After a string of seasons filled with controversial contestants, Big Brother 23 was rather tame. Being on camera 24/7 has led the worst in people to be seen by millions over the internet, whether it be poorly planned strategy or embarrassingly offensive comments. Julie Chen-Moonves, the face of Big Brother, is oftentimes expected to be the one to dissect these moments with houseguests once their game is officially done. Without many controversial houseguests this past season, she was mostly her usual calm and friendly self when dealing with them. In the past with unexpected evictions to contentious houseguests, they have gotten a bit dramatic.
While Julie usually tries to keep everything calm and smooth (fans have nicknamed her "Chenbot" after all), she has definitely been prepared to create drama during them. Whether it be a controversial or offensive house guest, or a totally bewildered confused one, her time as a talk show host has definitely prepared her to lead some combative interviews.
Aaryn Gries, Season 15 Episode 28
Derogatory and racist comments are often ignored by production. With Aaryn Gries though, Julie addressed it for the first time.
Aaryn was heard on live feeds making offensive statements aimed at multiple people. Backlash from fans claiming production was ignoring it led to them being aired on the show, exposing her to a wider audience. Julie came prepared with the receipts, reading back her quotes, which Aaryn said she did not remember saying. This was a rare moment for Julie, as she usually looks to avoid controversy on the live shows. It was a well-deserved moment as Aaryn was booed by the audience, with Aaryn being one of the most despised houseguests in BB history. Julie got an outpouring of support for facing these problems head-on.
Jack Matthews, Season 21 Episode 20
Jack had multiple clips caught by live feeders of him making crude and racist remarks similar to Aaryn, and Julie once again did what the fans wanted.
Julie directly confronted Jack about his comments, and while he did refuse to take any accountability, it was good to at least see him have to answer to them. He had suspect explanations for using inappropriate language, which may have dug him into an even bigger hole with the fanbase. Fans did wish Julie went further, but as far as a standard Julie Chen segment goes, she was rather combative and unafraid. Even if Jack did not show any regret, Julie did the best she could to show his true colors.
Marcellas Reynolds, Season 3 Episode 27
Julie Chen doesn't seem like a violent person, but, for one interview she (kind of) was. For this night at least, she did have a reason.
Following one of the funniest mistakes in Big Brother history, fan-favorite Marcellas Reynolds was visibly upset. Rather than comforting him as she normally would, Julie gave him a playful smack in the head with her queue card. Considering he just got himself evicted for not using the Power of Veto on himself, it's hard to argue against Julie on this one. She rarely goes after specific in-game decisions so aggressively. It truly is known to fans as the strangest decision in BB history, and Julie's interview after will always be remembered.
Rachel Swindler, Season 20 Episode 17
In one of the most dramatic endings in Big Brother history, Julie did everything she could to make this a fitting interview.
After being brutally betrayed by her closest friends and allies, Rachel was at a loss for words as she first began to talk with Julie. As Rachel constantly repeated "I don't know" in the voice of someone who was still processing, Julie kept pushing on, even having her guess which of her allies stabbed her back. Julie knew this was one of the tensest interviews to do, and she made it as dramatic as possible.
The "Gr8ful" Alliance, Season 21 Episode 40
Big Brother 21 is one most fans would rather forget, as the bullies won, making the final two. Prior to the final vote to decide a winner, they did at least face some warranted criticism.
Julie did take a bit of a backseat on this one, letting the pre-jurors do the work, as they experienced both living in the house and watching the season from home. She did do a great job at setting up the points of emphasis, not holding back on anything. Fans were upset it took this long to address it but pleased that eventual winner Jackson Michie didn't get a standard championship moment. Juror Kemi Fakunle stating she would not accept the alliance's apologies until they had a talk off-camera was probably the best moment of an underwhelming season. While it is unfortunate that the season had to end on a note like that, it was still a nice roast session for some of the most vile and hated houseguests, though.
Jessica Graf, Season 19 Episode 21
While not nearly as confusing as Marcellas's demise, BB19's Jessica also did have a suspect week leading up to her downfall, and Julie made sure she was well aware.
Julie started by pointing out how Jessica often chose spending time with her "showmance", a phrase only super fans would understand, over fighting for her game. While love is a powerful thing, throwing away half a million dollars for someone you just met is at the least an interesting decision, and Julie was excellent at trying to figure out why Jessica did that. Her deadpan tone conveyed exactly what all fans were feeling; confusion and bewilderment at why she would do that.
Victoria Rafaeli, Season 16 Episode 40
Julie was savage in her interview with season 16's third-place finisher Victoria, and she may not have even noticed it. Her choice and lack of words make this one of her best moments though.
Possibly the most forgettable yet loved third-place finisher, Victoria made an improbable run to the final three by doing...nothing. Still, getting this far in a season that featured three eventual winners and is considered to have one of the best casts ever, this was no small feat. Despite this, Julie had a single question for her which started with quite the claim; "A lot of people would say you didn't play this game, you floated to the end." The interview was cut off soon after that. While that may be due to time constraints, it is much funnier to think it was because Julie was so bored by Victoria's gameplay that she had nothing to say.
Justin Sebik, Season 2 Episode 5
Justin was the very first Big Brother houseguest to be ejected, but is oftentimes forgotten as he was on so early in the show's run. Naturally, Julie's interview with him is also often forgotten, but it is truly one of her best.
Justin was clearly violent and should never have been cast, but showed acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Julie repeatedly asked him if he could see how his actions, which included putting a knife to someone's throat, could be perceived as violent. She kept pressing the matter making him talk about his actions. Even if he continued to stay delusional throughout the interview and denied any wrongdoing, at least fans got to see it thanks to Julie not holding back.
Brandon "Frenchie" French, Season 23 Episode 7
Frenchie got Big Brother 23 off to a bang, but went out with much less gravitas.
He was the king of broken promises over his two weeks on the show, and Julie made sure he did not get off the hook. She brought up his most unnecessary lies, such as ones pertaining to supporting diversity despite his nominations contradicting that. Lack of diversity is a common criticism of Big Brother, and lying about trying to change that is not a good look. He may not have intended to be cruel in his actions, but they did rub viewers the wrong way. Fans were happy to see Julie not gloss over it, as she pressed him on these comments. He did a lot of more harmless zany things, but these being Julie's top points was unexpected.
Amanda Zuckerman, Season 15 Episode 31
Another infamous houseguest from season 15, Amanda is most remembered for being a bully.
Julie straight up asked Amanda about these claims. It was a good question, as even though Amanda denied wrongdoing for the most part, she did admit that she regrets bullying fellow houseguest Elissa Slater. Julie even had a bit of hysterical sass, responding "you can say that again" when Amanda said she was not similar to season 10 and 14 sweetheart Jordan. While some fans did like Amanda, the majority of fans were pleased to see her held accountable.