From Betrayal to Belief: Julie Chen Moonves' Inspiring Journey to Faith & Forgiveness

*This transcript was auto-generated*

Kim Gravel: This episode is sponsored by husbands who actually put the toilet seat down. They want you to know that they don't like doing it, but they're willing to put in the most minimal effort sometimes. Husbands who put the toilet seat down. Now, all they have to do is work on their aim. 

Happy New Year, everybody! And welcome to the Kim Gravel show.

I am your host, Kim Gravel. Happy New Year, Zac.

Zac Miller: Happy New Year, Kim. 

Kim Gravel: New Year, right? It's 2024. 

Zac Miller: But we're back. 

Kim Gravel: We're back and it's 2024 and we're starting the new year off right. I'm telling you, you know, each year has just gotten better and better with our, you know, content with our guests. And today is no exception.

Way to start off the Kim Gravel show in 2024. Right. Should we just tell everybody who it is?

Zac Miller: Yeah, definitely. Let's do it. Who do we have, Kim? 

Kim Gravel: Julie Chen Moonves, you know, from Big Brother, from The Talk. She's on the show today. She's going to talk to us about her spiritual awakening. Oh, and one more thing.

Did you know that we put outtakes at the end of every episode? Yeah. And let me just tell you the outtakes that sometimes are better than actual episodes. If you want to see me suffer and mispronounce words, then don't go anywhere. Stay tuned to the end of the episode. But first we have Julie Chen Moonves.

Julie Chen: You created my own intro. 

Kim Gravel: We gave you a theme song.

Julie Chen: I need that when I walk around and maybe a wind machine and a light 

Kim Gravel: and a diva ring light. Yeah. 

Julie Chen: Yes. Thank you so much for having me on your show. It's, it's a real privilege. 

Kim Gravel: The privilege is mine, but I just want to tell you two, let's just get into it.

Cause I'm a real talk type of person. You know, we're down here in Georgia, hot Atlanta, you know, the Hollywood of the South down here, and I have watched you, been a fan of you. I used to watch the, the talk got me through raising my two boys. Okay, watching the talk, watching you on the talk and you know, Big Brother, I always thought Zac, I always thought I would be a good Big Brother contestant, right?

And you know what? You don't think I would? I'm shaking my head. 

Zac Miller: No, no, probably not. I would. 

Or 

Julie Chen: Real Housewife of Atlanta. 

Kim Gravel: That's, that's, that's way too much shade for me to throw tonight while we're talking to you about your book. But Julie, I was so amazed.

First of all, I wasn't shocked that you were writing a book about your faith. What I was shocked about was when you say you found the Lord at 48 years old. I, I, I'm shocked. Can you tell us how that happened? Like how, what was your spiritual, you know, journey or your faith journey? 

Julie Chen: Yes. So I grew up in Queens, New York, and I'm the youngest of three girls and my parents are Chinese immigrants.

And yeah, my dad wore a cross. He actually, came to America thanks to, this. This, this monk who sponsored him, this church wanted him and, one of his brothers and my mom, she wore crucifix around her neck and she decided at age 17, she wanted to be a Catholic. Even though her mother was Buddhist.

So my parents, um, didn't try and choose our faith for us. My mom wanted, since my mom chose at age 17, you know, what path she wanted to go down. She wanted each of her daughters to do the same. So, you know, did I pray growing up? Yes. It was because I saw it on little house on the prairie. Let's be honest. 

Kim Gravel: I love it.

Julie Chen: You know, and so, and I always had the same prayers and it was by rote, you know, it was like, Oh, I prayed for, you know, grandma, grandpa, my parents, me and my sisters, you know, please let us be healthy, wealthy, and wise. It was the same thing every night. And then, um, I went to a Catholic high school, but that was more out of, that wasn't a faith decision.

That was, you know, Because I didn't get into the Bronx high school of science, which is where my two older sisters went. And my mother said, you know, instead of having you go to the public school, your zone to a lot of your friends have gone to St. Francis prep, let's apply. But even then, like I wasn't listening to the Lord.

I wasn't trying to get to know Jesus. I wasn't, you know, I was being my work and my career. That was my false idol that I prayed to. That came number one. Above everything. Even after I had a son, you know, like raising my child, I would outsource, raising him just be at the studio at work, but then I turned 48 and my whole world gets turned upside down for me personally.

