CBS officially announced the addition of Natalie Morales to the network’s daytime panel talk show, The Talk. Morales, the longtime NBC newser, will debut live on Monday, Oct. 11, alongside hosts Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Amanda Kloots, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have Natalie Morales join the Talk family,” said executive producers Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews. “We have been fans of her and her work for years. 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.”
Morales added: “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to be joining this team at The Talk,” said Morales. “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.”
Morales told NBC News staff on Friday that she would be leaving the network for “an exciting, new opportunity,” and DailyMail.com broke the news that she was making the leap to CBS and The Talk not long after.
Morales joins CBS after a 22-year run at NBC, where she was most recently the West Coast anchor of Today and correspondent for Dateline. She previously served as host of Access Hollywood and as the news anchor for Today, where she co-hosted the show’s third hour. Morales joined Today in 2006 as a national correspondent and reported across all of NBCU News platforms, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and MSNBC. Prior to joining MSNBC in 2002, Morales started her NBC career at WVIT, NBC’s Hartford, Ct. affiliate.
The Talk has experienced a ton of turnover in recent months. In fact, Underwood becomes the only current co-host who was with the show prior to this calendar year. Kloots joined The Talk in January, O’Connell joined The Talk over the summer, and Gbajabiamila joined the panel program in September, following the exits of Carrie Ann Inaba, Elaine Welteroth and Sharon Osbourne. Osbourne was fired in the spring after sparking a media firestorm over controversial comments she had made on air in defense of Piers Morgan. Inaba and Welteroth left the show in August.