referencing his judge gig on “America’s Got Talent.”
The substitution is the latest in a series of firsts for the show as far as gameplay, including the fact that houseguests have used the power of veto every week of competition so far this summer, and that the beloved OTEV competition only lasted one round. But Chen Moonves’ absence is unprecedented to say the least — the journalist previously was at risk of missing a show in Season 11, with Jeff Probst on standby as she was gearing up to give birth.
But fans have been responding to the delightful chaos of Season 26. Thursday’s episode averaged 3.31 total viewers, up 12% from its season average to date, according to live-plus-same-day-fast national data. Streaming of the episode on Paramount+ and CBS digital platforms was also up 14% from the season average for a Thursday episode, and up 31% from the comparable Thursday episode from last season, according to internal data.
After a whirlwind 25 hours, O’Connell emphasized his love of Chen Moonves and the “Big Brother” crew as a fan of the show, assuring viewers she will be back in her rightful place as host for next Thursday’s eviction episode.
“No one is more happy or relieved that Julie is back next week. I want my ‘Big Brother’ back,” he said.
“Big Brother” airs Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on CBS. ~24/7 live feeds can be viewed on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