I had been at the talk for eight years and I'm on the eve of launching the ninth season of it. I unexpectedly lose my job there, you know, to save face, it's always, they allow the person who's leaving to say it's their choice. So I lied and I, and I said that I was leaving, to spend more time at home and I was still doing big brother, but big brother was getting ready to wrap up as it always does typically in September.

And. My whole life as I knew it just got turned upside down. The talk was a big part of, how that was my edit my identity. Cause I was on daily, you know, and I was been on some sort of daily broadcast. Prior to that, it was the morning news at CBS. And there were a lot of, reports about me and my family that were just simply, you know, not true lies.

And when, when you're wounded, people who have any reason to, uh, want to attack, you can say anything and it can go to print. And there was, it was like a ridiculous story about, Me at the talk, like standing on a chair in a big meeting and telling everyone, you make me want to vomit. It was no one even corroborated the story.

And then one anonymous source who I, I know who the anonymous source was, went to a reporter. So there was a lot of, you know, I had never suffered that kind of press or scrutiny or judgment. 

Kim Gravel: But Julie, let me ask you something. Did you, have you ever suffered that kind of betrayal? Because the talk. The image that was portrayed to us, like I said, I, I raised my kids watching you guys, you know, daily on the talk and y'all seem so close and such good friends and such was, is it, is it, is it a dog eat dog world out there?

And, and was it a betrayal for you? 

Julie Chen: It was a betrayal, but I should have been, I shouldn't have been so naive because season one of the POC, I went on vacation and when I came back from vacation, I found out that the other four ladies, were saying how much nicer it was to be with you. With me gone because they thought that I wasn't one of the girls that I was always trying to produce them and produce the show.

And they kind of ran the place. They didn't have me saying, you know, no, you can't say that. Cause we'll get sued. And I was the only one from a newspaper and I remembered it, 

Kim Gravel: which is truth. Yeah. You can't say there's things you can't say. Yeah. 

Julie Chen: I was like, you could say, in my opinion, She's guilty of murdering her daughter, but you can't say, you know, she did it.

Like we'll get right. You can't allegedly, right. Or I believe in my opinion, I don't, I don't believe that she's innocent, you know, something. So, so season one, uh, there was a movement underway to like, Get rid of me. All four of my co hosts talked about it, two of them actually took it a step further and went to the network and said, her or us, if she stays we go, and we were all only under a one year contract because we didn't even know if the show was going to be a success, so when they posed that question, those two didn't get their contracts picked up for season two.

 So we, you know, hired two other people to take those slots and then everything was going great. So when you saw us, even season one, up until that point, like these two women who left the show, like I went on vacation with them, like with their husbands, you know, we did like Vegas weekends. So that camaraderie was real, but there was a lot more going on behind the scenes. So that's why it felt like a betrayal, because season nine, as we're about to launch it, my husband had left the network, so he wasn't running CBS anymore. So that's when two of the four co hosts that were on the show, Went and said, we don't want Julie, to be part of the season premiere because on the season premiere, they were going to talk about, uh, my husband's exit from CBS.

And they said, we don't feel comfortable talking in front of Julie. So the head of CBS daytime said, please stay home. You know, I, she said, I know them. If you show up, they'll call in sick and I can't have that. So please just stay home. So I stayed home and I turned on the show that day when I watched it.

It was like watching my own funeral and two of the four people just. Totally buried me and they made it and by what they said, they made it impossible for me to ever pull up my chair to that table again. So that afternoon, I had a long heart to heart talk with the head of CBS daytime. She cried, I cried and I, and I said, you know, the only way this show is going to be able to go forward is, Without me there and then we figured out how I was going to announce it and very few people knew and I recorded my departure message from the set of Big Brother and I came in early that morning to record it before the talk went live and then They ran the recording through the control room of the talk and it went out live on the air.

And I, was very hurt, angry, frustrated, bitter, like every negative emotion. I was angry. And, suddenly I had a lot of time on my hands and I kept thinking like, I'm going to go pray to God for answers and for justice. And, you know, just, you know, it really was very self serving my intentions in the beginning.

God, do you see what happened? Like, help me, you know, 

Kim Gravel: I love it though. I love it though. 

