Julie Chen's influence at CBS is under scrutiny in wake of Les Moonves allegations

The Daily Beast

"Are rumors of her diva-ish behavior true—or rooted in misogyny?" asks The Daily Beast's Lloyd Grove. He reports that detractors of The Talk co-host and Big Brother host accuse Chen of "favoritism, bullying, and wielding her marital status like a sledgehammer." Chen's supporters say, however, that she is “gracious,” “professional” and “discreet.” Grove says it's unlikely that Chen will be forced out of her CBS jobs if Moonves was ousted as CBS CEO -- but she might exit out of loyalty to her husband. Grove details some of the allegations against Chen, including one claim that she was so powerful at CBS that CBS News couldn't air special reports while The Talk was on live between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET. Former Early Show senior executive producer Shelley Ross, who worked with Chen for six months, raised eyebrows when she tweeted last week, "what about Julie Chen’s abuses of power…”? Former The Talk colleague Aisha Tyler is defending Chen, saying "there’s a strong thread of misogyny in what people say about Julie, because the underlying thread here is 'Oh, if she’s a woman, somehow she got where she is because of who she slept with.' And I think it’s extraordinarily sexist.” ALSO: CBS Evening News accidentally misspelled Les Moonves' name as "Mooves."