Sheryl Underwood Addresses ‘The Talk’ Viewers in First New Episode Since Sharon Osbourne’s Exit

The Talk has returned with its first new episode since Sharon Osbourne’s exit, and co-host Sheryl Underwood began the show by addressing viewers directly. Sparing no extra time, Underwood called out the elephant in the room, saying, “It’s time for an episode of The Talk that will be unlike any other we’ve had before. As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave The Talk.”

Underwood continued, “We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing. Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we’ll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable discussing important issues and having difficult conversations. By the end of the hour, we want everyone to feel empowered and ready to move forward.”

The Talk went on a temporary hiatus after a heated exchange between Underwood and Osbourne sparked a race-related controversy. The whole thing started, however, with Osbourne showing support for Piers Morgan, who quit his own show, Good Morning Britain, following cruel comments about Meghan Markle. Coincidentally, Morgan was also being called out by a fellow co-host for his comments, just as Underwood did with Osbourne for hers.

In Monday’s new episode, Underwood spoke about what was going through her mind when she and Osbourne were locked in their fiery argument. “I didn’t want to escalate things with Sharon because I thought I was having a conversation with a friend,” she explained. “But also I knew I had to be an example for others to follow because I didn’t want to be perceived as the angry Black woman. That really scared me; I didn’t want to be that. I wanted to remain calm.” Underwood went on to say that revisiting that day has been “difficult… because I feel the trauma.”

During the show’s break, an internal investigation into Osbourne’s behavior was done and uncovered allegations of past racist comments. In a statement on her exit, CBS explained, “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.”