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Is Sharon Osbourne racist? ‘The Talk’ host accused of calling Julie Chen ‘slanty eyes’, Sara Gilbert ‘p***y licker’

Osbourne has been slammed forr her comments, racist slurs for Black and Iranian people

Sharon Osbourne has been at the helm of criticism for publicly supporting Piers Morgan's problematic comments about Meghan Markle on her famous CBS show 'The Talk'. Her heated exchange on the topic with co-host Sheryl Underwood even prompted CBS to issue a brief hiatus on the show. 

Amid ongoing backlash for her problematic stance on Morgan and Meghan Markle, Osbourne finds herself embroiled in another slew of controversy around racism.

Reporter Yashar Ali launched a behind-the-scenes probe into Osbourne's daytime panel show and found out shocking claims of Osbourne referring to her colleagues with racist monikers. From calling former Chinese American co-host Julie Chen "wonton" and "slanty eyes" to referring to Iranian-American talent agent Renee Tab as "Persian Carpet C**t" — Sharon Osbourne seems to have crossed many lines when it comes to racism.

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In addition, some former colleagues of Osbourne and talk show participants, like Holly Robinson Peete, recalled the racist insult from Osbourne she once had to tolerate. Reportedly, Osbourne called Peete — who was Black — "too ghetto for 'The Talk'."

In a tweet on March 12, Peete wrote, "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."

‘She doesn't look Black’

In 2018, during an episode of 'The Talk', Osbourne remarked that Meghan Markle "ain't Black!" When her co-hosts clarified that Markle was indeed Black, Osbourne unabashedly said, "She doesn't look Black."

Her bigoted comments about Black people can make quite a long list. In 2011, she ridiculed her co-host Leah Remini's Brooklyn accent as 'ghetto', reports Yashar Ali after watching a video clip of the same. 

On multiple occasions, Osbourne reportedly referred to her Chinese-American co-host Julie Chen in racist undertones as 'slanty eyes' or 'wonton'. Her offensive jibes, however, were not limited to race only. She called another co-host Sara Gilbert "P***y licker" and "fish eater," since Gilbert was lesbian. 

"1. Exclusive: Sharon Osbourne, co-host of the CBS daytime panel show 'The Talk', would frequently refer to then-co-host Julie Chen, who is Chinese American, as 'wonton' and 'slanty eyes', according to multiple sources," Yashar Ali posted in a Twitter thread. 

She had said, "Why won’t the p**sy licker do anything about the wonton? Why won’t the fish-eater be part of this discussion? She’s the f**king executive producer." Way back in 2003, Osbourne called Iranian-American talent agent Renee Tab a "Persian Carpet C**t" and falsely accused her of stealing jewelry. 

How did Sharon Osbourne respond to the racism allegations?

In an elaborate email to Yashar Ali, Osbourne's publicist Howard Bragman stated, "The only thing worse than a disgruntled former employee is a disgruntled former talk show host. For 11 years Sharon has been kind, collegial and friendly with her hosts as evidenced by throwing them parties, inviting them to her home in the UK and other gestures of kindness too many to name."

The email continued, "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. She thanks her family, friends and fans for standing by her and knowing her true nature."

However, Internet users are not willing to let Sharon Osbourne off the hook that easily especially after multiple allegations of racism. 

"Why is she still hired. Why. Why. Why. Have you heard about what Julie Burchill has done. In the UK she made racist & abusive comments. To Muslim British woman. And not many white women in mainstream media are marching. Instead. They are silent," tweeted British actress Yasmin A. Choudhury. 

"How in the hell did she last so long as a co-host on that show," asked another.

Another user complained, "Sharon has always treated people "beneath" her like absolute shit. Ask any band that played any status below 2nd headliner at Ozzfest."

But, not everyone was willing to believe the allegations against their favorite host Osbourne and tried to dismiss the claims blaming 'cancel culture' in the USA.

"Cancel culture is eating the USA alive," wrote a cynical user, while another called the complaints false, tweeting, "I saw it today and it’s absolutely infuriating making outright lies about her and putting it as fact only now that it is court-mandated she is paying for it yet the public will only care about the slander made about her."

One user even went to the extent of justifying Osbourne's behavior, "My mom worked with some funny ladies at the casino when she used to deal cards. One would walk by and say... "You old pothole!" and she'd holler it right back."

Osbourne has consistently denied all claims of racism made against her. It remains to be seen how CBS responds to the recently surfaced allegations and whether the network takes any action against the controversial host.