A resurfaced clip showing Sharon Osbourne commenting offensively about Meghan Markle’s Blackness has surfaced online this week as the “The Talk” co-host faces accusations of making racist and homophobic remarks directed at her former colleagues.
Journalist Yashar Ali, who published a report on the allegations surrounding Osbourne’s conduct towards his previous co-hosts on Tuesday, also posted Twitter thread on Saturday which featured an old clip of Osbourne speaking of the Duchess of Sussex on “The Talk.”
In the clip, which was reportedly shot in 2018, co-host Sheryl Underwood can be heard saying that Meghan brought “Blackness to the royal family,” to which Osbourne responds, “She’s not black.”
After Underwood and Eve quickly responded to Osbourne, correcting her that the Duchess is a biracial black woman whose mother is black (Meghan’s father is white), Osbourne redoubled her comment and responded to her black co-hosts.
“Yeah, no, I know, but she doesn’t look black,” he said.
“To who?” Eve and Underwood questioned in unison.
“TO anyone,” Osbourne can be heard responding in the middle of a chat.
Eve then pointed out that “black people come in all shades” before ending the discussion. The former co-host conveyed that such a complex conversation about skin and black deserved to be handled differently.
“That’s quite a discussion we don’t need to have,” Eve said.
A representative for CBS did not immediately return a request for comment on the resurfaced clip.
Osbourne was widely criticized last week after he fiercely defended his longtime friend Piers Morgan, who questioned and dismissed the revelations in Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7. During that interview, the Duchess shared her experience dealing with racism and revealed that she had contemplated suicide during her time as royalty.
During a tense exchange on “The Talk,” when Underwood asked Osbourne about his defense of Morgan, Osbourne visibly shaken placed the responsibility on his co-host to “educate” her on how Morgan’s relentless attacks on Meghan could be considered racist.
Osbourne then issued an apology on social media addressed to “anyone of color” the next day, writing that she “panicked, felt blind” and “became defensive” due to fear of “being accused of being racist. “.
Following Osbourne’s trade with Underwood last week, she has since been publicly accused of making racist comments about her former co-host Holly Robinson Peete and of using racial slurs and homophobic comments to refer to her former co-hosts Sara Gilbert and Julie Chen. Ali’s report detailing those allegations cited multiple unidentified sources, along with former “The Talk” co-host Leah Remini, who spoke officially in the article.
Osbourne’s publicist, Howard Bragman, issued a statement denying Ali the allegations, calling the allegations “lies” and a “recasting of the story.”
During an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” on Tuesday, Osbourne claimed she was surprised by Underwood’s questions about Morgan last week, saying she was “prepared” and not adequately prepared for the question, which she says is standard practice.
She called herself a “sacrificial lamb.”
CBS announced Tuesday that “The Talk” will be on hiatus for another week, after the network initially said the show would close on Monday and Tuesday while it discusses the Underwood and Osbourne trade.
The network issued the following statement regarding the show’s continued hiatus from Tuesday until the deadline:
CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace in all of our productions. We are also well aware of the significant concerns expressed and discussions taking place regarding the events in The conversation. This includes a process where all voices are heard, complaints are investigated, and appropriate action is taken when necessary. The show will extend its production hiatus until next Tuesday as we continue to review these topics.
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