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Aisha Tyler is leaving CBS’ The Talk at the end of its seventh season, she announced on Thursday’s edition of the daytime talk show.
The co-host and actress, who’s been part of The Talk since season two, explained that she’d simply become too busy, with three other TV shows and launching another career as a director, which she realized she wanted to devote more attention to.
Tyler began crying after she’d explained how busy she’d been and said, “I just realized I had to let something go.”
She added that she would be leaving at the end of this season, which wraps Aug. 4, but would definitely come back to guest-host and promote her many projects.
In addition to The Talk, Tyler is also a series regular on CBS’ Criminal Minds, hosts Whose Line Is It Anyway? and lends her voice to Archer. She said it’s a running joke on the CBS daytime show about how busy she is.
Tyler also recently directed her first feature film, the dramatic thriller Axis, about a drug addict trying to save his relationships and turn his life around, which she took to multiple festivals, including the Newport Beach Film Festival, where the title was honored.
With that experience, Tyler said, she realized directing was what she “wanted to do and put [her] life into” and that there was no way she could continue her seven-days-a-week schedule, co-host a daytime talk show and be a director. And, she said, this is an important time for female directors, citing the success of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and Ava DuVernay.
After she started tearing up, co-hosts Julie Chen and Sharon Osbourne grabbed her hands and Sheryl Underwood walked around the table to pat Tyler on the shoulder and put her arms around her.
Tyler said her choice was the “hardest decision” in her life, adding that she considers the Talk co-hosts to be her family, with whom she has “precious” friendships.
“I have had an amazing six years with you guys,” Tyler said to her co-hosts. “We’ve had babies and weddings, and you know good things have happened, and you know I went through the biggest break-up of my life with you. I could not have done with this without you. I’ll never be able to thank you guys enough.”
The “biggest break-up of my life” is likely her divorce from longtime husband Jeff Tietjens, which she previously discussed on the show.
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In a statement, CBS Entertainment and Television Distribution executive vp, daytime programs and syndicated program development Angelica McDaniel said, “Saying goodbye to Aisha is a bittersweet moment for all of us at CBS daytime and The Talk. Throughout her six seasons, she has made incredible contributions and shared personal moments, making our viewers, cast and crew all laugh, cry and think, as a result of her signature wit, intelligence and openness. It’s no secret Aisha is one of the busiest women in entertainment, and we support her as she decides to focus more time on her passion for directing, her expanded role on CBS’ Criminal Minds, hosting The CW’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and her other endeavors … and maybe finally find some time to sleep! We love Aisha and she will always be a part of our family, with a seat waiting for her at The Talk anytime she wants to visit.”
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