Osbourne says she was “blindsided” by the network.
‘The Talk’ Is on Hiatus as CBS Launches Internal Review Into Sharon Osbourne Controversy
Sharon Osbourne is not facing backlash for being friends with Piers Morgan, but for her own actions.
On March 11, countless headlines read “Sharon Osbourne Fiercely Defends Piers Morgan,” “Sharon Osbourne Defends Supporting Piers Morgan,” or even, more specifically, “Sharon Osbourne Argues With Sheryl Underwood Over Support for Piers Morgan,” but none of these articles gets to the heart of what really happened.
What The Talk viewers witnessed on March 10 was not a defense of a friend who lost his cushy Good Morning Britain gig after relentless criticism of Meghan Markle—in fact, it didn't have anything to do with Piers Morgan at all.
Here's everything you need to know.
Piers Morgan left his job on Good Morning Britain.Whether you believe Morgan stepped down on his own accord or was fired, the controversial figure was the host of Good Morning Britain one day and gone the next over vicious comments about Markle. Following the emotional sit-down between Markle, Prince Harry, and Oprah Winfrey, in which Markle revealed she struggled with thoughts of suicide, Morgan went on the air and said he didn't believe the Duchess of Sussex. “I don’t believe a word she said, Meghan Markle,” he said. “I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.”
On March 9, ITV released this statement: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing further to add.”
Sharon Osbourne defended him on Twitter.“Piers Morgan I am with you. I stand by you,” she wrote on March 9. “People forget that you're paid for your opinion and that you're speaking your truth.”
https://twitter.com/MrsSOsbourne/status/1369361831354073091Then came her rant on The Talk. After defending her “friend” once again, Osbourne's cohost Sheryl Underwood asked the TV personality what she would say to viewers who feel like she's validating Morgan's statements. “What would you say to people who may feel that you—while you're standing by your friend, it appears that you give validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist even, even if you don't agree?” Underwood asked.
That's when Osbourne went off. “I very much feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think is a racist, so that makes me a racist?” she said. “What does it gotta do with me?”
https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1369779458593484802She went on to demand Underwood specify what Morgan has ever said that was racist and yelled at her cohost multiple times. “Don't try and cry ’cause if anyone should be crying, it should be me,” Osbourne said. “Educate me! Tell me when you have heard him say racist things.”
AdvertisementUnderwood responded to Osbourne's request while trying to clarify that she doesn't feel Osbourne is racist. “It is not the exact words of racism,” she said. “It's the implication and the reaction to it, to not want to address that because [Meghan Markle] is a Black woman, and to try to dismiss it, or to make it seem less than what it is that's what makes it racist. But right now I'm talking to a woman who I believe is my friend, and I don't want anybody here to watch this and say that we're attacking you for being racist.”
“I think it's too late,” Osbourne said. “I think that seed's already sown.”
You can watch, below:
https://twitter.com/raesanni/status/1369777452101169153https://twitter.com/blackwomenviews/status/1369754982745051146https://twitter.com/Oloni/status/1369968248830189569Sharon Osbourne apologized for her “panicked” defense of Morgan.“After some reflection, after sitting with your comments & sitting with my heart, I would like to address the discussion on The Talk this past Wednesday,” Osbourne posted on Twitter on March 11. “I have always been embraced with so much love & support from the black community & I have deep respect & love for the black community.
Advertisement“To anyone of color that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said, I am truly sorry,” Osbourne continued. “I panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive & allowed my fear & horror of being accused of being racist take over. There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism so to feel associated with that spun me fast. I am not perfect, I am still learning like the rest of us & will continue to learn, listen and do better.”
https://twitter.com/MrsSOsbourne/status/1370266292846960641Twitter users noted she didn’t mention an apology to Sheryl Underwood…https://twitter.com/kelechnekoff/status/1370331704242671617https://twitter.com/Marsaad/status/1370273011593486338https://twitter.com/evanrosskatz/status/1370337020204175367https://twitter.com/moshimisen/status/1370336566284013571https://twitter.com/khara718/status/1370267894530113536Piers Morgan, of course, had something to add. While supposedly supporting Osbourne, he made sure to demand an apology from The Talk for himself as well.
https://twitter.com/piersmorgan/status/1370316466982096902Sheryl Underwood has spoken out.Underwood broke her silence about the heated confrontation during the latest episode of her podcast, The World According to Sheryl. “I thought we were having a conversation like we normally do. But then I got a feeling that, wait a minute, this ain't what it usually is,” Underwood said on Friday, March 12, per People. “I also got another feeling of, Okay, Sheryl, this is time for you to step up into the leadership position…. This is time for you to show what you're made of, and in a personal way. No matter what somebody says about you, I can show you something better than I can tell you.”
AdvertisementThe Talk host expanded on those thoughts during an appearance on The Steve Harvey Morning Show. “I just wanted to be a better example for people that are working just a regular old job, that had to compose themselves,” she told Harvey, per People. “We are the only race of people that carry the race wherever we go, and we're responsible for that. And I want to thank everybody all over the world in social media, everybody in radio, television, news, everywhere, everybody that reached out.”
CBS is launching an internal review.“We are committed to a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace,” CBS said in a statement on Friday night. “All matters related to the Wednesday episode of The Talk are currently under internal review.”
Meanwhile, Osbourne blamed CBS.Osbourne doubled down, telling Variety that she was “blindsided” by CBS. “I blame the network for it,” Osbourne said. “I was blindsided, totally blindsided by the whole situation. In my 11 years, this was the first time I was not involved with the planning of the segment.”
According to the host, a showrunner called eight minutes before she went on the air and asked for permission to discuss Markle and Morgan. “I said, ‘Sure, they can ask me whatever.’ But then I get on there, I say my piece, and Sheryl [Underwood] turns around straight-faced, looks at me, and is reading from a card with questions,” Osbourne continued. “I was just so hurt, caught off guard, and stunned by what I was being asked and not prepared. I was honestly in shock. I felt like I was in front of a firing squad. I felt like a lamb held out for slaughter…. They had me there for 20 minutes.”
The Talk is going on hiatus.Per NBC News, The Talk is taking a break following the events of the controversial segment. In an email to NBC sent over the weekend, a CBS spokesperson confirmed that the show, which typically airs every weekday, will pause this week as the network conducts its “internal review.”
This story will be updated.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Emily Tannenbaum