That's how he woos us. You know, sometimes he works all things together for the good of those, you know? And so he thought he can use it. 

That's so God's economy. I love it. I love it. You're going get them God. 

Julie Chen: I was, I was so foolish.

I was so foolish in knowing who God is that I was like, yeah, you'll get my revenge for me. Right. Like, right, right. You got them, right? Yeah. Take them out. I'm so vengeful. You know, and I was coming from a place of hate, 

so, even though I thought about going to church, I, I just, I just didn't. And then one morning, right after Thanksgiving, of 2018, I got an email from my favorite aunt and she, 

Kim Gravel: I love this part of the book.

I love this part of the book. 

Julie Chen: She and, my uncle, her husband, they became born again Christians in the nineties after my uncle survived cancer. And then he's also a nine 11 survivor. He was in the North tower when it got hit. She emails me and she says, my good friend from our church in New Jersey, Angela is a prayer warrior.

And she's been praying for you and your husband, your whole family. And she called me and she said that Holy Spirit moved her and touched her and told her that you need to hear about Jesus from me. You need to be, you know, told the gospel. And my aunt said, you know, You've noticed I've never been pushy about my faith.

We come from a very big thing. And that's all true. That seeing the email from my aunt and a woman who I've never even met, like praying for me and, and being touched and caring that much to like call my aunt, she doesn't know me, everything. I said, you know what, I'm going to go to church this morning. And it was a Thursday morning and I dropped off my son at school and I just drove to one of these three churches right by my house that I had driven past a million times.

Now, I don't know how, how common it is that on a Thursday morning at like eight 20, eight 30, whatever it was that the doors would be open, but the doors were open. And I walked, I walked in and I was by myself. And there were a few candles burning and I got. Into a pew and I got on my knees and I just bawled and prayed and let it all out and and I asked God You know, why why why over and over and over again and help help help help me Please help me me up and put me on a path like nothing made sense and right When it started, but I was still like a newborn.

I was like a baby that needed to be swaddled and carried. Like I still didn't know so much. I didn't know what I didn't know. So I went to church services that Sunday at that church. The sermon didn't resonate with me. I couldn't understand it. It may have been in Latin. It may as well have been, it might have been, I didn't understand anything, but I thought, okay, there's two other churches.

On this same street, they're all lined up. And I went church shopping and I ended up finding my church home. You know, the third, the last one, it was like Goldilocks, you know, this one is just right. And, and now I'm, I'm yoked with like, At least five, maybe six churches, you know, thanks to zoom services, I can zoom on my friend's church.

Kim Gravel: So you're just consuming. You're just, you're just, you're just in it. And you're, would you call it the honeymoon phase? Or are you just like, you just, you're sold out. You're sold out. You know what I'm saying for him. 

Julie Chen: Sold out for Christ. I'm on fire for him. 

The honeymoon phase is Was when I was like collecting, collecting, collecting.

And it's such a great feeling. Yeah. It still feels like my first year of marriage, you know, it's still kind of remember that. So I'm still there. 

And, and I just love it. And you know, I'm, I'm 53 now, so I am more mature in Christ. But I also know that I'm never going to stop growing and I'm never going to stop learning.

And even the day I, you know, leave and I go home, I'm still going to, I'm going to be, you know, like head over heels, just like blown over with, with, you know, awe. And like, who knew? 

Kim Gravel: It's a good word. 

Awe is a good word. I would think, cause I've never lived in the Hollywood culture, I mean, I have a lot of Friends that are in the business and it's such a such a great business in a lot of ways in a lot of ways it can be a little scary and a little like you said cutthroat, which you've experienced a little cutthroat and a little and a little dark, but I know there are believers out in, in, in that field as well.

Do you, do you regret like, Tell us about your experience in the celebrity culture because you said earlier that you kind of idolized your position or you looked, that was what you were, you know, looking to for your identity. Can I just tell you Julie, there's so many people doing the same thing with social media and post and likes and for, I mean, I think we all experience it now.

Julie Chen: Yeah, I think COVID really, had a lot of people have their come to Jesus moment, right? Put the world on pause, the entire world. And you had time to reflect and see, like, how am I living? You know, like what am I so busy with that? I don't have time for God. It wasn't even like he was last on the list.

