Sharon Osborne says Whoopi Goldberg wasn’t fired from The View for belittling the Holocaust because “nobody gives a shit about Jews”.
Osbourne, 68, hinted there was a clear double standard that led to her being fired from rival show The Talk in March 2021 for defending Piers Morgan during his war with Meghan Markle while Goldberg got her coveted job kept, although she remarked in February this year that ‘The Holocaust wasn’t about race.’
When The Times asked about the double standard, she said, “I’ll tell you why, because it’s the Jews and nobody gives A***.
Osbourne – whose music producing father Don Arden was Jewish – added that she likes Goldberg, emphasizing showbiz hypocrisy rather than attacking the ghost star personally.
The drama involving Osbourne began when Morgan stormed out of British chat show Good Morning Britain on March 9, 2021 after saying he didn’t think Meghan Markle was suicidal following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Goldberg’s suspension came a day after Whoopi, 66, made the controversial comments on The View. She referred to Jews and Nazis as “two groups of whites” and said because they were both white, it was about “inhumanity” and not about race.
When Osbourne was asked to comment on his remarks on The Talk the next day, she said that while she disagreed with Morgan, she supported his right to voice his controversial opinions on television.
Underwood, who is black, pushed back hard and accused Osbourne of downplaying Morgan’s comments and “validating” his “racist” views.
Osbourne was later permanently suspended from her role on the show and quit.
The incident sparked a broader racial conversation and an internal investigation at CBS after Welteroth reportedly complained about a “racially insensitive and hostile environment” at the show.
Welteroth and Underwood would later address the controversy on-air weeks later, saying the pair were forced to remain “calm” in the face of someone “who wasn’t listening and who was thrown into disrespect.”
Goldberg’s suspension came a day after Whoopi, 66, made the controversial comments on The View. She referred to Jews and Nazis as “two groups of whites” and said because they were both white, it was about “inhumanity” and not about “race”.
She apologized hours later and again later Tuesday morning, but the original remark immediately sparked an international backlash, with everyone from Israel’s Consulate General in New York to the Auschwitz Memorial and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) taking offense .
Osbourne – seen with husband Ozzy – will now host an hour-long panel discussion show – also called The Talk – which airs at 9pm on TalkTV in the UK
Osbourne had claimed she was “blinded” on the show by questions about her tweet supporting Morgan after his departure was announced.
‘I’m with you. I stand by you. People forget that you get paid for your opinion and that you only tell the truth,” she wrote to Morgan on Twitter.
The next day, Underwood asked Osbourne on the air: “What would you say to people who might feel that while you’re standing by your friend, you’ve validated or given a safe haven to something he said that is even racist ? if you don’t agree?’
Osbourne got defensive and fired back, saying she felt like she was being “electric chaired” for being his girlfriend and asked her co-hosts to show her what Morgan had said, which was racist.
“Right now I’m talking to a woman who I believe is my friend,” Underwood said. “I don’t want anyone to look at this and think we’re attacking you because you’re racist.”
Osbourne replied: “I think it’s too late. This seed has already been sown.’
After the episode aired, Osbourne apologized for her “panic” and “defensive” reaction, but repeatedly claimed that CBS showrunners phrased the question to provoke an on-air explosion.
The drama between Osbourne and her co-stars began after Sharon was grilled over her tweet declaring her support for boyfriend Piers Morgan after he was fired for criticizing Meghan Markle’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey
Osbourne will now host an hour-long panel discussion show – also called The Talk – which will air at 9pm on TalkTV in the UK.
The show will bring together five famous faces from different backgrounds and views to discuss current issues.
News UK’s latest venture, TalkTV, will be broadcast on linear TV platforms as well as online services such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and YouTube.
In the interview, Osbourne also opened up about a variety of issues, including questioning people’s interest in the Kardashians.
Her family’s 2002 MTV reality show, The Osbornes, was widely credited as the prototype program that inspired later efforts by the Kardashians and others.
“I understand why [the Kardashians] are as big as they are,” says Osbourne. “But I’m old-fashioned and I’m like, ‘Well, what’s your talent?’ This world of selfies in your underwear, selfies topless, selfies showing your food, selfies in bed – I’m just like, ‘Oh damn it.’
She also gave Prince Andrew some advice on how he should have dealt with his recent controversy with Virginia Giuffre, who claims he had sex with her when she was a teenage victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking.
“He should have said, ‘I wasn’t married. Everyone knew me as Randy Andy. My boyfriend at the time [Epstein] was surrounded by young women, and [Giuffre] was up for it, I was up for it, and it’s not illegal in England to have sex with someone her age. Don’t be fooled – nothing about a pizzeria.”