Julie Chen Teases Drama on ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ Already: ‘Expect More Headlines’

Harder than it looks? Celebrity Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves is revealing that some of the famous houseguests are having a hard time adjusting to life under one roof, surrounded by cameras 24/7 and locked away from the outside world.

The longtime CBS personality spoke with Us Weekly ahead of the premiere and teased a little bit of what’s already going on in the house since the celebrities moved in one week ago.

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“I don’t think Lamar Odom really knows what he has signed up for in the Big Brother house and this competition. I don’t think Chris Kattan from SNL quite knows what he has said yes to,” Chen Moonves tells Us Weekly exclusively. “Once they say yes, you check it out a little bit, but if you’ve watched almost every season like Todrick Hall, you know what to expect. And I think he’s one to watch as well as Shanna Moakler because she’s a superfan of Big Brother, and she knows a thing or two about reality shows and how they work.”

Because these 11 celebs – which include the aforementioned Odom, Kattan, Hall and Moakler, in addition to ‘NSync singer Chris Kirkpatrick, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey, Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu, former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp, Diff’rent Strokes star Todd Bridges, former UFC champ Miesha Tate and original Queer Eye star Carson Kressley – aren’t used to living with roommates, there’s already some tension.

“The celebrities have been in there for a week, so I think a game has been brewing for so many days,” the former Talk cohost teases. “And if you know the game, things can change on a dime. So I will just say this: We had to establish a Head of Household on premiere night and that person’s been Head of Household and had power for a long time in the house, and intentions and deals can change in this house in a minute. … So there’s a lot of drama that lends itself to the game. In terms of having to share a house and one bathroom with 10 other celebrities, not everyone’s gonna love their roommate.”

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While some of the celebs are in there to win the $250,000, Chen Moonves acknowledges that some may just want a career boost and camera time: “I think for certain personalities it’s like, “If I win, I win. I’m just here for a couple of laughs and maybe, you know, make a headline or two. And who knows what waits for me on the other side of the door when it’s over.”

Odom has already made headlines by bringing up his former marriage to Kardashian and how he misses her “so much.”

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“I do expect more headlines,” Chen Moonves adds. “I think because Shanna Moakler has made it known that – she agreed to do this as a superfan – she wouldn’t be thrilled if suddenly someone in the Kardashian clan also was going to be her roommate because the father of her two kids, her ex-husband [Travis Barker], is engaged to Kourtney Kardashian. So I think there’s gotta be some conversation – a few conversations, maybe more than a few – that take place between maybe Lamar, sharing notes, exchanging notes with Shanna on what life was like and into that whole world that the outside world is still fascinated by.”

Celebrity Big Brother premieres on CBS Wednesday, February 2, at 8/7c.

Watch our full interview with Julie Chen Moonves above or scroll down to read…

Us Weekly: We’re back with Celebrity Big Brother after three years. What can fans expect from this season? Any twists you can tease?

Julie Chen Moonves: I am so excited. What you can expect is 11 brand new celebrities, some you were probably very familiar with Lamar Odom because he was married to Khloé Kardashian. He’s an NBA two-time championship winner. I grew up watching Diff’rent Strokes, like many, like everyone around my age. You’re gonna have a mix of people this season who have no idea what they’re in for because they’re used to being celebrities in their own fields. You know, whether you’re an Olympian or an Emmy winner or, you know, we have one of the founding members of ’NSync, Chris Kirkpatrick, and then suddenly you’re gonna be moving into a house with people that you’ve never met before. Some of them kind of know each other, but you’re from different worlds where you were the winner or you were the, you know, person that everyone gave the attention to.

And you have to coexist in the Big Brother house where only one person could win a quarter of a million dollars. [There’s] going to be, yes, some fun and games, but we say “expect the unexpected” [and] who knows. I don’t even know what to expect because some of these celebrities are superfans of the show and that could hurt them [or] that could help them. And some celebrities, like … I don’t think Lamar Odom really knows what he has signed up for in the Big Brother house and this competition. I don’t think Chris Kattan from SNL quite knows what he has said yes to. Once they say yes, you check it out a little bit, but if you’ve watched almost every season like Todrick Hall, you know what to expect. And I think he’s one to watch as well as Shanna Moakler because she’s a superfan of Big Brother, and she knows a thing or two about reality shows and how they work. She had one [called] Meet the Barkers back in the day.