He wasn't even on the list. He wasn't even a, you know, and in Hollywood, I do think that, COVID helped people, you know, Come out of the woodwork a little bit, because it would be something that, right or wrong, Hollywood never felt very welcoming to faith, you know, because look what typically sells, like horror, you know, sex, darkness, right.

Kim Gravel: Right. 

Julie Chen: So. But then you'll see some of these like amazing faith based films, like I love Jesus Revolution and that's , so good, you know, and yeah, maybe, or even like a series like The Chosen that was crowd, keeps getting picked up like Netflix, CW, 

it's like, if you know, it's God's will, God will guide if, if, if it's 

like, 

Kim Gravel: What you experienced with your girls at the talk, I'm a girl's girl at heart.

And so I know how that had to feel like, are you kidding me? We've done life together and this is what's happened. Have you been able to forgive and have you done it? Have you, have you told them, have you talked to them and told them, I love you, I forgive you? Have you shared this faith based message with them?

Have you shared your journey? 

Julie Chen: I didn't say the words, I forgive you because sometimes I feel like people are like, well, Well, what did I do? Like they get defensive. I don't know if they think they did anything wrong, but my olive branch was texting one of them. I saw a picture of, this person's daughter who looked great and healthy.

And I reached out and I was like, Hey, you know, so and so looks beautiful. So healthy. That's fantastic. How are you? Like, and it came from a genuine space of because I did love these women. I did. 

Kim Gravel: I could tell.

Julie Chen: Laughing with them. Like we've been through a lot together, you know, births near divorces, you know, cheating scandals, all that.

So I chose to remember the good and like. Maybe it was a power play. I don't know, you know, the purpose. I don't know what was behind that move. And it's, and it's not for me to know. It happened, but it was also a blessing in disguise because that happened. I found, I found God. I got the, I got salvation.

I got the greatest gift ever. So, you know, I texted one of them because I don't really run into her. And the other one I would tend to run into because of our kids being, you know, near the same age. And we went to the same school and the same piano teacher. So, wow. I would see her and it was always, you know, with, well, the beginning, it was like a, hi, like just kind of polite, but not with love and no warmth.

And then afterwards, you know, I had an opportunity to show like laughter and humor, like as if nothing had happened. 

 I had to forgive in my heart because I wasn't hurting anyone but myself, harboring, you know, like, hate, or anger, or any negative feelings towards them. They weren't thinking about me.

You know, and, and 

Kim Gravel: you know what, but that, that's, that, that's why your book, I mean, but first God, it's like when you put him first, when you put, when you put that relationship, which is the most important relationship we can ever have. It's funny how you, you see people through his eyes. He loves you. Love people.

Julie Chen: Yeah. Yeah. He loves them. He loves them. He loves them all. Yeah. In the beginning I was so naive. I'm like, Yeah. But you don't know what I know, God, you know,

Kim Gravel: but did you see this? Did you see this? 

Julie Chen: Yes. Yeah. Right. 

So, yeah, that was, that was a lesson I remember hearing at one of my, at, one of my, My church services at my home church here, which was the pastor said, yeah, that person you can't stand God loves that person.

God loves, loves them.

Kim Gravel: So let me say this though, like to me, Julie, I think you're just getting started because I mean, I'm getting emotional talking about it. But, you know, God wastes nothing. You know that. And I know that as believers, we know he's always working all things together for the good of those who love him. And you've got this show on Instagram.

Tell us about that a little bit and where people can find that. Cause yeah, Julie, you got a lot to talk about girl. You got a lot to share with all of us. 

Julie Chen: So on my Instagram account, which is Julie Chen Moonves, I post, uh, every Sunday morning, a 15 minute or less panel talk show. You know, for example, we are going to this Sunday, the episode is about Like the greatest gift ever, like Christmas isn't about, you know, tangible presents because we already got the greatest gift ever. We got salvation. So god one on one really started as like, I thought, well, what do I know how to do? I know how to lead a panel talk show, but I want to only do things in the faith space. An episode on the sin of pride. Like, I didn't know pride was a sin until I started my walk with Jesus, you know, and that's what God Lucifer kicked out of.

Heaven, you know, and 

Kim Gravel: that's why, that's why it's no longer welcome. 

