Even with the submission of a lengthy apology, television host Sharon Osbourne isn’t out of trouble just yet.
Following a heated debate with co-host Sheryl Underwood and an allegation from former co-host Holly Robinson Peete, which claimed Osbourne called her “too ghetto” for the “The Talk,” CBS Networks has now launched an investigation into Osbourne’s remarks.
Variety reported that the daytime talk show would go on a brief hiatus after canceling its live show for Monday, March 15, and Tuesday, March 16. The current goal is to return to filming on Wednesday, March 17, an unidentified source told the media outlet. The network will then evaluate where they stand before proceeding. CBS declined to comment on the situation further. However, they did release a statement on Friday, March 12, stating, “We are committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace.” The network added, “All matters related to the Wednesday episode of ‘The Talk’ are currently under internal review.”
Meanwhile, Osbourne has denied Robinson-Peete’s claims. In a post uploaded to her social media pages on Sunday, March 14, the television personality shared a screenshot of an email conversation between her and the actress dated September 19, 2011 — shortly after Robinson-Peete’s exit from the show. In the text, the “21 Jump Street” star seemingly claimed that Julie Chen, a former co-host of ‘The Talk’ who left the series in 2018, after her husband Les Moonves was ousted from CBS, played a role in her firing from the show.
In the third paragraph, Robinson-Peete stated, “CBS is doing behind the scenes damage to my career with other studios and nets… And now Les is getting in the mix commenting -completely lying defending Julie—check it out here:” The actress goes on to tell Osbourne, “If you are angry that I complained to CBS about Julie and the ‘racist’ comment I apologize but I owe it to my family to try to stop the venomous lies Julie is spreading. I am now being told I may need to take legal action to get her to stop trashing me…”
In the caption of her post, Osbourne wrote, “In response to @hollyrpeete Holly Robinson Peete’s accusation of me getting her fired from @thetalkcbs and saying she was ‘too ghetto’ to be on The Talk. I never once uttered those words and I am sharing an e mail sent to me from Holly one month after she was let go by CBS.” She added, “As I have stated before, I have never had the ability/authority to get anyone fired from @thetalkcbs and Ms. Peete’s email speaks for itself.”
As previously reported, Osbourne’s week in the headlines comes after she and co-host Underwood got into a fiery discussion on Wednesday, March 10. The pair argued over Osbourne’s loyalty to her friend and former “Good Morning Britain” co-host Piers Morgan following the remarks he made regarding Meghan Markle and her tell-all interview with her husband Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey.
