On Sunday night, CBS Chairman and CEO les Moonves left the company following claims of sexual assault and harassment. Moonves has denied the accusations and called three of them consensual. On Monday, the women of “The Talk” - which airs on CBS - confronted the breaking news. Addressing the subject was made even trickier by the absence of co-host Julie Chen, who’s married to Moonves. Chen said in a statement that she’s taking time off to be with family. Despite the awkward subject, Sharon Osbourne immediately set the tone, saying that Moonves "has a problem." Osbourne wasn’t alone. Her co-hosts, including Sara Gilbert - who starred on "Roseanne" and recently took time to respond to that disaster - were united in their message. Gilbert said, "Just because this hits close to home, it doesn't change the story. All women's stories matter."<doc-sep>CBS daytime show The Talk kicked off its ninth season talking about CBS CEO Les Moonves exit the previous night after more women alleged he’d sexually harassed them. Moonves’ wife, Julie Chen, who co-hosts The Talk and also hosts CBS’ Big Brother, noticeably was missing as show panelists made their entrance and it fell to Sharon Osbourne to lead the discussion. “As you all know, Julie’s husband is in the news, and she’d taking off time to be with her family,” Osbourne said. “It’s very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband,” Osbourne said, also acknowledging that she knows Moonves only “in a superficial way.” But, when Ronan Farrow’s first New Yorker piece about Moonves broke, detailing several women making claims against him, she nonetheless was asked to make a statement supporting Moonves. Osbourne said she did so in “as diplomatic” a way as she could. Related Story Julie Chen Taking Time Off From 'The Talk' Following Les Moonves' Ouster From CBS “But now, after seven more women have come out these stories that are so similar, the pattern is so similar, that for me, he’s not been convicted of any crime but obviously the man has a problem,” Osbourne stated. “Mr. Moonves can step down, and Mr. Moonves is an extremely wealthy man, and good luck to him,” she added. “He’s worked very hard and made this network No. 1.” Show creator/panelist Sara Gilbert chimed in: “I agree; Julie is our friend. … This is our ninth season, and we’ve been together since the beginning. I love her and support her always. However, this is an important time in our culture, and just because this hits close to home doesn’t change the story.” Osbourne said she was particularly struck by the allegations made by former television exec Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, who claimed Moonves “took my whole career” decades ago, after she rebuffed him. “Her story just broke my heart. It really broke my heart,” Osbourne said. “Phyllis said, ‘Who would believe me? I’m a nothing, and this man is everything. '” “That power, power, power. Why is it when men get that power, it goes to their testicles?” Osbourne asked rhetorically. CBS Corporation announced Sunday night that Moonves was out as chairman/CEO. The announcement came hours after New Yorker published a second Farrow report in which more women made sexual misconduct allegations against the veteran exec. Moonves on Sunday evening issued a statement, saying: “Effective immediately I will no longer be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CBS. I am deeply saddened to be leaving the company. I wish nothing but the best for the organization, the newly comprised board of directors and all of its employees.” Moonves noted he led CBS’s transformation from struggling broadcast network to global media company, while acknowledging contributions of the company’s staff. Moonves and CBS made a $20M donation to charities supporting the #MeToo movement. In late July, shortly after The New Yorker published Farrow’s first report on allegations about Moonves, Chen had addressed, briefly, on The Talk, saying, “Some of you may be aware of what’s been going on in my life for the past few days. … I issued the one and only statement I will ever make on this topic on Twitter. I will stand by that statement today, tomorrow, forever.” She was referring to a statement she had posted to Twitter: “I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late ‘90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years. Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being. I fully support my husband.”<doc-sep>CBS The new season of "The Talk" dove headfirst into the sexual assault allegations against Les Moonves, without regular cohost Julie Chen -- Moonves' wife -- joining the other women on air. Calling it a "bittersweet" premiere, Sharon Osbourne stated she was "nervous" to address Moonves' exit from the network on the show, after a total of 12 women accused the CEO of assault and harassment. "We're about to talk about something that affects everybody's lives here at CBS," said Osbourne. "As you all know, Julie's husband is in the news and she's taking off time to be with her family." "I want to say that whatever times I've had of hardship, Julie has always been there for me. She's been a friend, she's someone who I admire and respect greatly. It's very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband, but we do, we feel it's