Any apprehensionCarrie Ann Inabamay have feltabout replacingJulie Chen onThe Talkdisappeared when she heard from Chen herself.
“Julie has been nothing but supportive,” Inaba tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue, on stands Friday. “When she learned that I got the job, she sent me the most beautiful floral arrangement. She’s like, ‘I’m always in your corner.’ Woman to woman, that’s amazing.”
It was announcedon Jan. 2 that theDancing with the Starsjudge, 51, would be replacing Chen, 49, who had been a co-host since the CBS show’s 2010 debut.
In an emotional video, Chen announced in September that shewould be leavingThe Talk, just days after her husband, former CBS CEOLes Moonves, announced his resignation following multiple allegations of sexual assault against him. (Moonves, 69, has called the allegations “untrue” and claimed any sexual encounters were consensual.)
CBS/Getty(2)
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And now, Inaba is thrilled to focus on her new venture — and on the many more deep friendships she’ll make on the show.
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“I feel very fortunate to sit at the table with five brilliant women,” she says of co-hostsSheryl Underwood,Eve,Sara GilbertandSharon Osbourne. “They’re dynamic, they’re different and I love every one of them.”
The Talkairs weekdays at 2 p.m. ET on CBS.
source: people.com
