Julie Chen had plastic surgery to fix her so-called “Asian eyes.” Chen kept her surgery secret for decades but revealed it during Wednesday’s episode of The Talk .
“Secret” week on the talk show has already revealed Sharon Osbourne’s fling with Jay Leno and Aisha Tyler’s struggles with infertility, and Wednesday it was Chen’s turn to reveal her best-kept secret.
USA Today reports that Chen had her plastic surgery after she received racist comments from her news director when she was 25. The talk show co-host recalled that she asked if she could fill in for vacationing anchors over the holidays. She added:
“And he said, “You will never be on this anchor desk, because you’re Chinese.’ He said, ‘Let’s face it Julie, how relatable are you to our community? How big of an Asian community do we really have in Dayton [Ohio]?’ “
Her boss added that her “Asian eyes” made her look uninterested and bored , notes Yahoo! OMG . Julie Chen added that a big-time agent suggested plastic surgery to her, telling her it was the only way she would be successful on TV.
The experience sent her back to her childhood when kids on the bus made fun of her for her eyes. After struggling again with the obvious racism, Chen went to her mother to get her opinion on having the surgery.
After speaking with her mom and dad, they told her they supported her and would pay for the plastic surgery. Julie showed the audience side-by-side photos of before and after the procedure. She added, “And after I had it done, the ball did roll for me.”
But she wondered at the same time if she stuck up for herself or gave in to “the man.” But Chen’s co-hosts supported her. Sheryl Underwood commented, “You made a choice that was good for you and you have represented your race, women and your colleagues. Don’t look back.”
Julie Chen added that she had regrets about the plastic surgery but that she moved on.
[Image via Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com ]