Julie Chen: Right? No, no. And I just love that. Like he was supposed to be this beautiful angel and now he's like disgusting. Right?

Kim Gravel: Yes. And he's seeking, he's seeking and Julie, don't you think, I mean, I could talk to you all night, honest to God. So I mean, just shut me up, but he's seeking whom he may devise.

Can you see it? Like, now that you. The blinders have been taken off, Julie, really just me and you girl right here. Can't you just see him moving in people? It's almost like you can't not, you can't hate someone or even be angry at someone because it's really not them. He's, he is in everything and doing everything.

Do you see it? 

Julie Chen: I see it. I see it in music. I mean, he was a worship director, right? You know, he was. Yes. So it is so easy. And like, I will pray often, I haven't done it in a few days, but I will pray often because my son is 14, that he 

Kim Gravel: Yeah, mine too. 

Julie Chen: Oh my gosh, the music and the lyrics that he listens to. And like, when you listen to a song, that song will latch onto your soul.

It doesn't need to 

Kim Gravel: And your spirit. 

Julie Chen: It's just in there. Right. And you wake up. 

Kim Gravel: It's an invitation. 

Julie Chen: Yeah. So, yeah, I do see him lurking, waiting just to devour, you know, and, and 

Kim Gravel: Julie, I want to ask you this too. I'm sorry to interrupt now. You don't have to go into this if you don't want to is, is your husband and your son?

Have they, have they a, see a change in you and B, are they curious, interested or involved in their own journey with faith? I'm curious. 

I'm curious. 

Julie Chen: Oh yeah, they, whether they will acknowledge it or not, we all are on our own faith journey, right? Whether we realize it or not. But my husband started going to church with me and it started because I said to my son, when I started to go to church, I said, you need to start coming with me.

And suddenly my son, my husband is Jewish, right? But he's Jewish culturally. He's not religious at all. So suddenly my son at that point says, Well, I'm Jewish. I'm not going to, I'm Jewish. Right. 

Kim Gravel: Well, the Jewish people are God's chosen people. I truly believe that. 

Zac Miller: I'm Jewish too. 

Kim Gravel: Yeah, Zac is Jewish too.

They're God's chosen peoples. But anyway, go ahead. I digress. Go ahead, Julie. 

Julie Chen: Yes. And we, our whole like Christianity is steeped in, I mean, Jesus. Jesus was a jew. Yeah. The most important Jew ever born. Right. Right. Why can't you acknowledge him as God? And my husband was like, right, right. I just wasn't taught that.

I said, well, that's right. A reasonable answer. You don't believe it 'cause you weren't taught it. I said, but is it possible? Right? And he goes, yes. Yes. Right. 

Kim Gravel: Oh, Julie, 

Julie Chen: oh my son. So I said to my husband, I said, listen, Charlie won't come with me to church 'cause he says he's Jewish. You know, you gotta.

You got to come. So he'll come. And sure enough, that next Sunday morning, my husband put on his shoes. It goes, come on, Charlie, we're all going to church. And when I tell you, we walked into church and we open up our hymn books. My husband is singing louder than anyone and doesn't have to look at the word.

And I look at him. I said, how do you know, how do you know these hymns? He goes, 

Oh, this is a Thanksgiving song. He goes, we sang this in school growing up. 

Kim Gravel: Rright.

Julie Chen: I don't even know this song. A lot of crossover there. A lot of crossover. Then that day, the sermon, the pastor preached on his friend who was accused of something that he was not guilty of.

Oh. And he preached on betrayal. And I was like, and I just saw my husband's heart open up. And he was, You know, when he's shushing Charlie so he can hear the sermon, I'm like, thank you. 

Kim Gravel: God is up to something. Yes. Always. And Julie, I'm going to tell you, God is up to something still with you. I'm getting emotional talking about it just because you give me hope, girl, that in that world of Hollywood, that there are people out there sharing the gospel and loving people into a faith that is, that is everlasting, right?

Yeah. Like, you and I are going to be friends forever, girl. 

Julie Chen: Ever. And in eternity. 

Kim Gravel: That's right. That's what I'm saying. Like, we're, we're sisters. 

Julie Chen: We are sisters. We're sisters. Yeah. And it's, you know, I have seen hearts, soften in Hollywood. 

Kim Gravel: Me too. 

