Julie Chen Reveals Grandfather Was a Polygamist: "He Had Nine Wives...Countless Mistresses"

"My mom tried to keep this secret from me and my two sisters for a long time, for as long as she could," she explained on The Talk

By Bruna Nessif Sep 16, 2014 11:54 PMTags

It's that time again.

It's Secret Week on The Talk, and co-host Julie Chen (whose secret last year was that she underwent plastic surgery) revealed something that has "haunted me for years" during Tuesday's show—her grandfather was a polygamist.

"My mom tried to keep this secret from me and my two sisters for a long time, for as long as she could," Chen told the audience. "She was afraid for me, personally, that it would damage my career goals, my dreams of being a broadcaster, my reputation. For the record, I did get her OK to tell this secret...My secret that I have been harboring for years is that my grandfather was a polygamist."

She continued, "He had nine wives, six of who bore him children. He had 11 children that we know of, countless mistresses."

Chen added that her uncle had 20 children with four wives, "and had he not died in a freak car accident when he was 42, he probably would have had more wives and more than 20 children."

The Talk co-host explained that although she never met her grandfather (he died before she was born), he eventually attempted to make amends with at least one of his daughters during his final days. "On his deathbed he apologized to my mom," she said.

"The secret of my polygamist grandfather is finally off my chest. Thanks for your support," she tweeted after the show.