Jerry O’Connell made his debut as Big Brother host, replacing Julie Chen Moonves, who had to suspend her duties due to Covid.
“You don’t have to re-tune your TV, I’m not Julie Chen Moonves,” O’Connell said at the start of the hour. “Julie unfortunately has a mild case of Covid and can’t come tonight, but rest assured, Julie is fine. I spoke to her earlier today and will be back for the eviction next week.”
O’Connell used some of Chen Moonves’ signature phrases, like “Expect the unexpected” and “But first,” before telling the houseguests that he was the host tonight.
“Hello, houseguests,” O’Connell said, shocking the houseguests when he saw a different face on eviction night.
RELATED: Eviction from “Big Brother”, Season 26, Week 8: First jury member announced after vote of the house guests
The house guests are cut off from the outside world and Chen Moonves is the only person she knows during her stay in the Big Brother House. O’Connell speaking to the houseguests came as a surprise to everyone, judging by their faces when they saw him on the screen in the living room.
“I am a big Big Brother “I’m a fan and I want to thank you all for this season,” O’Connell told the houseguests. “I’m going to fill in for Julie tonight. Julie is fine and she’ll be back next week – so for now, you’re going to have to deal with me.”
RELATED: Photos of the cast of the 26th season of “Big Brother”
Chen Moonves had previously stated on social media that she would not host Big Brother due to Covid and talked about her symptoms.
“Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat and went to see my good friend who is an ENT doctor. That evening he called and said I had Covid,” Chen Moonves said in a statement shared on Instagram. “Luckily, this is only my second time and it was very mild! No fever and just a sore throat.”
Chen Moonves also returned to The conversation to advise O’Connell before filling in for her on the CBS show.