Julie Chen: Because I will start a meeting in prayer.

And people are like, I've never done that before. You know? And then afterwards they're like, that was really nice. And then I'll end a meeting of prayer. And then people who didn't want to speak at the beginning say, I'll say something. You know, and they go, that was so nice. Like, I wish I could start everything this way, you know, and couldn't hurt.

No way. Can only help. 

Kim Gravel: Y'all, you've got to go get, you've got to go get Julie's book, got to download it on audio. Uh, but first God, this is just, I mean, we could talk about, I mean, it's, we could talk about so much more here. We could do part two, three, and four, but it's in the book. It is going to move you.

If you are even just curious about, right, Julie, even the people who are just even curious about what this God thing's all about, your audio book is the perfect first step. 

It really is. 

Julie Chen: Thank you. He's a God of miracles. I mean, he gave me back my hearing. I talk about that too. That's in the book.

Yeah. 

Kim Gravel: Y'all got to get it. I know. Well, and this is what I always say. Some people say to me all the time because they say, Kim, well, I just, I don't believe in God. I'm like, that's okay. Cause he believes in you. Right. He believes in you, Julie. I'm telling you, please come back. Can you come 

back and tell us more?

Julie Chen: Can you come on, uh, one on one on God one on one? 

Kim Gravel: Oh, girl, look who Jesus is. I missed my call and I should have been a preacher. Please have me on. I would be, I would love to have, I would love it. I've been walking with the Lord since I was seven years old, up and down, all around. And, Julie, we're, I'm just telling you, he's just good.

He's just good. 

Julie Chen: Always, always, always has our back. Always. 

Kim Gravel: Oh my gosh. I feel like I've got a new best friend. Okay. Listen, before we go, we end with a fun thing called rapid fire questions. And I said to Zac, I said, Zac, we've got to do this with Julie. The woman knows how to do live TV. She's quick witted.

She's brilliant. We're doing this. So just the first thing that pops into your mind, Julie, answer. Don't think about it. Just go for it. Okay, here we go. Rapid fire questions. First question. Who would you love to sit next to on a long flight? Well, 

Julie Chen: Jesus. 

Kim Gravel: Okay, girl. In first class. Thank you. Okay, here we go. And, what is your favorite TV show of all time?

Like it could be childhood now, whatever. Favorite TV show. 

Julie Chen: Well, it's probably a tie between this before I knew Christ. Okay. Melrose place. 

Kim Gravel: Ooh. I love. Ah! 

Melrose Place. Okay. Heather Locklear. Remember? Oh my God. Melrose Place. 

Julie Chen: They canceled it. I wanted to throw my television out the window. Okay.

Ted Lasso. I'm going to go with Ted Lasso. That's my favorite. 

Kim Gravel: Ted Lasso's fantastic. 

Ted Lasso's fantastic. And I, uh, uh, uh, Melrose though, you got me there. Okay. What is one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self? 

Julie Chen: Oh. Oh.

Probably not to go out on a date with someone I went out on a date with in college. And became obsessed with. It was just, I was just really good because like, I learned what it was like to date a scoundrel. You know? 

Kim Gravel: Ooh, the bad boy. You had the bad boy syndrome? 

Julie Chen: Goundrel. Yeah. 

Kim Gravel: You had the bad boy syndrome.

We all, everybody, all of us strong, you know, career driven girls have always gone a little bad boy every now and then. So I can't, I can't judge you for that. 

Julie Chen: You want the opposite of what you are. You're like, Ooh, that's so intriguing. 

Kim Gravel: It's so intriguing. 

Yeah. Until you have to date him. Okay. What is, what is, one thing that would surprise us to know about you that no one knows?

Okay. Spill some tea, julie. 

Julie Chen: I am a very good mimic and I really, really, I don't really do that anymore because it's not glorifying God. Right. But I, I think you, well, it can be comedy. 

Zac Miller: Julie, can you do a Southern accent? Like, right. Just in honor of Kim. 

Kim Gravel: You can, you can mimic me. 

I'm, I, I, I see it as an honor.

Mm-Hmm. . 

Julie Chen: But you don't really, but see, you, you don't really have, I don't know if I can do a southern draw. I, I just, I, I, I can't do accent. I, I, I typically, 

I reckon I don't do accents, so I dunno. 

