Let’s Talk About Everyone Who’s Hosted The Talk—And Why Some Have Left
True to its name, CBS’ afternoon gab sesh TheTalk is getting tongues wagging these days. On Aug. 31, co-host Elaine Welteroth surprised fans when she announced she'd be leaving the series after just one season. Her departure is all the more shocking considering it's the show's third in 2021: Just two weeks prior, Carrie Ann Inaba said she was walking away for good, following a leave of absence she took for health reasons, while back in April 2021, SharonOsbourne—the only original cohost remaining from the show’s first season—stepped away over the controversial MeghanMarkle comments she made the month before.
With all this turnover—and with the series having returned in September 2021 for its 12th season—you may be left wondering who's on the show now, plus what happened to otherTalk cohosts of yore and whether their exits were nearly as dramatic. Let’s take a walk down memory lane to revisit The Talk hosts, past and present, and the real reasons they left the show.
Who are The Talk hosts now?
On Season 12 (which premiered Mon. Sept. 13), here's who's with the show (at least for now!).
Natalie Morales (Season 12-)
After 22 years at NBC, longtime TODAY and Access anchor Natalie Morales shocked fans and colleagues when she announced on Oct. 1, 2021, that she was leaving the network to join The Talk's panel.
“This first half of my life has been one full of adventure, challenges, travel, way too many early wake-up calls, and, yes, opportunities to witness history unfold and to tell inspiring and impactful stories that will always be in my mind’s highlight reel,” she said in a farewell to coworkers obtained by PEOPLE. "As my oldest son gets ready to spread his wings and head to college soon, so too do I feel the time is right, (before the second half of my life) to spread my own wings and to pursue a new adventure.”
The 49-year-old Morales will make her Talk debut on Mon., Oct. 11.
Akbar Gbajabiamila (Season 12-)
Brand new for Season 12 is Akbar Gbajabiamila, a retired NFL player-turned-TV host (he's an NFL Network analyst and a familiar face from NBC's American Ninja Warrior). The 42-year-old also authored his first book in 2019, Everyone Can Be a Ninja: Find Your Inner Warrior and Achieve Your Dreams.
Amanda Kloots (Season 11-)
In late 2020, TheTalk recruitedAmanda Kloots, a former Rockette and Broadway dancer whose husband, NickCordero, fought a valiant battle with COVID-19 before passing away last year. She was brought aboard at the same time as Welteroth, who rose to fame as the editor of Teen Vogue.
Jerry O'Connell (Season 11-)
Jerry O'Connell became The Talk's first-ever male cohost when he was brought on board toward the end of Season 11 following Osbourne's departure. The 47-year-old actor had served as a guest host on both The Talk and The Wendy WilliamsShow before being named a permanent Talk panelist.
Sheryl Underwood (Seasons 2-)
Sheryl Underwood joined TheTalk in Season 2 and has never looked back, even when her confrontation with Osbourne during her infamous Meghan Markle moment led to the latter’s exit. After that episode, Underwood told the show’s audience in a special, backstage message to fans, “We need to process the events of that day and what happened since so we can get to the healing.”
Related: Who Is Pat Sajak's Wife?
Who else has hosted The Talk?
See who else has hosted The Talk and find out why they left.
Why did Sharon Osbourne leave The Talk?
Seasons 1-11
On a March 2021 episode of The Talk's 11th season, Osbourne repeatedly spoke over co-host Underwood while defending pal PiersMorgan over racist remarks he’d made about the Duchess of Sussex. Osbourne's actions wound up sparking a lengthy internal investigation into her past behaviors—including another time on TheTalk when she proclaimed that Markle “ain’t black!”
The brouhaha surrounding Osbourne's remarks was so big that the entire show wound up being put on hiatus. Finally, in mid-April 2021, CBS told USA Today in a statement, "Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave The Talk. The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon's behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace."
Soon after, Osbourne said in a sitdown interview with Bill Maher about her departure, "I'm angry. I'm hurt."
Why did Elaine Welteroth leave The Talk?
Season 11
Welteroth's Talk tenure wound up being a one-season-and-done affair.
On Instagram, Welteroth cryptically attributed her decision to leave to the fact that "when the music changes, so must your dance!" She also noted that she would be "moving into a new chapter" of her career, but didn't elaborate other than to say, "Stay tuned for some exciting updates ahead."
Why did Carrie Ann Inaba leave The Talk?
Seasons 9-11
The Talk’s second-ever moderator, Carrie Ann Inaba joined the show with a literal bang (of confetti cannons and champagne corks!) after guest-hosting during the previous season.
However, on April 26, 2021—just a couple weeks after Osbourne's exit—Inaba told followers in an Instagram video, "I have decided to take a leave of absence from The Talk to focus on my wellbeing. I know you guys understand, health is the most important thing.”
Four months later, Inaba announced that her leave of absence would be permanent.
"I enjoyed my time at The Talk as cohost and moderator and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to grow with the entire Talk family as well as truly connect with viewers on such a personal level," she said in a statement. "I will miss The Talk, but I am excited for the next chapter both for myself and for the show."
Why did Sara Gilbert leave The Talk?
Seasons 1-9
Gilbert was not only an original Talk panelist; she was also the show’s creator! In fact, her producing work won her a 2016 Daytime Emmy in 2016 for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show. Still, toward the end of Season 9 in 2019, Gilbert announced that she’d made the “extremely difficult” decision to leave the series because her life was “out of balance” juggling her three kids, her Talk responsibilities and her Roseanne reboot, The Conners.
Why did Julie Chen leave The Talk?
Seasons 1-8
Julie Chen was The Talk’s first moderator, but in September 2018, she announced in a pre-recorded video at the start of the ninth season that she wouldn’t be returning as promised because she’d chosen “to spend more time at home with my husband,” CBS honcho LesMoonves—who was, at the time, under fire for multiple sexual assault allegations. Moonves stepped down as CBS’ CEO that same month, but Chen—who then started using her full married name, Julie Chen Moonves, as her professional moniker—continued to host her other CBS series, BigBrother.
Why did Marissa Jaret Winokur leave The Talk?
Season 1
The Tony-winning star of Hairspray didn’t last long on TheTalk, only staying through the first half of the first season. Announcing her departure in January 2011, Winokur told PEOPLE that the recent death of her father was a factor in her decision, as was her desire to “be more involved with what I’m working on.” Winokur wasn’t technically a Talk panelist but had instead been contributing out-of-studio “Mom on the Street” segments to the then-nascent show.