CBS’ “The Talk” will be without another co-host as the show announced on the Monday, April 26 broadcast that Carrie Ann Inaba will be taking a leave of absence from the show in order for her to concentrate on her health.
“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. She appreciates the support from all her fans and her family at ‘The Talk.’ We miss you Carrie Ann, and we look forward to having you back with us soon,” said co-host Sheryl Underwood in making the announcement.
In a post on social media following the announcement, Inaba said, “I have decided to take a leave of absence from ‘TheTalk’ to focus on my health and well being. I appreciate the support from you and my family at ‘The Talk’ and hope to be back soon!”
Late last month it was announced that now former co-host Sharon Osbourne had opted to leave the Daytime Emmy Award-winning chatfest following public outcry over her behavior on the March 10 broadcast of the show when she confronted her co-hosts over comments she had made in the prior day’s episode. Her comments in that show led many to believe she was a racist, in particular, due to her support of her former “America’s Got Talent” co-judge and friend Piers Morgan whose viewpoints from the Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle made international headlines, led to his departure from “Good Morning Britain” and his being labeled a racist.
Inaba had been noticeably absent for some time from “The Talk,” even predating Osbourne’s exit. The show had been using guest co-hosts in her absence, particularly following Osbourne’s exit as the panel would have otherwise consisted of only three co-hosts. Inaba joined “The Talk” in January 2018, replacing Julie Chen.