Kim Gravel: That was good. That was really good. I why did she sound, why did she sound smarter at me being more in, in, in Southern?

Whatever. We'll have to, we'll have to let the people decide that. All right. What is the worst gift you've 

ever been given? 

Julie Chen: I'm sure this isn't the worst, but I remember, but it was well intentioned. I got a key chain from my college boyfriend. Oh. It's actually so cute. It was a key chain that said, born to shop.

And it was so cheesy. It was very cheesy, and I, but the intention was, and I'm like, I thought, who do you think you're dating? 

Kim Gravel: Yeah, but I think that he bought that at the 7 Eleven on the way to your place. 

Julie Chen:  I think so. I think so. That was just like, cheesy, but we were, you know, 18, 19.

Kim Gravel: That was Wot Wot. That's right, I love it. Alright, what's your guilty pleasure food? What's your favorite junk food? 

Julie Chen: Oh my gosh, anything fries. Yeah, anything fried, anything fried, fried calamari, you know, french fries. 

I can't, I could order a healthy meal, then I'm like a side of fries, please. 

Kim Gravel: Yeah, and honey mustard to dip it in or some kind of dip.

Absolutely. 

Julie Chen: Mayonnaise. Dip it in mayonnaise. 

Kim Gravel: Like, do you do like any fast food? Like Mickey D's, BK, Crystal, do you go that low? 

Julie Chen: I, my son has recently discovered Mickey d's. Cause when he was growing up. I used to tell him that, you know, you can't eat that because it tastes like boogers.

You know, I can't tell him it's delicious. I can't tell him it's delicious. 

So, uh, he will, he will come home with like a big Mac and I'm like, but I'm a fish, fish fillet girl. 

Kim Gravel: I love the fish fillet. The fish fillet 

Julie Chen: growing up the fish fillet. small fries and that orange drink, that chemically orange drink.

Kim Gravel: This just, just flat out chemical. I don't even think they sell it anymore. I don't think they even make it anymore. Yeah. That was my go to fish filet girl. Okay. 

Julie Chen: I think we could. Star at Carl's jr. The Western star. I ate that every day, every like Wednesday in college, right after a certain journalism class.

Cause they had one on campus. That was the one with the onion rings in it. Delicious. Oh, girl. 

Kim Gravel: I mean, yeah. You've got taste. You've got taste. 

You've got good taste. All right. Who's your celebrity crush? And I'm sure it's like, really, you could really give us your, your, your celebrity crush could be just absolutely real because you're right there in Hollywood.

Who's your celebrity crush? Right? 

Julie Chen: My producer one time said that before I was married. She's like, who's your celebrity crush 'cause it could happen. I said , it could 

and I, and I said, do you know Lenny Kravitz? 

Kim Gravel: Ooh, that's a good one.

Julie Chen: I just saw him on a commercial, commercial for like some cologne. And I was with my mom.

I'm like, he's hot. He was my. Big celebrity, celebrity crush. And then we met him at a party and someone said, Oh, let me get a picture of, of you guys, meaning my husband with Lenny Kravitz and my husband goes gladly and like squeezes me out. Like I wasn't really kind of in that conversation. And you see like my eyebrow behind their shoulders, like trying to get it.

Kim Gravel: Photobomb. You're trying to photobomb. Yeah. Lenny Kravitz is a good one. He's hot. He's hot. 

Okay. A couple more. Yeah, you're coming up good. The whole fish filet just had me at hello. What is your most memorable TV moment and what is your most embarrassing TV moment? 

Julie Chen: My most memorable TV moment was when I lost my composure.

 I was. Moderating the talk, and we had to deliver the verdict of the, Casey Anthony trial. Yes! I remember that! And I was dumbfounded that it was, not guilty. And I felt that, um,

I felt like the blood drained from my face and I couldn't, I couldn't finish talking. I had to, I had to push the copy to my co host and have her finish speaking for me because I physically couldn't speak because if I opened my mouth, it was just going to be sobbing. That was probably my most memorable TV moment.

 And what was the other one? My best TV moment? 

Kim Gravel: Yeah, you're most, most embarrassing. 

