History has been made on American daytime TV, as Jerry O’Connell is named the first ever permanent male co-host on The Talk.
The actor replaces shamed star Sharon Osbourne, who left the hit show earlier this year after getting caught up in a racism scandal.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of The Talk, the Jerry Maguire actor promised viewers “a lot of fun” as it was revealed he would be becoming a full-time resident on the panel.
“It’s fun, and it works, and we’re going to have a lot of fun,” the 47-year-old said on air.
Jerry joins Amanda Kloots, Elaine Welteroth, Sheryl Underwood and Carrie Ann Inaba as hosts of the daytime talk show which takes a look at the latest headlines and discusses current affairs.
“You ladies have been so welcoming to me,” he told them on Wednesday.
“I mean, I came here as a guest months ago, and just from the moment I walked in, you’re just gracious, you’re kind, you’re fun.”
In a clip shared to the CBS show’s social media, Jerry can be seen being welcomed to The Talk family by his new colleagues.
“Join us in welcoming @MrJerryOC to The Talk family,” the short video was captioned on Twitter.
In the snippet, viewers cans see the dad-of-two being greeted by his new crew, before changing into a sharp suit ahead of his debut full-time appearance.
“Yay! Here he is, the newest member of ‘The Talk,” co-host Sheryl Underwood tells a cheering audience as he joins the panel.
Executive producer Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews have also shared their joy at having the Scream 2 star on board, releasing a statement praising the newest member of the team.
“We loved his infectious enthusiasm, humour, openness and insights as a guest co-host and look forward to him now bringing those dynamic qualities to the show every day,” a section of the statement read.
“As an accomplished actor, devoted husband and father, Jerry will bring a unique and entertaining perspective to the conversation.”
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CBS)
The happy and positive atmosphere on The Talk set is in sharp contrast to the turmoil the show went through earlier this year thanks to former panelist Sharon Osbourne.
Following Piers Morgan’s negative comments about Meghan Markle following her Oprah interview, Sharon used her time on-air to defend her presenter pal.
The 68-year-old went on to have an explosive disagreement with her co-host Sheryl which led to multiple complaints.
Following her rant, Page Six exclusively reported that an internal investigation had been launched after former The Talk employees complained about an allegedly “racially insensitive and hostile environment” on the show following the broadcast.
The report included the shocking claim from former The Talk co-host Leah Remini that Sharon had used racist slurs when talking about others on the show.
Sharon vehemently denied being racist.
Following the fallout, the music manager received a huge payout after she “quit” the show in March.