Carrie Ann Inaba is bidding a temporary farewell to The Talk.
The Dancing With the Stars judge, who joined The Talk's hosting panel in 2019, announced that she is taking a leave of absence from the CBS daytime show. In videos tweeted on April 26, she told fans, "I wanted to let you know personally that I have decided to take a leave of absence from The Talk to focus on my well-being. I know you guys understand—Health is the most important thing."
"I appreciate your support," she continued, "I appreciate the love and support from The Talk family and I hope to be back soon. Take care and I'll keep you updated. Thank you."
Co-host Sheryl Underwood echoed Inaba's social media message on Monday's episode. "We'd like to let you all know at home Carrie Ann is taking a leave of absence from the show to focus on her well-being," Underwood explained. "She appreciates the support from all of her fans and her family right here at The Talk. Carrie Ann, we miss you and we look forward to having you back with us soon."
Inaba's unexpected announcement comes just two weeks after the panel resumed on April 12 following Sharon Osbourne's permanent exit and the show's subsequent hiatus.
While Inaba did not disclose any more details behind her decision to take a leave of absence, she has previously opened up about her various health struggles, including being diagnosed with Sjögren's Syndrome and Lupus.
In December 2020, she shared that she had also tested positive for COVID-19. "I have a fever, a bad cough, and lots of aches and pains," the longtime performer described at the time. "And I just wanted to remind you all to stay vigilant. I'm following all the protocols and we have so many strict protocols in place. Even then I caught it. So friendly reminder to stay vigilant, take care of yourself, wear your mask, wash your hands a lot, and just be extra, extra careful, because you don't want this. I'm going to take good care of myself, so don't worry about me. Be safe."