Carrie Ann Inaba Reveals Julie Chen Has Been ‘Nothing But Supportive’ Of Her New ‘The Talk’ Gig

Carrie Ann Inaba probably shouldn’t feel too awkward about replacing Julie Chen on The Talk because the former co-host has gone out of her way to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

Carrie Ann, 51, recently told People that Julie, 49, has already reached out to her about her new gig. “Julie has been nothing but supportive. When she learned that I got the job, she sent me the most beautiful floral arrangement. She’s like, ‘I’m always in your corner.’ Woman to woman, that’s amazing,” Julie said. On Jan. 2, after plenty of rumors, everyone officially learned that the Dancing With the Stars judge would be replacing Julie, who was on the CBS talk show from 2010 until late 2018.

“I’m excited to confirm it. We’re welcoming Carrie Ann Inaba to The Talk table,” Angelica McDaniel, the Executive Vice President of Daytime Programs at CBS Entertainment, said at the time. “Carrie Ann connects with audiences by being genuine. We appreciate her warmth, heart, and vulnerability, and love what she brings to the show.”

Carrie Ann is already a week into her new job, and she has nothing but kind words to say about it. “The conversations we have at the table are so real and so rich with information and different thoughts and points of view,” the TV star told NewsChannel 5 earlier this week. “I’ve really enjoyed that. It’s good to have a good conversation and we need to learn how to talk to each other more.”

She also revealed that she’s very happy mingling with her new co-hosts. “I love talking to these women because I learn a lot from them and there are so many different opinions,” Carrie Ann said. “They’re strong — I love that.” One of Carrie Ann’s co-hosts, show creator Sara Gilbert, also sweetly gushed about the show’s newest addition. “Carrie Ann is authentic and brings so much of her life to the table,” The Connors actress said. “She feels like our girlfriend which is essential to the show — that’s really what the show is about. There’s something about our group when we’re down to four people, its okay, but when the right fifth person comes, it just clicks. Like this is the group, this is the group of friends. And that’s how we feel about Carrie Ann.”