TV Host Julie Chen Says She Was Pressured Into Eyelid Surgery

The TV anchor made her admission on CBS this week.

By Jamilah King Sep 12, 2013

Julie Chen, the host of CBS’ "The Talk", recently revealed that she had eyelid surgery to appear "less Asian." At the urging of an agent, and after feeling pressure inside of local television newsrooms to appear more relatable, Chen got plastic surgery. As she tells the story:

"My secret dates back to – my heart is racing – it dates back to when I was 25 years old and I was working as a local news reporter in Dayton, Ohio," Julie began.

She then set the scene by showing a clip of what a young Julie Chen looked like as a reporter at one of her first jobs and explaining how it was her dream to be a network news anchor some day.

"So, I asked my news director… over the holidays if anchors want to take vacations, could I fill in? 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 have in Dayton? On top of that because of your Asian eyes, I’ve noticed that when you’re on camera, you look disinterested and bored.’

"So, what am I supposed to say to my boss? I wanted to cry right then and there. It felt like a dagger in my heart, because all of my life I wanted to be a network anchor," she continued.

(h/t Angry Asian Man)