We have some updates about
the ongoing controversy surrounding
Sharon Osbourne and The Talk.
She had a very confrontational
interaction that was outrageous
during one of the episodes.
And in the wake of it,
The Talk decided, hey,
we're going on hiatus.
We will not talk anymore.
And even though the show is
not happening that wouldn't stop
Sharon Osborne from going
on Entertainment tonight to explain
herself how it all came to be and
how she might leave the show and
that she was set up.
Take a look.
>> Sharon said what unfolded on
here felt like a betrayal from her
co hosts after a pack they made in
February.
>> There was a situation in
February Carrie Ann was given
a question to ask Elaine and
Carrie Ann didn't want to ask it,
but it came from the producers to
ask Elaine.
And it was, if black people
can use the N word, why can't
white people use the N word?
Which is a very naive question to
ask, we all know why.
So Elaine got very upset with her
response Carrie Ann started to cry.
So we agreed we would never be
surprise each other with questions
if we thought the other one
hadn't been prepped.
And we said we will never put
ourselves in this situation again
where we set each other up, so we
all agreed as women got your back.
I finish saying what I'm saying and
then Sheryl asked me these
questions which I didn't know and
they were written questions and
then Elaine's reading her
questions.
>> Stand up for anti racism.
>> And I'm like I've been set up.
It's the canceled culture,
isn't it?
Throw her under the bus,
not to show runners, were crying.
And then they said, that we were
told to ask these questions from
the executives, the executives.
>> Who.
>> They wouldn't give me names.
>> So there you go.
Just one little wrinkle of
something that was not in there was
when Sharon points out that the
Meghan Markle interview with Oprah,
which set this whole thing off and
resulted in Piers Morgan storming
off his show and
Sharon Osbourne defending him.
That happened on CBS.
And this is a CBS show.
And Sharon showing solidarity with
peers was the reason that
Sharon says that the executives
decided to quote go after her.
We have no proof of that or
anything.
But that's essentially the setup.
Cenk what do you think?
>> This produced story about Sharon
Osbourne is not about race in my
opinion, it's about entitlement.
She does a show called The Talk and
she says an unexpected question
that prompts the conversation blows
her mind.
She can't believe it, she was set
up with a perfectly benign question
about race, in my opinion.
She doesn't find it benign because
of her opinions.
But it's, for
me, it'd be a super easy answer.
If it's a hard answer for her,
well then it's a more interesting
conversation, and you should talk
about it of the talk even more,
[LAUGH] right now less.
So, on the one hand, I get the Hey,
the fellow co hosts don't ambush
each other.
I get it right.
I don't think it's
a foreign concept.
I get why they would want to do
that as colleagues,
on the other hand, saying we as
people on television pretending to
have honest conversations will not
have a conversation about anything
that isn't pre produced and
pre approved, seems incredibly
authentic and entitled to me.
>> Right, so
that question that Carrie Ann Inaba
i think is her name was his
reference that sparked the pack.
Is such a horrible question to
be fed.
And in itself is a ridiculous
question that totally reeks of and
I've been I've talked, I
have worked with network producers,
some of them are fantastic.
Others think that good television
is just people
yelling at each other and
being angry at each other.
And that's it.
And I've told them that is
the depth of discourse for
all those reasons.
But this question about
Piers Morgan was a valid question.
I think it wasn't
a crazy question to ask,
what do you think about that?
Why do you defend him and then go
into what being racist is and I'm
going to read you the apology that
Sharon an excerpt from the apology
that Sharon Osbourne, Sharon Stone,
Sharon Osborne shared on Twitter.
She says, I've always been embraced
with so much love and support from
the black community and
I have deep respect and love for
the black community, to anyone of
color that I offended or
to anyone that feels confused or
let down, I'm truly sorry.
Fine, then she says, I panicked.
I felt blindsided got defensive and
allowed my fear and horror of being
accused of being racist take over.
Then she says I'm not perfect.
I'm still not learning.
I'm the rest of us, blah blah.
We learned we get better.
Okay, okay, okay.
A lot of people when they panic,
they freeze and they don't talk.
They say nothing.
But they don't suddenly say like
weird racist things that what is
it exposed.
For her it seems like what it
exposed was the truth about her.
Her sense of entitlement and that
her biggest fear is being called
racist which in the least of fears
is not a particularly scary one.
Being a victim of racism is much
scarier.
Being ignorant of racism when
you're someone who can then be
further victimized by racism.
That's very scary.
And then of course flying
spiders and
tigers those are also scary, but
this like being called a racist,
the not even being called a racist.
But someone asking you a question
about what racism means to you
in the context, as Jane says, have
a talk show where the point is to
discuss things exactly like this.
Come on.
That shouldn't scare you and
it definitely shouldn't turn you
into someone being like I and
as she calls herself literally,
their sacrificial lamb.
Come on, you're Sharon Osborne.
Your husband bites the heads off
the bats.
