Let's just say, 'Big Brother' wasn't always the popular reality show it is today. At the start, it struggled to gain a fanbase and in addition, Julie Chen was not well-received.
Early on, fans complained that the show lacked identity, along with the fact that it was way too scripted.
Season 2 was better for the show, as it started to take bits from other reality shows on CBS, like 'Survivor'. We can safely say that the show was able to turn it around, after 23 seasons and over 786 episodes aired.
As far as success goes for Julie Chen, again, that was not a given and very much the opposite at the start. She was given the name, "Chenbot" early on for her lack of persona on the show.
In addition, Julie was working more of the news type genre at the time, so making the jump to a reality show was different, to say the least.
And as it turns out, taking the gig would close the door on other gigs she was interested in.
The question remains, does Julie regret taking her career in such a direction? We'll take a look at the struggles that took place early on, along with the CBS show she missed out on because of 'Big Brother'.
Julie & 'Big Brother' Struggle Early On
It wasn't the start both Julie and 'Big Brother' were looking for at the time, especially given that 'Survivor' had kicked things off on a positive note.
The show lacked direction while Chen came from a news background, it showed during the early stages, as she admitted alongside Yahoo News.
"And then after we premiered, I remember reading review after review, after negative review after — and they were all terrible."
Everything seemed wrong with the show, from the host to the houseguests to even the decor of the house.
"They didn't like the show! They didn't like me! They didn't like the house guest! They didn't like the furniture! They didn't like the lighting! Like they were mean," she said emphatically. "And I remember feeling like I got like punched in the gut."
Figuring It Out
On the bright side, the show was able to figure out what was working, and what wasn't early on. The reality show did a great job of adapting during those times. The message was, not trying to be so serious and instead, turn the program into something fun and light for the viewers to enjoy.
"That just felt so overproduced, like stop trying to be such a serious show," said Chen-Moonves. "It should be more fun-loving, like let's not try and break down what Dr. Drew Pinsky, like, you know, the psychology of this person, you know? That stuff kind of feels like, I can't believe we put that out."
Julie would also take it upon herself to make the proper changes to her demeanor as well.
"Let's just say what everyone knows: I was the Chenbot. I deserved that name because I was robotic. I came from a news background and I was asked to do this show and I thought, 'Okay, I'm going to be really straight, with no personality,"
The changes worked and Julie is now among the more iconic hosts out there, especially given her longevity. Despite the success, Julie missed out on a dream job. This begs the question, does she regret taking on the show?
Missing Out On '60 Minutes'
One door closes, while another reopens. For Julie Chen, that was the case when she agreed to work the reality show.
Alongside EW, Chen admitted that taking a spot on 'Big Brother' meant she would have no shot at hosting '60 Minutes' in the future.
"My original dream was one day to be a correspondent on 60 Minutes. And I was told if I do this reality show, I probably am shutting and sealing that door shut from ever going through it. I'm going to prove them wrong."
"They were right, by the way. I was never asked to do 60 Minutes. I was also told that if I didn't take the assignment, it would be considered insubordination. Because I was already working at CBS News doing the morning newscast."
The Show Turned It Around
As the years went by, the show gained an identity and a huge fanbase, while Julie became adored by millions, not to mention that the contestants always show her nothing but the utmost respect.
In addition, she admits these days that she's finally able to look back at the tough episodes and laugh about them. Something that truly wasn't always the case.
"There are old shows I look at and old moments where I cringe, but the good news is I can kind of laugh about it now. You know, we all make mistakes and we all grow, and hopefully, I've grown and hopefully."
"I'm still growing. I'll probably watch an episode next summer from this summer and go like, 'Ugh!' And then laugh."
No Regrets
So, that begs the question, does Julie regret taking on the role back in 2000? Absolutely not. Sure, she came for a journalism background, however, she was able to adapt, especially in a world that was heading towards reality-style programming.
We saw the host grow alongside the show and nowadays, 'Big Brother' is among the more iconic reality shows out there.
It would also open the door to other opportunities, Julie became a CBS Daytime host on 'The Talk' back in 2010, alongside the likes of Sara Gilbert, Sharon Osbourne, and Leah Remini.
Not only is the show heavily watched, but it also gave the fans a chance to see her true personality shine, outside of the 'Big Brother' studio.
What makes her journey that much better, is the fact that she's still motivated and still going strong after all these years.
We can't imagine the show without her.
Sources: Twitter, YouTube, EW & Yahoo News