Sharon Osbourne has reportedly hired her own security after she, her family and her dogs began receiving death threats following a controversial exchange on The Talk.
Osbourne has been hit with multiple accusations of racism following an on-air dispute with co-host Sheryl Underwood over Morgan’s comments on Meghan Markle.
TMZ, citing sources close to Osbourne, reported that since the episode aired on March 10, the TV personality, 68, has been bombarded with furious messages on social media and has also received calls to her home and mobile threatening her safety.
Pictures show men standing outside Osbourne’s L.A. home next to cars marked ‘private security’. The entertainment website on Thursday published said the security had been stationed there all week.
Sharon Osbourne has reportedly hired her own security after she, her family and her dogs began receiving death threats following a controversial exchange on The Talk
Pictures show men standing outside Osbourne’s L.A. home next to cars marked ‘private security’
Osbourne has turned the comments off on her last two Instagram posts, reportedly after receiving a deluge of nasty comments, including ones telling her to ‘die and go to hell’.
‘I hope Sharon Osbourne gets hit by one last wave of COVID & dies,’ one Twitter user wrote.
On Tuesday, Osbourne was hit with new accusations of racism, which alleged that she used racial slurs when describing former co-host Julie Chen.
Journalist Yashar Ali reported that sources had told him that Osbourne had referred to Chen, whose parents emigrated to the United States from China, as a ‘wonton’ and had made comments about the shape of her eyes.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on Thursday, Osbourne adamantly denied the claims, saying they were ‘crap, all crap’.
‘Everybody’s got an opinion and everybody’s got a voice – it’s fine. It’s about knowing somebody’s been called out for something and then somebody else is like, ‘yes!! I’m going to add something too.’
‘Of course, it’s a pile on. People want to add fuel to the fire and it comes with the territory and that’s fine.’
After she faced a backlash and accusations of racism following the March 10 show, Osbourne issued a statement (above) Friday apologizing ‘to anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down’
The Talk has been taken off air until March 23 while CBS investigates the exchange between Osbourne and Underwood, 57.
The bust-up has left her friendship with Underwood hanging by a thread, angry about the ensuing pile-on and with her career at CBS in doubt.
Osbourne told DailyMail.com that she wasn’t warned that a debate was coming and had been prepped beforehand for four completely different segments.
She said she was blindsided and stunned to discover her co-hosts were questioning her using cue cards on a part of the show that is usually ad-libbed.
Osbourne said it was at this point, she realized she had been set up by producers intent on creating headlines and CBS bigwigs angry with her for defending her friend Morgan whom they believe ‘tarnished’ their top rated Markle interview with his comments.
CBS has extended The Talk’s hiatus until March 23 after Osbourne (left) was accused of frequently calling former co-host Julie Chen (right) a ‘wonton’ and making comments about the shape of her eyes
Morgan told Good Morning Britain viewers that he didn’t believe a word Markle said and added: ‘I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report’.
Osbourne was later accused of racism for backing Morgan’s right to voice an opinion, while Morgan has now left Good Morning Britain after refusing to apologize for his comments.
Osbourne told DailyMail.com that she later discovered The Talk’s producers had initially asked Elaine Welteroth to lead the questioning but she refused when they were unable to provide her with any evidence of Morgan’s alleged racism.
She said: ‘I found out later on, they’d asked Elaine to start off the segment and she said, no I’m not doing it.
‘She kept saying, ‘where’s the evidence that Piers is a racist? Where’s the evidence? Show me’. Of course, they couldn’t show her anything because there wasn’t anything.’
Osbourne said: ‘I just think Piers tarnished their perfect interview that’s been so well received in America – I can’t talk for the rest of the world, I can only say here.
‘Especially the younger kids here, they are totally behind Harry and Meghan and that’s great.
‘Piers tarnished it for them and I think they’re pissed. Pissed with me for sticking up for him and I think that’s it.’
