Jerry O’Connell says hosting Big Brother was like “jumping into a Lamborghini” for Julie Chen Moonves

Season 26 of “Big Brother” was full of historic firsts, but the fact that longtime host Julie Chen Moonves had to miss her first-ever live eviction episode was the highlight. Luckily, “The Talk” co-host Jerry O’Connell was there to fill the beloved host Chenbot’s shoes.

The actress and television host stepped in for Chen Moonves in Thursday’s live eviction episode after announcing on social media that she had to stay home following a positive COVID test. In a message to fans, she explained that she had a sore throat on Sept. 6 and still tested positive on the day of the live show, prompting the CBS reality competition series to cast O’Connell in the important role.

O’Connell then spoke about his experiences hosting the show and expressed shock that “Big Brother” was never nominated for an Emmy in 26 seasons.

“There are so many moving parts to this show, and I’m not even getting into the live broadcasts. I’m just talking about the hour of live television we did on Thursday,” O’Connell told TheWrap from a cafe in Calabasas. “I can’t believe they didn’t get nominated for an Emmy… (Big Brother) is reality TV at its finest. It was like jumping into a Lamborghini.”

Fans and the remaining houseguests (contestants) were shocked by the announcement of Chen’s absence, but welcomed O’Connell to be the “substitute teacher” for the episode, as mentioned in the farewell interview for evicted houseguest Quinn Martin.

O’Connell said he learned of the casting opportunity at 8 a.m. PT Thursday — nine hours before the show went live Thursday. He also had to tend to his regular job on “The Talk,” which also had its own historic moment when former co-host Chen Moonves called (she was appearing on the show for the first time since leaving in 2018) to give him advice for the gig.

“Having Julie back on ‘The Talk’ was really heartwarming, not only for me, but I think for Sheryl Underwood, who worked with Julie for so many years,” he added. “I wouldn’t have a job at ‘The Talk’ if it weren’t for Julie… Every time I walk on the stage of ‘The Talk,’ I think of Julie and what Julie built at CBS.”

Although he admitted to being nervous about the live aspect of the show, O’Connell said he had a lot of fun incorporating Chen Moonves’ popular hosting lines into his approach to the job. He paid particular attention to her catchphrase “But First,” which signals a recap of the houseguests’ game between the Veto session and Thursday’s eviction. And he ended the show with her signature “Love one another” message to viewers.

Comedian Howie Mandel, who happened to be having coffee with O’Connell while speaking to TheWrap, chimed in and celebrated his friend’s appearance on Thursday’s episode, saying, “I’m a host full of talent. And if there was a host award, he’d have a Golden Buzzer,” referring to his job as a judge on “America’s Got Talent.”

The substitution is the latest in a series of firsts for the show in terms of gameplay, including the houseguests using their veto power in every week of competition so far this summer and the popular OTEV competition lasting just one round. But Chen Moonves’ absence is unprecedented, to say the least — the journalist was already in danger of missing a show in Season 11 because Jeff Probst was on call while she prepared to give birth.

But fans have responded to the glorious chaos of Season 26. Thursday’s episode averaged 3.31 viewers, 12% higher than the season-to-date average, according to national live-plus-same-day-fast data. Streaming of the episode on the Paramount+ and CBS digital platforms was also 14% above the season average for a Thursday episode and 31% above the comparable Thursday episode last season, according to internal data.

After a tumultuous 25 hours, O’Connell stressed his love for Chen Moonves and the “Big Brother” crew as a fan of the show and assured viewers that she will be back in her rightful place as host on next Thursday’s eviction episode.

“Nobody is happier or more relieved that Julie is back next week. I want my ‘big brother’ back,” he said.

Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on CBS. Live coverage can be viewed 24/7 on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

The post Jerry O’Connell Says Hosting ‘Big Brother’ Was Like ‘Jumping Into a Lamborghini’ For Julie Chen Moonves appeared first on TheWrap.