Texarkana Gazette

Sharon Osbourne is out at ‘The Talk’

- By Brian Niemietz

Sharon Osbourne has parted ways with the CBS talk show “The Talk.”

The controvers­ial host defended British talk show presenter Piers Morgan after a heated discussion about race led to his leaving “Good Morning Britain” earlier in the month. That March 10 defense landed Osbourne on the hot seat when she, too, was accused of insensitiv­ity.

CBS cited that incident as a factor in her 11-year run on “The Talk” coming to an end.

“Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave ‘The Talk.’ The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” CBS said in a statement provided to media outlets. “As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.”

CBS also refuted Osbourne’s claims that she had been blindsided in the segment at the center of the controvers­y.

“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 and for me at 68 years of age to have to turn around and say ‘I ain’t racist’ … what’s it got to do with me?” Osbourne said on the March 10 show.

Morgan had been critical of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, who made allegation­s of racism against Great Britain’s royal family during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Osbourne tweeted on March 12 that she panicked at the thought of being labeled a racist and reacted defensivel­y on her program.

“I am still learning like the rest of us & will continue to learn, listen and do better,” she wrote.

Also on March 12, former “The Talk” host Holly Robinson Peete tweeted that Osbourne complained that Robinson Peete was “too ghetto,” which Osbourne denies. Former host Leah Remini also accused Osbourne of racist and sexist comments.

Osbourne had been with the show since it began in 2010. She was the only original host still with the show.

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