‘The Talk’: Jerry O’Connell Joins as First Full-Time Male Co-Host

Jerry O'Connell
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The Talk has filled the open spot on the panel after Sharon Osbourne’s exit in March.

Jerry O’Connell, who has served as a guest host in the past, is joining the CBS talk show permanently as co-host alongside Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots, and Elaine Welteroth. (Carrie Ann Inaba took a leave of absence in April.) The news was announced during the July 14 episode.

“It’s fun, and it works, and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” O’Connell said. Watch the announcement below.

O’Connell is the first full-time male co-host on the show. Over the years, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, Aisha Tyler, Marie Osmond, and others have sat on the panel. This announcement wasn’t too much of a surprise, given that the show’s official Twitter account advised followers, “We’ve got some BIG NEWS on today’s show,” just an hour before airtime.

This comes after Osbourne exited The Talk in March following an investigation into allegations she used racial slurs. The claims were spurred by Osbourne’s defense of Piers Morgan (and his comments about Meghan Markle), which led to a heated debate with Sheryl Underwood on air.

What do you think of O’Connell joining The Talk? Let us know in the comments below.

The Talk, Weekdays, 2/1c, CBS