Sharon Osbourne’s Reported Reaction to Her ‘The Talk’ Exit Shouldn’t Surprise Many

Sharon Osbourne is reportedly “bitterly disappointed” about her exit from The Talk and her career prospects going forward. CBS announced that Osbourne was leaving the talk show last week, shortly after she publicly defended Piers Morgan following his departure from Good Morning Britain. Osbourne is reportedly upset to find herself being called a racist by association.

“Sharon is bitterly disappointed at how it all played out,” a source close to Osbourne told Us Weekly. “Her whole career has been based on not holding back, speaking her mind and championing free speech — so to be classified or perceived as a bigot or a racist is a sickening scenario and an utter nightmare for her, especially since she insists up and down it’s all a pack of lies and that’s the last thing she is.”

The insider said that Osbourne is focused on “trying to see all the positives,” and is surrounding herself with “allies.” These friends are reportedly assuring Osbourne that she will “bounce back 10 times stronger” from this fiasco.

“Her family is supporting her too and it tears them all apart seeing her suffer like this,” they added. “They think it’s a big stitch-up and she’s been hung out to dry for something she hasn’t done or believed in.”

Morgan became so furious that he stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain last month while discussing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. Morgan has been accused of racism often throughout his career — especially when it comes to Markle. Osbourne defended him vehemently, though it is still not entirely clear if she left The Talk by choice, or if she was forced out.

On The Talk, Osbourne had an all-out argument with co-host Sheryl Underwood over Morgan’s dismissal, and the Markle interview itself. Underwood told Osbourne: “To not want to address that [Meghan] is a Black woman and to try to dismiss it or to make it seem less than what it is, that’s what makes it racist.”

After that, The Talk went on an unplanned hiatus, during which time the studio reportedly conducted an internal investigation into racist biases on the set. The source close to Osbourne said that she fears being permanently associated with that.

“She knows some people will now hate her forever no matter what, plus in many respects, she’ll have to start from scratch once the whole mess dies down,” they said. “She’s decided to take a breather for a while and see where the chips fall once the dust settles. In the meantime, she’s distraught and angry, trying to digest this tornado that’s come from nowhere and turned her life upside down.”