“The Talk“ returned on Monday and immediately jumped into a discussion about race.
It was the first new episode since Sharon Osbourne exited the CBS daytime talk show after a tense argument with fellow cohost Sheryl Underwood over Osbourne’s support for Piers Morgan.
Morgan’s derogatory remarks following Prince Harry and Meghan’s interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey were criticized as racist, prompting Underwood to challenge the support.
On Monday’s episode, Underwood explained that it was the panel’s first time in the studio since the incident with Osbourne.
“We need to process the events of that day and what’s happened since so we can get to the healing,” Underwood said. “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 with discussing important issues and having difficult conversations.”
After the discussion, accusations emerged in an article by journalist Yashar Ali that Osbourne used racial and homophobic language while speaking about her former colleagues on the CBS talk show. The show went on a brief hiatus.
Ali quoted a number of anonymous sources, including former “Talk” co-host Leah Remini, who spoke on the record for the story.
In a statement from her spokesman, Howard Bragman, Osbourne apologized for the feud with Underwood on Twitter and refuted the claims made in Ali’s reporting.
“The only thing worse than a disgruntled former employee is a disgruntled former talk show host,” he said in a statement to CNN. “For 11 years, Sharon has been kind, collegial, and friendly with her hosts, as evidenced by throwing them parties, inviting them to her home in the UK, and other gestures of kindness too many to name. Sharon is disappointed but unfazed and hardly surprised by the lies, the recasting of history, and the bitterness coming out at this moment.”
“The Talk” premiered in 2010, and Osbourne was the only original cast member.
During Monday’s show, Underwood and her cohosts Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots, and Elaine Welteroth welcomed Dr. Donald E. Grant, an expert on diversity, equality, inclusion, and fairness, to provide guidance on addressing race issues, as well as Dr. Anita Phillips, a nationally acclaimed trauma specialist and life coach, who shared insight on how to recover after a traumatic experience.
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