Entertainment
Sharon Osbourne to give first televised interview since quitting The Talk with US TV host Bill Maher
Sharon Osbourne is to give her first televised interview since quitting The Talk, speaking to Bill Maher on his US chat show.
In March this year, it was announced that Sharon, 68, was leaving The Talk after starring on the programme since 2010.
The former X-Factor judge’s departure came shortly after she engaged in a heated race row with co-host Sheryl Underwood, fiercely defending her friend Piers Morgan over his criticisms of Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Following the pair’s on-air clash, in which Sheryl tearfully demanded that Sheryl ‘educate’ her on racism, The Talk went on a hiatus and CBS launched an internal investigation.
When Sharon’s exit from the series emerged, CBS released a statement that read: ‘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.’
The TV network added: ‘We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts,’ after Sharon claimed that she felt ‘blindsided by the whole situation’.
While Sharon has released statements regarding her dispute with her former colleague Sheryl – sharing an apology on March 12 in which she apologised to ‘anyone of colour that I offended’ – on Friday she will speak on TV for the first time about how the situation unfolded.
The news was announced on the official Twitter account for Real Time with Bill Maher, which Bill has hosted since 2003.
According to a recent report, Sharon is said to have not watched The Talk when it returned on Monday April 12 following its three-week break.
An insider reportedly told TMZ that she was ‘otherwise engaged when the show returned to the air’.
When The Talk returned this week, Sheryl spoke on the show to her co-presenters Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth about the recent controversy.
Sheryl revealed that while Sharon had not phoned her, she did send text messages, which she chose not to respond to.
‘I want to clear something up. There was a discussion about Sharon and I communicating with each other. I have not spoken to, and do not have any phone call, missed or received, that I can find in my phone. But there were text messages sent to me,’ she said.
Sheryl added that she decided not to reply as she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to speak with Sharon while CBS’ investigation was being conducted.
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