“The Talk” is facing another big onscreen change, at least temporarily.
One month after original co-host Sharon Osbourne departed the CBS daytime show after a heated exchange about race, panelist Carrie Ann Inaba is taking a leave of absence to focus on her well-being.
On Monday, Inaba shared a video on Instagram along with a brief written explanation.
“Hi Everyone, I have decided to take a leave of absence from @thetalkcbs to focus on my well being. We all know health is the most precious gift we have. And I need to take care of mine,” she wrote. “I appreciate the love and support from all of you and from my family at The Talk. I hope to be back soon! Ready for action! I’m sending you all my love. And I’ll update you on my progress... talk soon.”
Inaba offered no other details regarding her decision.
“The Talk” co-host Sheryl Underwood shared the news on Monday’s program, passing along good thoughts from those who work on the show.
“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 of her fans and her family right here at ‘The Talk.’ Carrie Ann, we miss you, and we look forward to having you back with us soon,” Underwood said to applause and shouts of “We love you,” from her fellow panelists.
Jerry O’Connell appeared as a guest co-host on Monday’s episode. No announcement was made about how the show will fill Inaba’s seat while she is gone.
Inaba became a permanent “Talk” co-host in 2019 after several stints as a guest host. She has a big fan following from ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” where she has been a judge since the celebrity dance competition began in 2005.
With Inaba temporarily absent and Osbourne gone, “The Talk” is down to three permanent co-hosts: Underwood, Elaine Welteroth and Amanda Kloots. Welteroth and Kloots joined the show in January, replacing Eve and Marie Osmond.
“The Talk” returned just two weeks ago after a monthlong hiatus following Osbourne’s comments about race that stemmed from her defense of her friend Piers Morgan, who criticized Duchess Meghan’s Oprah Winfrey interview. CBS conducted an internal review, and Osbourne’s departure was announced March 26.
Inaba was one of the participants in a “race and healing” discussion that marked the show’s return on April 12.
