Julie Chen Moonves reacts to Taylor's historic Big Brother win

Each week, host Julie Chen Moonves has been answering a few questions about the latest events inside the Big Brother house. Here, she weighs on Sunday's live season finale. (Also check out our finale interviews with winner Taylor Halerunner-up Monte Taylor, and third place finisher Matthew Turner.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First off, what do you have to say about the historic victory by Taylor, becoming the first Black woman to win a non-celebrity edition of Big Brother?

JULIE CHEN MOONVES: I love that she won. She made it to final two without playing the race or gender card. She did make a statement of it, though, in her finale speech to the jury. It was effective and strong. This was history-making.

Where does Taylor's final speech rank up there in the greatest Big Brother speeches ever?

Her speech was rock solid. She made her points strong and clear and got out before making it too long. It's in the top five for sure. Derek and Rachel Reilly come to mind as two other standouts.

BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Julie Chen Moonves.
BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Julie Chen Moonves.

CBS Julie Chen Moonves on 'Big Brother'

What do you think happens if Monte and Turner are sitting in the final two?

That's so hard to say. I ran the numbers. First, would he get Taylor's vote if he evicted her? Second, where would Brittany fall? They would have been a nail-biter, but I think he probably would have won by one vote.

Finally, why were you on a different stage from all the contestants for the finale?

Because we brought back a live audience, we couldn't have all the HGs in the studio, but I joined after for photos. We'll see what next summer holds for finale night. Expect the unexpected.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content: