Media

Sharon Osbourne accused of using racist, homophobic slurs on ‘The Talk’

by Mychael Schnell - 03/16/21 5:56 PM ET

Sharon Osbourne, the longtime co-host of CBS’s daytime panel show “The Talk,” which is currently on a hiatus amid a review over her comments defending Piers Morgan, reportedly called her former co-hosts racist and homophobic names, journalist Yashar Ali reported Tuesday.

Osbourne would frequently refer to her then-co-host Julie Chen, who is Chinese American, as “wonton” and “slanty eyes,” Ali reported, citing multiple sources, including former co-host Leah Remini.

Osbourne would also allegedly refer to former co-host and executive producer Sara Gilbert, who is a lesbian, as “p—- licker” and “fish eater.”

Remini additionally told Ali that Osbourne would refer to her using ethnic slurs against Italians.

Osbourne’s publicist Howard Bragman responded to the allegations in a statement to Ali, writing in part that “Sharon is disappointed but unfazed and hardly surprised by the lies, the recasting of history and the bitterness coming out at this moment. She will survive this, as she always has and her heart will remain open and good, because she refuses to let others take her down.”

The allegations involving Osbourne’s language come as “The Talk,” where she has been a co-host since its inception, is on a hiatus after she and co-host Sheryl Underwood got into a heated exchange on air over Osbourne’s support for Piers Morgan, the former host of “Good Morning Britain,” following negative comments he made regarding Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after her recent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The show last Wednesday took a tense turn when the co-hosts began discussing Morgan’s departure from “Good Morning Britain” and his comment that he did not believe the former Meghan Markle when she said she had suicidal thoughts while living at Buckingham Palace.

Osbourne had previously expressed support for Morgan on Twitter after he was the target of backlash for casting doubt on Meghan’s remarks on her mental health.

. @piersmorgan I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.

— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) March 9, 2021

Underwood asked Osbourne what she would say to individuals who thought her support of Morgan was racist, to which she responded, “I feel even 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” before then asking Underwood to identify specifics on how Morgan had been racist.

Osbourne later issued an apology on Twitter to “anyone of color that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said” and said she “panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive, & allowed my fear & horror to being accused to being racist to take over.”