Us Weekly: What can you tell us about what’s currently happening in the house? Have alliances been forming? Have there been any arguments yet or are we good so far?

JCM: Oh, we’re not good. We’re not good. We’re not good at all. Wow. This is a game. The celebrities have been in there for a week, so I think a game has been brewing for so many days. And if you know the game, things can change on a dime. So I will just say this: We had to establish a Head of Household on premiere night and that person’s been Head of Household and had power for a long time in the house, and intentions and deals can change in this house in a minute. I’ve seen that on the live shows where it’s, like, 10 minutes until live, and the house is flipped. So there’s a lot of drama that lends itself to the game. In terms of having to share a house and one bathroom with 10 other celebrities, not everyone’s gonna love their roommate. I’ll just leave it at that.

Us: Fair enough. Is anyone surprising you in there, maybe playing differently than you would’ve expected?

JCM: Yeah. What is surprising me is [that] some people are not prepared for Big Brother at all, even though they were familiar with the game or not that familiar, and it’s like trial by fire, and it’s kind of like, “Well, you knew coming in that if you win, you win a quarter of a million dollars. Did you really think we were gonna make it easy on you?” ‘Cause it is Big Brother. It is a lot of money and we gotta make the show good. So, it has surprised me a little bit, even these celebrities who have traveled the world and seen a lot, they’re like, “I’ve never seen this.”

Us: In past seasons, we’ve had a couple people definitely go in there not realizing how hard it is. Metta World Peace comes to mind. I know you mentioned Chris and Lamar. Are people having a harder time adjusting than you thought?

JCM: No, I know it’s gonna be hard. So I don’t expect anyone to be able to [say], “Ah, this is fun. This is great.” There are elements of that. It’s funny because Chris Kirkpatrick kind of sees us as a vacation because, you know, think about it. He was in a boy band, super stardom [at a] young age, traveling in the world, being told, “Wake up at the time, do press, sing, dance, choreograph, gonna do a video, now we’re gonna go live in front of a hundred thousand people.” So, for once in his life … I think this is like a vacation for him. I don’t think he’s even in there to win the money. No, I know he wants to win the money because he loves the show. But, I think for certain personalities it’s like, “If I win, I win. I’m just here for a couple of laughs and maybe, you know, make a headline or two. And who knows what waits for me on the other side of the door when it’s over.”

Us: Speaking of that, we already have Lamar talking about his ex-wife, Khloe. Do you anticipate more of those headlines as we learn more about these celebrities’ personal lives?

JCM: I do expect more headlines. I think because Shanna Moakler has made it known that – she agreed to do this as a superfan – she wouldn’t be thrilled if suddenly someone in the Kardashian clan also was going to be her roommate because the father of her two kids, her ex-husband [Travis Barker], is engaged to Kourtney Kardashian. So I think there’s gotta be some conversation – a few conversations, maybe more than a few – that take place between maybe Lamar, sharing notes, exchanging notes with Shanna on what life was like and [looking] into that whole world that the outside world is still fascinated by. So, I think there could be some headlines there. Some headlines could be a good thing, some headlines could be a bad thing. Who knows.

Us: Who would you say is the dark horse to win right now?

JCM: I think maybe Teddi Mellencamp could be a dark horse because if you watch her on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – and my stepdaughter does and she’s a fan of Teddi’s – I think she’s someone who I’ve been told is very likable, and I think likable can get you very far. I also think Todrick Hall and Carson Kressley are people to watch. I don’t think of them as dark horses because I think of them as fan favorites because Todrick is a fan and he’s been very vocal about being a fan. And Carson is someone who just has so much charm and wit that it’s hard not to like him as a roommate, is my guess. And it’s hard not to like him as a viewer, so he has a lot going for him, but I think he knows that. So as long as he doesn’t come across as a threat to others, he is another one to watch. And Cynthia Bailey, I was told by Andy Cohen, my buddy, that Cynthia Bailey is also very good for this show and I think she can make it very far too.

Us: Any other last minute teasers for the premiere? What are you excited for fans to see?

JCM: I would just say that my heart is pulling for Todd Bridges because I loved him on Diff’rent Strokes. And I’ll just leave it at that. I don’t know if he’s gonna be good at this game, if he’s gonna get along with others and do well in competitions, but my heart is rooting for Todd Bridges.

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