Inaba left the long-running daytime talk show in 2021. The series will get a 'proper sendoff' in December.
It's been three years since Carrie Ann Inaba sat in the host's chair on The Talk, and with the daytime talk show ending later this year, the Dancing With the Stars judge has nothing but good vibes to send to her former co-hosts.
"It's been there forever, you know, [and] I think the legacy of The Talk will always be that it was a good time to sit down with your friends and just hear different points of view so that you could find your opinion and somebody else's opinion and share it," Inaba tells ET at the Disney/ABC Upfront on Tuesday.
The Talk originally launched in 2010 after being pitched to CBS by Sara Gilbert. On the first season, Gilbert was joined by co-hosts Julie Chen Moonves, Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, Holly Robinson Peete and Marissa Jaret Winokur.
Other hosts throughout the years have included Aisha Tyler, Eve and Marie Osmond.
Inaba replaced Moonves as a permanent co-host in January 2019. The 56-year-old choreographer maintained her role as a co-host for three seasons before she announced her departure in April 2021. Jerry O'Connell was announced as the show's permanent new co-host in July of that year, joining then-hosts Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth.
Inaba returned to her role as a judge on season 30 of Dancing With the Stars later that year. She joined the late Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.
"I alway thought that was the essence of The Talk and I was always so grateful for my time there," Inaba tells ET. "I'm sad it's going."
The dancer shares that she was "really sad" when she heard the news of the show's final renewal, revealing that she "called a lot of people" to share her condolences.
"I keep in touch with a lot of people that work there and they're sad but they're like, 'It's OK, we had a good run, you know?' And I think they've got a lot of joy over the years and I think there is nothing but positivity from here," Inaba says. "I'm always grateful to that show forever for giving me a voice."
CBS announced last month that the Emmy-winning daytime talk show had been renewed for a 15th and final season, and will receive a "proper sendoff" before ending in December 2024.
In a joint statement, CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf said, "The Talk broke new ground when it launched 14 years ago by returning daytime talk to CBS with a refreshing and award-winning format. Throughout the years, it has been a key program on CBS' top rated daytime line-up as it brought timely, important and entertaining topics and discussions into living rooms around the globe."
"It goes without saying that hosting and producing a year-round talk show is no easy task, and we express our sincere gratitude to our amazing hosts Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell and Sheryl Underwood, our Executive Producer/Showrunner Rob Crabbe and the hardworking producing team and crew," the statement continued.
It concluded: "We also want to acknowledge our former show hosts and colleagues who contributed throughout the seasons. We truly appreciate the skill, creativity, and dedication everyone involved brought to the show every day. And of course, we thank the numerous guests who appeared, and the millions of viewers who tuned in daily. For the final season, we plan to celebrate the show and give it the proper sendoff it deserves when it concludes in December 2024."
RELATED CONTENT:
