Akbar Gbaja-Biamila joins ‘The Talk’
Another man will be joining “The Talk”: Former NFL player and “America Ninja Warrior” host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila is the latest addition to the once female-dominated panel after departures from the CBS daytime talk show piled up this year.
The news comes days after journalist Elaine Welteroth said her goodbyes after less than a year as a panelist and about a week after Carrie Ann Inaba announced her exit after an extended leave related to her health. Earlier this year, original co-host Sharon Osbourne was fired after an intense exchange about race related to comments journalist Piers Morgan made about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. She was replaced by actor Jerry O’Connell in July.
Gbaja-Biamila was a guest co-host a few times over the summer. He’ll officially join the season 12 panel, which includes Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots and O’Connell, on Sept. 13, the network said Thursday. That makes him the second male co-host to have a permanent seat at the table.
“It is an absolute honor to be joining ‘The Talk’ as a host! I am so excited for this new generation of such a long-standing establishment. To be a part of this diverse group is truly a dream and a new statement for ‘The Talk,’ ” Gbaja-Biamila said in a statement.
Christie to narrate novel:
The latest adventure for “Game of Thrones” actor Gwendoline Christie is the audiobook for one of publishing’s most imaginative storytellers, Brian Selznick. Selznick’s “Kaleidoscope,” the latest work from the author of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,”
comes out Sept. 21 in hardcover, e-book and audio, which will feature Christie’s narration and music from Obie winner Robert Een.
Scholastic is billing the book as “a multi-layered and spellbinding story about love, loss and friendship.” Christie, who is also known for her roles in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” added her own superlatives Thursday, saying in a statement that she found the book “captivating, wildly imaginative and thrillingly phantasmagorical.”
Walsh returning to ‘Grey’s’:
Kate Walsh, who debuted as Dr. Addison Montgomery in the 2005 season one finale of “Grey’s Anatomy” and later was the star of spinoff “Private Practice,” will return to the medical drama for a multi-episode arc in its upcoming 18th season. Representatives
from ABC confirmed Walsh’s return, but did not give specifics about Addison’s storyline. Walsh has said in the past that she’d be happy to return to the show.
“Grey’s Anatomy” returns as ABC’s No. 1 drama on Sept. 30. The network has confirmed that Kate Burton, who played main character Meredith Grey’s mother, Ellis, will be featured in multiple episodes this season, and that Peter Gallagher will play a doctor who knew Ellis.
Sept. 4 birthdays: Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 90. Singer Merald “Bubba” Knight is 79. Actor Jennifer Salt is 77. Drummer Martin Chambers is 70. Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 68. Comedian Damon Wayans is 61. Actor Noah Taylor is 52. Actor Max Greenfield is 42. Singer Beyonce Knowles is 40. Comedian Kyle Mooney is 37.