When Will 'The Talk' Return After Sharon Osbourne's Exit?

The Talk will return in April, but without Sharon Osbourne. The longtime co-host was ousted from [...]

The Talk will return in April, but without Sharon Osbourne. The longtime co-host was ousted from the series on Friday evening after CBS conducted an internal review on the controversial March 10 episode. Osbourne clashed with her co-hosts when they asked her to respond to her defense of Piers Morgan, the former Good Morning Britain anchor who left his show after making comments about Meghan Markle that were seen as racist.

New episodes of The Talk will resume on April 12, reports Deadline. The show has a pre-planned break during the week of April 5. CBS announced new episodes of the show would not be taped during the week of March 15 while the internal investigation was launched. This week, CBS extended the hiatus again.

"The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home," CBS said in a statement. "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 network went on to note that the co-hosts were "not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race."

"During this week's hiatus, we are coordinating workshops, listening sessions, and training about equity, inclusion, and cultural awareness for the hosts, producers, and crew," the network's statement concluded. "Going forward, we are identifying plans to enhance the producing staff and producing procedures to better serve the hosts, the production, and, ultimately, our viewers."

Osbourne was the last remaining original co-host of The Talk, which launched in 2010 with Leah Remini, Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Holly Robinson Peete joining Osbourne. Amid the controversy surrounding the March 10 episode, Peete accused Osbourne of playing a role in getting her fired after just one season and referring to her as "ghetto." Journalist Yashar Ali also reported that Osbourne made racist remarks about Chen and homophobic remarks about Gilbert. Osbourne denied these allegations in a statement through her publicist.

The March 10 episode included a segment where Osbourne was asked about her tweet the day before, in which she defended Morgan's comments. "Educate me, tell me when you have heard him say racist things?" Osbourne told Underwood. "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?" Osbourne later posted an apology on March 12, but she later told Variety she felt she was "blindsided" when her tweet was brought up for discussion.

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