Julie Chen: Oh, most embarrassing. I don't think we were rolling tape because we were doing a, we were doing a concert when I did the morning news and it was with Cisco who sang that thong song. And I went on the song and it was drizzling and I slipped and like, like scissors and like, boom, like right on my bum.

That was probably my most embarrassing. 

Kim Gravel: That's good. 

Zac Miller: Just like a quick producer aside, as a professional producer, like we say we're not rolling, we're always rolling. 

Kim Gravel: It's out there somewhere. I want to see it. Julie, it's out there. It's out there somewhere. I want it. It's going to surface. 

Julie Chen: And he, he couldn't stop laughing.

He was helping. He was dying. 

Kim Gravel: He's adorable. He's adorable. Okay, so what's next for you? This is our last question. What is next for julie? 

Julie Chen: What is next for Julie? Well, God willing, you know, well, there is another season of Big Brother during the summer, continuing with, you know, my God 101 show, maybe hopefully selling it and, you know, sell, selling that show so we can reach, you know, A wider audience.

I don't even know if it's a wider audience on broadcast anymore, right? Because everyone has, has, uh, social media, uh, for that to reach more people. And I don't know, you know, I have thought about going to seminary school, who knows? 

Kim Gravel: Oh, Julie.

Julie Chen: Or at least like speaking at some of the colleges, at least, you know, speaking about my faith journey, you know, at like Pepperdine.

Kim Gravel: It's coming. It's coming girl. It's coming. Yeah. Yeah. In theology. 

Mm hmm. Yeah, 

I come from a long line, Julie, of preachers. I say all that my family is tobacco farmers and preachers. So I'm it's my my roots are in the dirt and in the church. So when I saw that you were willing to come on and talk about this, I'm telling you, God has such amazing your reach, your testimony, your, your transformation, your book.

Y'all go get it because it is absolutely fantastic. But First God by Julie Chin Moonves. And I'm telling you, watch her show, God 101 on Instagram, follow her. On Instagram, it's her name, Julie Chin Moonves. It just spelled out. Her audio book is called But First God, and you can find it everywhere. Audio books are sold.

Julie, we love you. We have to keep in touch. We have to keep in touch. 

Julie Chen: And you're going to come on one on one on God one on one. Absolutely. Please. One on one, you know, interviews with people. Usually it's a former big brother house guests about their faith journey. Cause I want to hear about how you found, how you, Got to know Christ starting at age seven, you know, well, being from a family of pastors.

So that makes sense. 

Kim Gravel: But I mean, there was a moment where my faith became my own. We all have that moment like you did. And I love it because we're all family. Yes, exactly. That's how I look at it. We're all family. 

Julie Chen: We are all family. We're all his children. 

Kim Gravel: Well, those, I'm, I'm just, I'm just your distant Southern cousin once removed.

That's it. , finally, I did your distant southern cousin. We met . Yes. You're not so distant. Not so distant. not so distant anymore. 

I love you, Julie. Thank you for coming on. Have me on 1 0 1. I'll be there. 

Julie Chen: Okay, we will. 

Kim Gravel: Thanks Julie.

Julie Chen: Zac. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Bye. 

Kim Gravel: All right, y'all.

We love you. Until next time. I'm Kim. 

Zac Miller: I'm Zac. 

Kim Gravel: This is the Kim Gravel show. Bye. All right. You have, your, your Riz meter is going down, down, down. Your Riz is on the I'm starting to think you don't know that. You think that I have Riz? Yes. Do you have Riz? You know I do. What are you talking about? Uh, what about Amy?

Does Amy have Riz? Is she there? No, she's not here. She's not here. All right. We love you. I love you. I love you, babe. 

Zac Miller: We? Who are 

Kim Gravel: you talking to? You just got recorded on the podcast. We'll talk to you later, babe. I love you. 

Zac Miller: Don't put that on me. I love you.

Kim Gravel: The Kim Gravel Show is produced and edited by Zac Miller at Uncommon Audio. Our associate producer is Kathleen Grant, the Brunette Exec. Production help from Emily Bredin and Sara Noto. Our cover art is designed by Sanaz Huber at Memarian Creative, and Mike Kligerman edits the show.

Talent booking by Central Talent Booking. And a special thanks to the team at QVC. Head over to kimgravelshow.com and sign up for our mailing list. Again, we can't do this without you. So thank you for listening and we love you.