Julie Chen Moonves has good news about the status of Celebrity Big Brother.
“I believe it’s going to come back. We usually like to have it on [the] opposite [of] the Summer Olympics. No, the Winter Olympics,” Chen Moonves, 54, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, May 2, during the CBS Fall Schedule Celebration while correcting herself about the scheduling confusion. “Summer we have the regular [Big Brother] show.”
Unlike a typical season of Big Brother, the reality series’ spinoff of famous faces includes a shortened season that airs in the winter time — typically in February. Season 1 premiered in February 2018 and was scheduled as counterprogramming to the Winter Olympics. There have been three seasons so far with the last one airing in 2022.
If Celebrity Big Brother returns when the next Olympics are held, then fans can expect to see the competition series again in February 2026. While that’s a long way off, Chen Moonves is already imagining which stars she wants to see compete in the Big Brother house.
“And like my dream cast would be Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart, Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady. I mean, this is the dream list right?,” she teased to Us on Thursday.
In addition to those A-Listers, Chen Moonves would also like to see RuPaul enter the house and serve up the drama.
Each season of Celebrity Big Brother features a range of 11 to 12 superstars competing in the iconic reality TV home for a chance to win $250,000. The cast stars an array of notable names from various professions, including actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, reality stars and more. Fans get an inside look at the celebrity’s lives as the show also airs live feeds of the game on Paramount+.
Despite being the longtime host of both series, Chen Moonves doesn’t see herself entering the game at any point.
“I would be terrible,” she quipped. “I’d embarrass myself.”
The host admitted that she would be “too truthful” and “too trusting” in the game plus she doesn’t think she’d fare well in the game’s array of physical challenges.
“I’m not as athletic as I used to be,” she said. “These joints would be like, ‘Oh no.’”
Celebrity Big Brother isn’t just a series in the U.S. The game show also has successful counterparts across the world, most famously in the U.K. The British version, which has the same, has been around since 2001 and has a total of 23 seasons. The show has featured some big names including LaToya Jackson, Tara Reid, Lucien Laviscount, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Tiffany Pollard and more.
Reporting by Kevin Zelman
