Big Brother host Julie Chen has revealed that she initially turned down CBS' offer to host Big Brother and that she was actually producers' second choice for the hosting role.
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Julie has served as the host of Big Brother ever since the show premiered on July 5, 2000 on CBS, and she's since become a household name and the beloved face of the franchise.
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But Julie dropped a bombshell on Big Brother fans during the show's 25th anniversary special that aired Wednesday night on CBS.
"Here's the dirty little secret that not everyone knows: I was offered the job and I turned it down. I was like, 'Why don't you ask someone with talent?'" Julie spilled on the Big Brother: 25th Anniversary Celebration episode.
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"I had just started my big career at CBS News. I was 29-years-old, I was a morning anchor, and I had visions of one day walking down the halls of 60 Minutes and sitting in front of the chair with the ticking clock. It would be like, 'I'm Mike Wallace, I'm Lesley Stahl, I'm Julie Chen -- and I'm so happy to be here!'"
Julie apparently worried that accepting the reality TV job would hinder future opportunities with the network.
"I said, 'If I take this job, am I completely sealing the door shut to ever being on 60 Minutes? [But] if you don't take it, it could be seen as an act of insubordination,'" Julie shared.
"And I said, 'When is the next flight to L.A.?! I'd love to meet with the producers of Big Brother.'"
While Julie still hasn't hosted an episode of 60 Minutes, she insisted she is grateful to be the host of Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother -- and that she has no regrets.
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"Looking back now, I say, 'Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that I didn't get in my own way!'" Julie said.
Julie, however, wasn't actually Big Brother producers' first choice when CBS was casting its first season over two decades ago.
"I wasn't the first choice to host. It was offered and turned down by Meredith Vieira," Julie revealed.
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Meredith was the original moderator of the daytime talk show The View as well as the original host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
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Meredith also previously served as the co-host of Today and the host of her own talk show, The Meredith Vieira Show. Beginning in 2019, she began working as the host of the game show 25 Words or Less.
"I was second choice, and when they offered me the job, they were one month away from launching the show, and they didn't have a host," Julie said.
Big Brother's first season did well in the ratings but was almost canceled due to critics calling it dull.
Season 2 is when the show introduced the live feeds, which allowed fans to watch the houseguests around the clock online and prevented the concept from getting stale.
While Big Brother had some bumps to work out in its early years, it also took time for Big Brother viewers to warm up to Julie as the host.
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For many seasons, Julie was criticized by many viewers for having an uptight, stiff and robotic delivery of her lines.
"I was trying to be very 60 Minutes," Julie admitted. "Critics, fans, even my own family -- they were like, 'You're terrible on Big Brother! You're good on the [morning] news but you're terrible at night.'"
But Julie's serious approach to hosting eventually became a good balance for the show's quirky twists and silly drama.
Julie said with a laugh, "I love being 'The Chenbot' now!"
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And it appears the majority of Big Brother's former houseguests also adore Julie.
"Without Julie, there is no Big Brother," Janelle Pierzina said during the 25th anniversary special.
And last summer's Big Brother winner Taylor Hale told the cameras, "Summertime is Julie's time."
After Hannah Chaddah noted how she truly loves Julie, Frankie Grande shared, "She is a mother to me. She's actually one of the people who has stayed in touch most ever since the show."
Derrick Levasseur went on to call Julie "amazing," saying that she always asks about his two children by using their names. And the former BB winner added, "I don't know if the show would've lasted as long without her because she's the captain of the ship!"
And Jordan Lloyd believes if Julie ever decided to stop hosting Big Brother, there is "nobody that could replace her."
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Big Brother's milestone 25th season is set to premiere with a special 90-minute episode Wednesday, August 2 at 8PM ET/PT on CBS, which is about a month later than the summer mainstay usually debuts on the network.
Last year, Season 24 of Big Brother premiered on CBS on July 6. In 2021, Season 23 debuted on July 7.
"Expect the unexpected this summer with a season full of twists and turns and throwbacks to the last 24 seasons," CBS teased.
Following the premiere, Big Brother will air on Sunday nights from 8-9PM, ET/PT as well as on Wednesday nights from 8-9PM ET/PT.
Live eviction episodes will air on Thursday nights from 9-10PM on the East Coast with a tape delay on the West Coast.
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More details about the upcoming Big Brother season, including its cast of houseguests and big twists, will be announced soon.