When it was her turn to share a deep, dark secret during a segment on “The Talk,” host Julie Chen explained that as a young journalist, she underwent plastic surgery to enlarge her “Asian eyes.”
Chen, 43, explained that she developed a deep insecurity about her eyes at age 25 after a boss at a Dayton, Ohio, news station told her that her heritage was hindering her career success.
“He said, ‘Let’s face it Julie, how relatable are you to our community?” she recalled. “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.'”
The “Big Brother” host said the same sentiment was shared by a big-time agent she sought out while attempting to further her career.
“He said, ‘I cannot represent you unless you get plastic surgery to make your eyes look bigger.'”
Chen said she had a conversation with her parents and extended family on the polarizing issue, but ultimately she decided to have the eye procedure. The talk show host also brought a before-and-after the surgery comparison.
