Sharon Osbourne’s Heated Piers Morgan Debate Sparks Internal Investigation After Claim She Was ‘Blindsided’

The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne claims there was a behind-the-scenes drama that led to her controversial discussion with her co-stars about Piers Morgan during Wednesday’s episode. Osbourne considers Morgan a friend, and she defended him in a tweet after he stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain when a colleague confronted him over his comments on Meghan Markle. That tweet led to the heated segment and now CBS says it is investigating the situation.

In an interview with Variety published Saturday, Osbourne said she was “totally blindsided” when her tweet was used as the launch point for the segment. Her back-and-forth with Sheryl Underwood quickly went viral. Osbourne said that this was the first time in her 11 years on the show that she was not involved in planning a segment. Just eight minutes before the show started, the showrunners asked her if it was OK if they discussed Morgan’s situation.

“I said, ‘Sure, they can ask me whatever,’” Osbourne recalled. “But then I get on there, I say my piece, and Sheryl [Underwood] turns around straight-faced, looks at me, and is reading from a card with questions. I was just so hurt, caught off guard and stunned by what I was being asked, and not prepared. I was honestly in shock. I felt like I was in front of a firing squad. I felt like a lamb held out for slaughter… They had me there for 20 minutes.”

When the show cut to a commercial, Osbourne said she “begged” producers to change subjects. “I’m a big girl. I’m a professional,” she told Variety. “However CBS blindsided me. I don’t know why they did it to me. The showrunners told me it came from executives to do this to me.”

CBS declined to comment on Osbourne’s “blindsided” comments. Instead, they referred Variety to a statement the network issued on Friday. “We are committed to a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace,” the network said. “All matters related to the Wednesday episode of The Talk are currently under internal review.”

Osbourne published a lengthy apology on social media Friday, following the conversation with Underwood. She admitted to Variety she is a “work in progress” and is “willing to learn.” Osbourne later explained, “I want to make this world a better place, but I don’t like being put in a situation I’m not prepared for and fired questions at me. I felt like I was on a witness stand with two prosecutors on either side of me. You want to ask me questions? I’m a team player. Let me know what the questions are so I can prepare. I’m an open book to everyone.”

The situation inspired former The Talk co-host Holly Robinson Peete to claim Osbourne “complained” she was “too ‘ghetto’” before she was fired. Osbourne called this “110 percent a lie” and said she has no power to fire anyone from the show. On Saturday, Osbourne shared an email Peete sent her a month after she left in 2011, in which Peete wrote, “Miss you madly.”

Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.