Sharon Osbourne Allegedly Calls The Talk Co-Hosts “Slanty Eyes” , “WonTon”, “Fish Eater”, “Pussy Licker”, & “Wop ” As Other Allegations Of Abuse Surface
A confrontation on an episode of Sharon Osbourne’s talk show, The Talk, last week has led to the show being put on hiatus.
During Wednesday’s episode of The Talk, which is not made available online by CBS, Sharon Osbourne became emotional and combative during a discussion with her co-hosts about how her public support for Piers Morgan following his comments about Meghan Markle is being perceived. Sheryl Underwood noted that “while you are standing by you your friend, it appears that you are giving validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist.” Among his most incendiary remarks, Morgan said he did not believe Markle’s suicidal thoughts.
“I feel like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist,” Osbourne said, before asking Underwood to be precise about how Morgan has been racist.
“I will ask you again Sheryl… and don’t try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be me. This is the situation, you tell me where you have heard him say racist things. Educate me,” Osbourne said. Underwood replied that it wasn’t “exact words of racism” but “the implication and the reaction to it.”
You can see and hear the tone Osbourne was using in the clip below:
Shortly after the show, Osbourne issued an apology to “anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused, or let down by what I said.” She added that she was “panicked, felt blindsided [and] got defensive.”
Deadline reported there was a closed-door meeting after the episode, and that CBS, who produce the show placed the show under internal review.
Today, new accusations have been levied against Osbourne, confirmed by other former co-hosts. Reporter Yashar Ali posted a new article detailing accusations of verbal abuse and racism against the Osbourne matriarch.
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, including former co-host Leah Remini.
Osbourne also referred to former co-host and executive producer Sara Gilbert, who is a lesbian, as “pussy licker” and “fish eater,” according to multiple sources including Remini.
The accusations come as Osbourne faces a torrent of criticism for not only publicly supporting British TV personality Piers Morgan—who accused Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, of lying about having suicidal thoughts and doubted her accounts of racism within the royal family and their court—but also appearing defensive and angry and ordering one of her co-hosts to not cry when asked about the blowback during a segment on “The Talk.”
Though Osbourne has spoken abusively for years with little to no consequence, she’s facing significant scrutiny for the first time in her career as a TV personality. “The Talk” has been put on hiatus as its co-hosts past and present air grievances on Twitter, and Osbourne is threatening at least one of them with litigation.
From the beginning, Osbourne also objected to Chen having any leadership role on the show and repeatedly tried to rally Remini and Robinson Peete in an effort to marginalize Chen, Remini said. According to Remini, in one exchange during the first season, Osbourne said of Chen: “I mean, who the fuck does slanty eyes think she is? She shouldn’t be pillow-talking with our boss.”
In another exchange, according to Remini, Osbourne said of Gilbert: “Why won’t the pussy licker do anything about the wonton?” and “Why won’t the fish eater be part of this discussion? She’s the fucking executive producer.”
Remini also says that Osbourne would refer to her as a WOP and Guinea which are ethnic slurs used against Italians.
An original host of The Talk, Holly Robinson Peete posted an accusation that Osbourne once ““complained that I was too ‘ghetto’” and was the reason Peete was thrown off the show.
Osbourne pushed back on the claims, saying she has never uttered the phrase “too ghetto” and shared a screenshot of an email Peete sent Osbourne after leaving the show.
The show is currently off the air, as CBS investigates the situation. They released the following statement: “We are committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace. All matters related to the Wednesday episode of The Talk are currently under internal review,” network reps stated.
