Sharon Osbourne will have to be paid 'tens of millions' by ‘The Talk’ bosses if they boot her out of show: Source
Sharon Osbourne is reportedly asking for an eight-figure pay-off if she was forced to leave ‘The Talk’ amid an investigation in connection to a series of racism and mistreatment allegations against her. Currently, the US show, which features a panel of well-known entertainment personalities discussing current events, pop culture, family, celebrity, and trending topics of the day, has been on a break as network executives probe the allegations against Osbourne, which she strictly denies.
An insider close to the 68-year-old British-American television personality told The Sun: “She is furious about the slew of accusations made about her and is refusing to bow to the mounting pressure to leave. As far as she is concerned, she apologized over the on-air debate and hasn’t done anything else wrong.” The source then added: “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. If bosses expect her to go quietly, they have got another thing coming. It has formed a rift behind the scenes of the show but Sharon has made it crystal clear that she wants to put this behind her and carry on.”
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The problem started when Osbourne got involved in an on-air dispute with her co-host Sheryl Underwood while defending Piers Morgan’s harsh comments against Meghan Markle. Morgan had accused Meghan of lying about mental health and suicidal thoughts during Oprah Winfrey’s interview. The 55-year-old broadcaster received a lot of flak for his statement, but Osbourne supported him as she tweeted, “@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.”
She also harshly criticized Underwood, who was almost in tears, as she said, “I know he has a right to say what he feels on the interview, as we have a right to say and everybody has a right to say what they feel with freedom of speech.” Osbourne also asked the comedian to avoid crying as she commented, “because if anyone should be crying, it should be me".
Later, Osbourne issued a lengthy apology, saying: “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. 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!!"
But it did not work in her favor as her former co-star Holly Robinson Peete later accused her of calling her “too ghetto”. Peete also claimed that Osbourne was the reason behind her leaving her job on ‘The Talk’. “I’m old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too “ghetto” for #theTalk... then I was gone. I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co-host who remained calm & respectful because...she HAD to,” Peete tweeted.
Not just that, Osbourne has also been alleged of making racial slurs about Asian-American co-host Julie Chen and another co-host Sara Gilbert. A behind-the-scenes investigation launched by journalist Yashar Ali revealed that she had referred to Chen as "wonton" and "slanty eyes" while called Gilbert "P***y licker" and "fish eater," since she was lesbian.