You're not just some victim out
there sitting there defenseless
against the elements.
>> Yeah, no, that's why I say like
entitled privilege like no,
I get to make millions of dollars,
doing a show called a talk without
talking about anything that
makes me uncomfortable.
>> Yeah.
Okay. >> That yeah, they I believe,
i believe the producer set her up,
100%.
I believe that the producers,
there was pressure from someone
being like, she's going to go hard
on frickin Oprah, you're not Oprah
put her in her place.
I'm guarantee that happened.
And I guarantee you that the people
were also at the top were thinking,
it's always us, or the view and
we need a Megan.
Right and and
Sharon's are making this week.
But here's the thing.
I also believe what I
know about Sharon Osborne if
you look into her past,
here's a history of Sharon Osborne.
According to Yasha Lee,
who said wrote this on subset,
Sharon Osborne would frequently
refer to her then co host Julie
Chen, who's Chinese American is
one ton and slanty eyes According
to multiple sources, including
former co-host Leah Remini.
Osbourne also referred to her
former co-host and
co-executive producer Sara Gilbert,
who is a lesbian,
as a P-word licker, a fish eater,
also in multiple sources,
including Leah Remini.
Holly Robinson Peete, she tweeted,
I'm old enough to remember when
Sharon complained that I was too,
quote, ghetto for The Talk.
Then I was gone.
I bring this up now because I was
mortified watching
the disrespectful condescending
tone she took with her co-hosts.
So, yeah, the history it was
convenient that they essentially
add a Meghan McCain lying
around and this happened.
You were set up.
No, this is all part of what makes
network daytime TV tick.
And you're just angry that
this time you were the hill.
>> Yeah, well that's the thing.
They want to be able to have all
the previleges of being a hill but
they don't wann be
exposed as the hill.
But all these is in
my opinion easily cured on why
don't you all come back on and
have a real talk about it.
Instead everybody
is going to scurry and none of them
should be proud, right?
So for folks who want
accountability, then you should
want to get out there and
toggle through whether it's
Sharon Osbourne or any of the other
hosts or the producers.
I mean this is literally your job,
you're not dentist,
you're talk show host on a show
called The Talk.
If you can't talk about
this incredibly important issue
in the country, then shut the show
down, be done with it.
Call it the non-talk, the quiet,
okay?
[LAUGH] So and
look In the reason I want them to
have a talk is not just for
their own sake, but for our sake.
So why do I say that?
Now obviously Sharon Osborne felt
comfortable if those sources
are correct and
there are multiple sources
including our former co-host.
Comfortable calling people slant
eyes and ghetto and obviously she
grew up and lived in a context
where being overtly racist
to others was not that big a deal.
Because look, guys, let's say that
they were really close friends and
they knew each other for
40 years and
they joke with each other and
they razz each other.
As a dolt totally different
contexts, and then that way.
Hey look, he said that but
I don't mind man I say the thing
right back at him, right?
That's a different context in
this context,
Holly Robinson Peete minded a lot.
And then they removed her from
the show, [LAUGH] they will not
fast friends, who are just joking
around with each other.
No this was said in apparently,
in a derogatory fashion.
And so she's now Sharon Osbourne
appears to be made
incredibly uncomfortable,
with not her opinions, but the fact
that her opinions were exposed.
Well then maybe there's something
wrong with your opinions.
Or at least you think that that's
why you're so uncomfortable,
either defend their opinions or
realize that they're not so
great opinions or statements, etc.
And guys, look, do we have two
different generations here we have
an older generation and a lot of
more wonderful and progressive and
have evolved in or some have never
had to evolve, right?
But a lot of them grew up in
a world that was filled to the brim
with racism and sexism, and they
find it common and they find it so
common, that they're offended
when you challenge a dealer.
What? It's normal.
Yeah, they I slapped a waitress and
as we all do, right?
No, and then you have a new
generation that says those man that
has no color and
don't call me slanty eyes and
then don't get all like don't go
cry on me when I say Hey,
could you not say the racist thing.
And those cultures are constantly
clashing and that's what's
happening in America right now.
And the older generation feels, so
put upon that they can't do
something that they used to do.
And guys, it's not just about age,
obviously, right?
And that culture seeps into
the younger generation.
And the younger generations,
culture also seeps into the older
generation.
And like I said, there's a great
variety within those.
I'm using generalized talk here,
if I'm allowed Sharon, okay.
[LAUGH] To give you a sense of
that phenomenon that's going on.
And what I want, which apparently
no one else in the country wants,
is for those two groups to get
together and talk it through.
I want the group that's concerned
about racism to hear out the other
side so that we can understand what
they're thinking and
maybe even help them.
I want the other side to be open to
why people are offended,
why it's hurting them so much and
maybe that we could help them is
instead of attacking right,
or feeling attacked.
But I know it's too much to ask for
[LAUGH] Something simple that could
actually heal us in a in a show
called a talk would be great,
wouldn't it?
On the other hand, it's TV