CBS Suspends The Talk While Investigating Sharon Osbourne Racism Claims

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CBS has suspended The Talk as they investigate an episode of the show after Sharon Osbourne defended Piers Morgan’s comments about Meghan Markle’s mental health. Morgan recently resigned from the British morning show Good Morning Britain after calling Markle a liar and suggesting that her suicidal thoughts, revealed during her interview with Oprah Winfrey on CBS, weren’t true. His comments provoked over 40,000 viewer complaints in the UK and sparked an international debate over mental health. Before his resignations, Morgan stormed off set after being called out by his co-host Alex Beresford. The weatherman described Morgan’s behavior as ‘pathetic’ and ‘diabolical,’ a move that gained him recognition over social media.

During the episode of The Talk, Sheryl Underwood asked Sharon Osbourne to clarify her position regarding her support for Morgan. The question prompted Osbourne to take the defense of the British host and journalist and asked Underwood to ‘educate’ her on why his remarks were labeled as ‘racist.’ During the show, Sharon Osbourne asked Sheryl Underwood to explain what made Piers Morgan’s comments racist, adding that as a friend, she’s defending his freedom of speech. The heated conversation quickly got emotional, with Underwood unable to hold back her tears at Osbourn’s words, prompting the latter to reply: “Don't try and cry, because if anyone should be crying, it should be me.”

According to Deadline, The Talk has been suspended while CBS investigates the episode of The Talk after Osbourne’s remarks. “Educate me, tell me when you have heard him say racist things?” Osbourne said during the episode. “I very much feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think is a racist, so that makes me a racist?”. On Thursday, Osbourne took over Twitter to issue a lengthy statement to apologize for her words, addressing those who might have been offended by her comments.

Morgan retweeted Osbourne’s post, taking the opportunity to demand his own apology from CBS itself. He claimed that Osbourne was shamed and bullied into apologizing for defending him. Now, he demands “an apology from those @TheTalkCBS bullies for their disgraceful slurs against ME.” Following these events, former The Talk co-host Holly Robinson Peete also used Twitter to express her opinions on Osbourne, saying that she “complained that I was too “ghetto” for #theTalk...then I was gone.”

Piers Morgan’s behavior towards Meghan Markle and Prince Harry not only sparked international outrage but it also questioned the way British tabloids handle sensitive topics such as mental health issues. The relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the British press has always been tumultuous, and Markle’s accusation did not soften their approach to the matter. The events of The Talk episode on CBS show how different American and British media face this delicate subject, but it doesn’t seem likely for them to find any common ground. At this point, it's unknown when The Talk will return on CBS or how long this investigation will take.