Carrie Ann Inaba Announces ‘Leave of Absence’ From ‘The Talk’ to ‘Focus’ on Her ‘Well-Being’

Carrie Ann Inaba is taking a break from her gig on The Talk. The beloved TV host announced her “leave of absence” from the daytime CBS talk show in an emotional post via Instagram on Monday, April 26.

“Hi everyone, I have decided to take a leave of absence from @thetalkcbs to focus on my well-being,” the 53-year-old captioned her video. “We all know health is the most precious gift we have. And I need to take care of mine. I appreciate the love and support from all of you and from my family at The Talk.”

The Dancing With the Stars judge, who has been a cohost on the Emmy-winning series since season 9 in September 2018, noted her exit is only temporary for now. “I hope to be back soon! Ready for action!” she continued. “I’m sending you all my love. And I’ll update you on my progress … talk soon.”

During Monday’s episode, Carrie Ann’s fellow cohost Sheryl Underwood addressed her absence, revealing the In Living Color actress will not be appearing on the show for the immediate future. “We’d like to let you all know at home, Carrie Ann is taking a leave of absence from the show to focus on her well-being,” Sheryl, 57, shared on TV. “Carrie Ann, we miss you, and we look forward to having you back with us soon.”

Though Carrie Ann didn’t disclose the exact reason for wanting to focus on her health, she’s been extremely open in the past about living with multiple autoimmune disorders. In 2013, the brunette beauty was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, according to Women’s Health, and she later revealed her lupus diagnosis.

“I was recently diagnosed with lupus … I was actually told,” the brunette beauty shared during a September 2019 appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. “It’s so weird. I was diagnosed with autoimmune six years ago, but my doctor didn’t tell me I had lupus.”

In order to manage her lupus, Carrie Ann told hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest she “quit [drinking] diet coke,” as well as “stopped going in the sun” post-diagnosis. “When you have lupus, you’re allergic to UV light, which I didn’t know … so I was causing my own flare-ups,” she explained.

Fortunately, the dancer-turned-TV personality has embraced her journey and is “so grateful” for her diagnosis. “Once I was diagnosed, it’s like I got my life back,” she gushed. “There’s a blessing in some of these health conditions because it gives you a greater awareness of your own health. It makes you take care of yourself and realize it’s a very important component of a healthy lifestyle.”

Carrie’s leave of absence from The Talk comes one month after alum Sharon Osbourne announced her exit from the long-running program in March. Sheryl, as well as hosts Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth, will remain on the program, and CBS has yet to announce if they will temporarily replace Carrie Ann.