Sharon Osbourne has hired lawyer Jeremiah Reynolds to negotiate huge payout after 'The Talk' debacle: Source
After the scandal of Sharon Osbourne supporting Piers Morgan resulted in accusations of 'The Talk' host being racist, many had speculated that she would be removed from CBS' morning talk show. However, a source recently revealed that "she has a contract and they will have to pay her off if they want her to leave and that will cost them tens of millions."
Now, with news of Osbourne hiring a lawyer, the speculation that she is looking for a big payout has increased. Osbourne will be represented by powerhouse lawyer Jeremiah Reynolds, of the LA law firm Eisner in her negotiations with CBS. At the moment, the network is investigating “racially insensitive and hostile environment” on the show.
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After coming out in support of British host Piers Morgan, accusations that Osbourne was racist gained traction. ‘The Talk’ host was accused of calling Julie Chen "slanty eyes", Sara Gilbert "p***y licker." The show has gone off air for two weeks now after Osbourne’s recent exchange with Sheryl Underwood. A source in the know was quoted by Page Six saying, "Sharon wasted no time in getting her lawyers immediately on the case. Jeremiah Reynolds has a very strong reputation as a trial and arbitration lawyer and is handling all her negotiations with CBS.”
Speaking of the debacle, another source also revealed that Osbourne did expect to be fired, but that she wouldn't go down without fighting CBS. The source said, "The network will have to pay her a sizeable settlement to keep her quiet after this," and added, "She could write a book, she would do a world of interviews. She knows where all the bodies are buried.”
It must also be noted that Osbourne's lawyer is known within the industry as a corporate brawler, especially notorious for representing boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr’s team in negotiations with Manny Pacquiao over what would become the richest prizefight in history. Other than the Ozbourne family, he is also known to have represented Richard Gere, Justin Bieber, the Kardashian Family, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Hudson, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Danny DeVito and Paris Hilton.
A source also revealed how the showrunners — Heather Gray and Kristin Matthews — may have to take the fall for not preparing Osbourne for the heated showdown that would take place on air. This source said, "They blew it. Not preparing Sharon was a fatal mistake. It has destroyed the show. They may also have to take the fall. The staff is waiting for the announcement that Sharon is done, but meanwhile, they are still all pointing fingers."
More behind the scenes politics seems to be playing a role here as one source also revealed, "Both [co-hosts] Elaine [Welteroth] and Sheryl [Underwood] were made aware 30 to 35 minutes [before going on air] that there was an executive decision to make it a [longer] conversation and they [the co-hosts] were told Sharon knew." So how much will CBS have to shell out now and will this debacle destroy 'The Talk'? We will have to wait and keep an eye on the negotiations between Osbourne and CBS.