2019 is starting off with a bang forCarrie Ann Inaba!
TheDancing with the Starsjudge is joiningThe Talkas permanent co-host,replacing Julie Chenwhoquitin September after nine seasons.
“I feel so fortunate to sit at the table with these five brilliant women,” says Inaba, 50, who will sit alongside fellow co-hostsSharon Osbourne,Sara Gilbert,Eveand Sheryl Underwood. “They’re very dynamic, they’re all really different and I love every one of them.”
Inaba, who has been a judge onDWTSsince the first season in 2005, has guest co-hostedThe Talkfrequently over the past year.
“It’s been such an enriching experience,” she says. “During the process, bonds were formed. It’s really rare in this business to really get along with people. It reminds me of how it is withLen [Goodman]and Bruno [Taglioni] onDancing.”
Kelsey McNeal/ABC via Getty
Chen, 48, announced that she was leaving the show in an emotional video statement that came just days after her husband, former CBS CEOLes Moonvesresigned followingmultiple allegations of sexual misconductagainst him. In the video, Chen said she was leaving, among other things, “to spend more time at home with my husband and our young son.”
Continues Inaba: “Julie has been nothing but supportive. When she heard I got the job, she sent me the most beautiful floral arrangement. She told me, ‘I’m always in your corner.’ She’s amazing.”
David Livingston/Getty; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty
Now, Inaba is raring to go in her new role.
“I feel so blessed to do this,” says Inaba ofThe Talk. “When you have five women who know who they are and can come together, even if we don’t always agree, it’s wonderful. I’m really excited.”
source: people.com
