Actor Leah Remini and others are accusing Sharon Osbourne of making racist and homophobic comments about his previous co-hosts on “The Talk”.
Journalist Yashar Ali reported on Tuesday that Osbourne has a long history of insulting the race and sexual orientation of former “Talk” hosts such as Julie Chen and Sara Gilbert.
Ali said that several sources, including former presenter Remini, said that Osbourne referred to Chen, who is Chinese-American, as “Wonton” and “narrow eyes”, and for Gilbert, who is a lesbian, like “pussy licking” and “fish eater”.
Osbourne’s press officer, Howard Bragman, denied the allegations in the following statement to Ali:
The only thing worse than a dissatisfied ex-employee is a dissatisfied ex-talk show host.
For 11 years, Sharon has been kind, collegial and friendly to his hosts, as evidenced by giving them parties, inviting them to his UK home and other kindly gestures to name.
Sharon is disappointed, but unperturbed and hardly surprised by the lies, the reformulation of the story and the bitterness that arises 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 bring her down. She thanks her family, friends and fans for supporting her and getting to know her true nature.
Osbourne was criticized this week after she defended the personality of TV Piers Morgan on her show for comments he made about Meghan Markle.
Things heated up after co-host Sheryl Underwood, who is black, explained how Morgan’s comments rejecting the Duchess of Sussex’s account of her mental health problems bordered on racism.
Osbourne later apologized to “anyone of color” for offending and added that “there are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism, so feeling associated with it made me crazy!”
CBS announced on Monday that “The Talk” is on a brief hiatus so that the exchange between Underwood and Osbourne can be investigated.
However, since the original exchange, former presenter Holly Robinson Peete has also accused Osbourne said she was “too much ghetto” for the show.
Osbourne denied these allegations to Variety, saying, “This is not in my vocabulary. I don’t speak like that. The only ghetto I know of is the Warsaw Ghetto, and I think it was the only time I referred to something like that. “
Ali noted that a January 2011 episode of “The Talk” showed Osbourne using the word “ghetto” to refer to Remini’s Brooklyn accent.
CBS did not comment to Ali about the charges against Osbourne, but the network released a statement to Variety about the hiatus:
CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful work environment in all of our productions. We are also very attentive to the important concerns expressed and the discussions that are taking place about the events on ‘The Talk’. This includes a process in which all voices are heard, complaints are investigated and appropriate actions are taken when necessary. The program will extend its production hiatus until next Tuesday, while we continue to review these issues.
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