Having realized she had been ‘set up’, Osbourne said she lost her temper and became angrier still when the debate wasn’t ended after the first commercial break but allowed to continue for another 20 minutes.
Former co-star Leah Remini (pictuted) has publicly come out to complain that Osbourne once referred to Chen as ‘a wonton’ and to Remini as being ‘ghetto’
She says she was left even more furious when Morgan – and her by association – were accused of being racist, despite producers ‘not having a shred of evidence’.
Osbourne said: ‘It’s hurtful but the thing is, when you’re tarred with that, you can’t defend it because the more you defend it, the worse it is for you.
‘You know, it’s like that line that people use – oh some of my best friends are black and you come out with ridiculous statements. Well I’m not going to do that.
‘Yes, I blew my bloody wad on the show and I went nuts, I went nuts. All these thoughts were going through my head while I was answering these questions and I knew I’d been blindsided.
‘They’d set me up. They’d set me up. The producers never told me. If they’d said to me, listen, the execs here aren’t happy with what’s gone on with you and Piers – we’ve got to try and sort this situation out, the girls are going to ask you these questions, blah, blah. Bring me in on it. Don’t blindside me.
‘If they’d said these execs aren’t happy, I’d have worked on it with them. But give me a chance. Don’t bloody surprise attack me on national TV live for 20 minutes when it was meant to be four other segments.
Meanwhile, former co-star Leah Remini has publicly come out to complain that Osbourne once referred to Chen as ‘a wonton’ and to Remini as being ‘ghetto’.
The claims came shortly after another former co-star, Holly Robinson Peete, also accused Osbourne of saying she was ‘ghetto’ and allegedly getting her fired.
Osbourne Robinson Peete’s claims and added to DailyMail.com: ‘In situations like this, you’re always going to get people who you’ve had disagreements with in the past, people who’ve got axes to grind, who come out of the woodwork and they’ll come out with their BS and that’s it. It doesn’t surprise me at all. It doesn’t surprise me.’
The Talk was initially put on hiatus until Wednesday while executives investigated. Following the Chen and Gilbert allegations, CBS issued a statement saying it had extended the broadcast suspension until next Tuesday. Pictured: The hosts of The Talk (L-R): Elaine Welteroth, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne, Sheryl Underwood and Amanda Kloots
Osbourne has faced criticism over her an on-air feud with Underwood after she was accused of being racist for defending her friend Piers Morgan in the wake of his Meghan Markle comments
She added: ‘Being accused of racism is no joke. Now they get their sweet revenge. I can’t even address it because it’s kids in a schoolyard.
‘Coming out with stupid, childish comments – it’s like really? That’s all you’ve got?’
Asked if she had ever called Chen a wonton, she added: ‘It’s all crap. It’s all crap. I don’t want to go there with her. She makes her living out of outing people. So, it’s like come on.
‘It’s got no real foundation. Allegations of calling a Chinese lady a wonton, it’s like – is that all you’ve got? It’s like really?’
Osbourne added: ‘All these little people who want to come out with a story about [Piers] or me from the 70s or 80s or whatever, it’s like f**k you all.
‘I couldn’t care less. And I’m not going to defend myself. It’s like, oh shut up – I’m too bloody busy.’
Osbourne told DailyMail.com that she suspects the row will now cost her place on The Talk but hopes the CBS investigation will at least give her answers to who gave the order blindside her and why.
She said: ‘I kind of think they’re going use me as a sacrificial lamb and fire me. It’s fine. It’s fine. It hasn’t happened yet but I’m sure it will.
‘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. I totally lost it and came off so horribly defensive. I can only learn from that.
‘I don’t know what they’ll do. It’s a big, ugly mess. But I didn’t start it. I didn’t start it. It’s down to the producers of the show.’
Viewers were angered by Osbourne’s defensive reactions to Underwood’s questions, saying she was wrong to demand that her co-host educate her about racism.