‘The Talk’ Host Makes Surprising Statement About Sharon Osbourne’s Departure

Over a year after Sharon Osbourne departed The Talk, one of her former co-workers is speaking out about her. During an interview with PEOPLE, Sheryl Underwood expressed that she misses Osbourne. Viewers might recall that Underwood and Osbourne had a heated conversation on the program regarding Piers Morgan’s ignorant comments on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey. The conversation ended up paving the way for Osbourne’s exit from the show. 

When it comes to her former co-host, Underwood said that she does “miss” Osbourne. She said, “I miss her. You can’t work with somebody for all that time. I have an equation that I use — time plus distance equals clarity. When you work in daytime with somebody, 220 shows, four days a week, traveling with them, talking to them, you can’t forget that.” As previously mentioned, Osbourne was fired from The Talk after engaging in a heated conversation with Underwood that took place during a March 2021 episode. 

The segment saw Osbourne defending her friend, Morgan, who made some inflammatory comments about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah. Osbourne and Underwood then addressed the matter that race played in the situation, as Markle is a Black woman. At one point in the conversation, Osbourne said, “I very much feel like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think is a racist, so that makes me a racist?” Shortly after this interaction took place, it was reported that Osbourne was leaving the program. As The Hollywood Reporter noted, CBS addressed her exit with a statement. 

“The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home. As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts,” the statement read. “At the same time, we acknowledge the network and studio teams, as well as the showrunners, are accountable for what happened during that broadcast as it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race.”

About a month after this took place, Underwood addressed the situation on the air. She said, “I thought I was having a conversation with a friend, but also I knew I had to be an example.” Underwood added that she did not want to “be perceived as the angry Black woman.” The Talk co-host added, “I wanted to remain calm and remain focused, and it’s difficult to go back to that day because I just feel the trauma.”