Julie Chen Shares 'Trepidation' About 'The Talk' 's Makeup-Free Episode

Sharon Osbourne, Sara Gilbert, Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler also are for a natural look

Photo: James White /CBS

The women of The Talk have had plenty to chat about lately behind the scenes.

The cast – Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler – are going entirely makeup free for the live season premiere of the CBS show on Sept. 10 (2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT).

Even guest Jamie Lee Curtis will be completely natural.

“I had a lot of trepidation when we decided to do this,” Chen tells PEOPLE. “We know there are people who are going to say, ‘Oh, my God, no wonder they wear so much makeup.’ ”

But Chen says that the episode is in keeping with the show’s philosophy.

“We kind of tell it like it is,” she said. “We decided the ultimate way to be real and authentic would be to go on without our fake hair, fake eyelashes, five pounds of TV makeup.”

“It’s a fun idea that not many women would feel comfortable doing,” she adds. “Luckily, what makes our show work is that the women who sit at that table are comfortable enough in their own skin that we’ll all take that risk.”