Natalie Morales will be back on TV before you know it.
On Monday, Oct. 4, CBS confirmed that the seasoned journalist will be joining "The Talk" as a host alongside Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Amanda Kloots, Jerry O'Connell and Sheryl Underwood. Morales' journey at CBS will start Oct. 11 -- 10 days after she exited her west coast correspondent role at "TODAY," where she was for 22 years.
And it seems as though Morales is elated about this new chapter, as she noted in a statement, "It's an extraordinary opportunity to be joining this team at 'The Talk.' I love the new energy and direction and couldn't be more excited to join Sheryl, Amanda, Jerry and Akbar. I'm looking forward to many good times while talking about the days' topics, and I can't wait to get going."
As for the Talk team? Executive producers Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews declared that they "couldn't be more excited to have Natalie Morales join the Talk family."
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"We have been fans of her and her work for years," they continued. "Her varied skillset and versatility are a great addition to our talented panel. Natalie's intelligence, passion and enthusiasm always shine through in all her work, and we are fortunate to have her on the team. In addition to her role as an exceptional broadcaster, we believe her perspective as a wife and mother will provide a special connection with our audience."
The 49-year-old journalist is best known for her work on NBC's "TODAY" show, which she joined in 2006 as a national correspondent. She was later made a co-host of its third hour, and in 2011, she was given the role of news anchor on the morning series. In 2016, Morales moved to Los Angeles and worked as the West Coast anchor for "TODAY" and as co-host of NBC's syndicated entertainment series "Access Hollywood." She departed the latter show in 2019.
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Morales previously worked as an anchor and correspondent at MSNBC between 2002 and 2006 and for the past decade, she has also been a correspondent for "Dateline NBC." In addition, following her move to the West Coast, she served as a guest co-host on "The Talk" four times between 2016 and 2017.
We're guessing this high profile get is a welcome change for the CBS talk show, which has faced several host shakeups this past year. For instance, longtime co-host Sharon Osbourne "decided" to leave "The Talk" in March following an "upsetting" controversy surrounding her defense of Piers Morgan, who had made controversial remarks about Meghan Markle.
The next month, Carrie Ann Inaba took a leave of absence, only to later reveal in August that she was leaving "The Talk" for good. In September, Elaine Welteroth also exited the program, calling her time on the show "an absolute honor."
The hosts' panel was eventually rounded out with the additions of O'Connell and Gbaja-Biamila. On joining the critically acclaimed show, O'Connell told "Daily Pop" in September, "We have a new group of hosts. Casts change on shows and we just hope this all works out. We're very optimistic."
For any and all updates regarding "The Talk," click here.
"The Talk" airs weekdays on CBS.
(E!, the Today show and Access Hollywood are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
