Julie Chen, wife of departed CBS CEO, takes time off from 'The Talk'

[September 11, 2018]  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - TV host Julie Chen, the wife of former CBS Corp Chief Executive Leslie Moonves, said on Monday she was taking a few days off from daytime show "The Talk" to spend time with her family.

Moonves resigned from CBS on Sunday after The New Yorker magazine published new sexual assault and harassment allegations against him. Moonves said the claims against him were untrue.

Chen, who married Moonves in 2004, serves as a host and moderator of "The Talk" and also hosts reality show "Big Brother." Both programs air on the CBS broadcast network.

Chen said in a statement on Monday that she was "taking a few days off from The Talk to be with my family."

"I will be back soon and will see you Thursday night on Big Brother," she added in the statement, which was sent by e-mail from a CBS representative.

Chen had defended her husband in July when The New Yorker first reported allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

"I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late

'90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years," Chen wrote on Twitter on July 27. "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."

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)

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