Carrie Ann Inaba has been away from The Talk for nearly four months due to health reasons. Today, that departure became permanent.

Carrie Ann Inaba's career has been nothing if not unpredictable. After starting out as a pop star in Japan, she became a backup dancer on Fox's In Living Color in 1990, before spending two decades guest-starring in various shows and movies. In 2005, she contributed dance choreography to American Idol and became a judge on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, a role she has held throughout all 30 seasons of the show's run. In 2010, she hosted the first (and only) season of GSN's revival of the game show 1 vs. 100, and appeared as a Celebrity Question Presenter on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Most recently, she replaced Julie Chen as the fifth co-host on CBS's The Talk in 2019.

Throughout all of it, she struggled zestfully with a variety of medical issues, such as spinal stenosis, 20/750 vision, Sjögren syndrome, Lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. In 2020, she also contracted COVID-19 under unknown circumstances. Thus it was completely understandable when she chose to temporarily step away from the show to focus on her health. However, over the weekend she announced on Instagram that she would not be returning to The Talk.

"It has been a wonderful experience and an honor to have been the moderator at The Talk, following in the footsteps of two women I very much respect. [Julie Chen] and [Sara Gilbert]. Dreams do come true, if you work hard for them. I have made beautiful and lifelong friendships, I've had so many unforgettable experiences, (be prepared for a few memories shared in the next few days), and I've learned so much from all the heartfelt and authentic discussions we've shared with you. My heart is full and content. I'm truly grateful for all that was, all that is (life is in perfection), and all that will be."

This was reportedly the result of a mutual decision between Inaba and CBS, though the details have not been released. Season 12 of The Talk premieres in September after a summer break.