Chen returned to work on the CBS reality show and chose to end it with a signoff of support for her husband.

After taking a hiatus from her post on The Talk, Julie Chen returned to CBS to host Big Brother on Thursday night, but chose not to address the latest allegations of sexual misconduct against her husband Leslie Moonves for most of the show. That was until the very end of the episode, where she seemed to show support for him by signing off the show with: "I'm Julie Chen Moonves. Goodnight." It was off-script from her usual signoff, and the first time she has used the last name Moonves on the show.

Chen did not attend The Talk's season nine premiere the morning after Moonves was ousted as chairman and CEO of CBS, following Ronan Farrow's latest New Yorker article that detailed new allegations of sexual assault made against Moonves. Chen had said of her absence from the morning show: "I am taking a few days off from The Talk to be with my family. I will be back soon and will see you Thursday night on Big Brother." In Chen's initial statement after Farrow's July 27 exposé that detailed six other claims of sexual misconduct against Moonves, she said: "Some of you may be aware of what's been going on in my life the past few days. I issued the one and only statement I will ever make on this topic on Twitter. And I will stand by that statement today, tomorrow, forever."