"Big Brother" host Julie Chen will shoot a pilot next month for a new CBS daytime talk show described as a mommy version of ABC’s "The View," people familiar with the situation confirm.
The show will be a panel discussion series, like ABC’s long-running hit, but hosted by a variety of moms: celebs, news folk and semi-ordinary people. In addition to the Chenbot (she likes that nickname, so no nasty comments, please!), other personalities slated for the pilot include "Real Housewives" star Bethenny "No Relation to TheWrap’s Danny" Frankel, former "Roseanne" (and "24") star Sara Gilbert and daytime refugee/ "Dancing with the Stars" Lisa Rinna.
CBS is no doubt considering Mommy View for the slot soon to be vacated by "As the World Turns," which ends its five decade-plus run on the network this September. The talk show could compete with some game show projects in the works at the Eye, including a new version of MoJoe fave "The $25,000 Pyramid."
In addition to "Big Brother," Chen also co-anchors CBS’s "The Early Show." It’s possible she could continue doing both the news program and the talk show, though Chen — who recently had her first child — might also decide to finally give up the drudgery of working on the forever-stuck-in-third-place "Early Show."
Chen, by the way, is married to CBS chief executive Leslie Moonves. If this project — first reported by the NY Post’s Page Six — does go to series, we’re hoping he’ll guest host if producers ever decide to do a daddy’s day.
Make no mistake: That would clearly be awesome.
CBS declined to comment on the story.
While the world waits to see if "The Mommies" is revived, let’s pull out the classic compilation of Chen’s many "but firsts" from "Big Brother," an early work for the oeuvre of the Internet’s B-Side.
