Sharon Osbourne Finds Support From Cyndi Lauper Amid 'The Talk' Racism Scandal
Singer Cyndi Lauper voiced her support for her friend Sharon Osbourne amid The Talk co-host's [...]
Singer Cyndi Lauper voiced her support for her friend Sharon Osbourne amid The Talk co-host's racism scandal. Osbourne has been the focus of controversy since the March 10 episode, in which she voiced support for Piers Morgan and got into a heated conversation with co-host Cheryl Underwood. CBS is investigating the case and new episodes of The Talk have been put on hold.
Back on Thursday, Lauper shared a photo of herself with Osbourne, 68, on Instagram. "I wanted to come out publicly to support my friend," Lauper, 67, wrote in the caption. "I have known her for a long time and I do not believe that she is racist." Lauper went on to note that her friend may have "misspoken" and "even flubbed her apology," but she believes Osbourne is "sincere in trying to make things right."
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"We all make mistakes. I could not sit by and not say something," Lauper continued. "We all want to be given second chances but no one wants to give a second chance. We all want to be forgiven but no one wants to forgive. I believe that Sharon is sincere in her desire to apologize and change. I hope that everyone will be at least willing to hear her out."
Osbourne's scandal started during the March 10 episode, when she was asked about her tweet defending Morgan, who had left Good Morning Britain over his own controversial remarks about Meghan Markle. Many considered Morgan's words racist, which Underwood brought up in the segment about her tweet. "While you are standing by your friend, it appears that you are giving validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist," Underwood told Osbourne, who was caught off guard. "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," she said. Underwood then explained why Morgan's comments were considered racist and hurtful.
Osbourne later apologized for her comments on social media two days after the episode aired. However, on March 13, Osbourne told Variety she felt "blindsided" by CBS when her Morgan-defending tweet was brought up. She accused producers of not suggesting the show cover the tweet until just minutes before the episode began. Osbourne claimed it was the first time she was not consulted in planning a segment.
CBS later launched an investigation into The Talk, leading to all live episodes of the show being canceled. It is not clear when the show will be back. Meanwhile, other allegations of racism against Osbourne have popped up. Holly Robinson-Peete, who appeared on The Talk's first season, claimed Osbourne often referred to her as "ghetto" and played a role in her being fired. Leah Remini, another Talk Season 1 veteran, corroborated this in interviews with journalist Yashar Ali.
Osbourne denied Robinson-Peete's allegations on Twitter. She denied other allegations in an interview with The Daily Mail and said she has not been fired yet. She predicted she could be the "sacrificial lamb," but does not care. "If that's what they want to do, so be it. I'm a big girl. I lost my cool in there [on the show], I did," she said. "I totally lost it and came off so horribly defensive. I can only learn from that."