right," she continued, adding that she only knew Moonves on a "superficial" level. "I was asked a couple of months ago to make a statement supporting Leslie, which I felt I was as diplomatic as I could be with the statement that I made," she said, likely alluding to a now-deleted tweet from July, after the first wave of accusers spoke out. "Now, after 7 more women have come out, the stories are so similar, the pattern is so similar, for me, he's not been convicted of any crime, but obviously the man has a problem." She then spoke about feeling concerned for how the "new regime" to step in will affect the show, it's crew and producers. She also said the story from former TV executive Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb "broke my heart." Golden-Gottlieb said Moonves forced her to perform oral sex on him, before destroying her career. "Her story just broke my heart. It really broke my heart and I don't care whether it was yesterday, 20 or 30 years ago, but somebody that breaks somebody's life like that has to be accountable," she said. "Why is it that when men get power it goes to their testicles? I do not know why, but it's true." "Julie is our friend, this is our ninth season and we've been together since the beginning. I love her, I support her always, however this is an important time in our culture and just because this hits close to him, it doesn't change the story," said Sara Giblert. "All women's stories matter and these women's stories matter. This is very serious and the appropriate actions need to take place. I am happy when women are heart, because for a long time they haven't been." "I've now come to care for every woman at this table and this is ridiculously difficult," added Eve. "We've talked about other instances with other people and it's easy to say however we feel. But when it's somebody that you know, what do you say, how do you feel? For me, I echo the same, I support Julie and I'm praying for her and praying for her family and hoping, sending her strength. This is, it's really really hard." She went on to say she can't wait for the day where "women are equal, where these stories won't have to happen anymore." Sheryl Underwood said she knows Chen is "a very strong" and "resilient" woman, before saying she considers the reports "a blessing from God to be unburdened from secrets and unchained from lies." "Today, we have got to understand that women are carrying this around," she continued. "Today we say, enough is enough and today we say we believe in you, we hear you. Do better with your life and never come back to this day, ever again." As part of his exit from the network, Moonves and CBS said they will donate $20 million to "one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace."<doc-sep>
Talking it out. Julie Chen was absent from the Monday, September 10, episode of The Talk after her husband, CBS CEO Les Moonves, left the network amid a new round of sexual misconduct allegations. However, that did not stop Chen’s cohosts from discussing the controversy at the top of the show. “As you all know, Julie’s husband is in the news and she’s taking off time to be with her family,” Sharon Osbourne told viewers. “It’s very embarrassing and upsetting to have to talk about her husband.” The Osbournes alum, 65, said she released a “diplomatic” statement in support of Moonves, 68, after he was first accused of sexual misconduct in July, but she has since found herself in a difficult situation. “Seven more women have come out. The stories are so similar, the pattern is so similar, that for me, he’s not been convicted of any crime, but obviously the man has a problem,” she said before wishing the former executive “good luck.” “I don’t care if it happened 20 years ago, but somebody who breaks somebody’s life like that has to [be held] accountable,” Osbourne continued. “Why is it that when men get power, it goes to their testicles?” Sara Gilbert started off by saying that Chen, 48, is “our friend” and she will “support her always.” “However, this is an important time in our culture,” the Roseanne alum, 43, added. “Just because this hits close to home, it doesn’t change this story. All women’s stories matter and these women’s stories matter. This is very serious, and the appropriate actions need to take place.” Eve echoed similar sentiments after acknowledging that speaking out is “ridiculously difficult.” Sheryl Underwood chimed in, “Today we say ‘enough is enough.’” Chen announced in a statement to Us Weekly minutes earlier that she is “taking a few days off from The Talk to be with my family.” She assured viewers that she “will be back soon, and will see you Thursday night on Big Brother.” Six women accused Moonves of sexual harassment and intimidation in an exposé by The New Yorker in July. The magazine published a second story on Sunday, September 9, that included allegations of sexual assault and harassment from six more women. The former CBS chairman said in a statement that the “untrue allegations from decades ago … are not consistent with who I am.” He added that he is “deeply saddened to be leaving the company.” Moonves and CBS vowed to donate 20 million to “one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace.” Moonves and Chen, who wed in 2004, share 8-year-old son Charlie.