VIEWERS were left reeling after an on-air row between Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood.
The fallout from the row has been huge – and the show has been put on hiatus while an investigation takes place.
Why is today’s The Talk a rerun?
The talk show has been off air for the last two days and should be back on air on Wednesday.
It follows Sharon Osbourne‘s vocal support for British presenter Piers Morgan.
CBS launched an internal investigation into the comments, and has taken the show off air on Monday and Tuesday.
What happened on The Talk?
The controversy all stems from an on-air row that happened on the show on Wednesday, March 10 – following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah and its aftermath.
During the row, Sharon defended Piers Morgan’s controversial comments in which he said he ‘did not believe’ Meghan’s comments about her mental health.
She said, “Did I like everything he said? Did I agree with what he said? No. ‘Because it’s his opinion. It’s not my opinion… I support him for his freedom of speech, and he’s my friend. I’m not racist… I don’t care what colour or what religion anyone is. Are you a nice person? That’s what I judge you on.”
Sharon’s co-host Sheryl Underwood challenged her on her comments, saying: “What would you say to people who may feel that while you’re standing by your friend, it appears you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don’t agree?”
Sharon hit back: “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? What does it gotta do with me?”
Becoming increasingly emotional, she continued: “I will ask you again Sheryl… and don’t try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be me… You tell me where you have heard him say racist things.”
What has Sharon Osbourne said about her comments?
After the on-air debacle, Sharon took to Twitter to explain her actions.
She tweeted: “To anyone of color that I offended… I am truly sorry.
“I panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive & allowed my fear & horror of being accused of being racist take over.”
Meanwhile, Piers Morgan defended his friend: “Sharon’s been shamed and bullied into apologising for defending me against colleagues accusing me of racism because I don’t believe Meghan Markle,
“I demand an apology from those @TheTalkCBS bullies for their disgraceful slurs against ME.”
When will The Talk be back on NBC?
It is thought The Talk will return on Wednesday.
But a source exclusively told The Celeb Report: “This is the worst time in the history of the show. The network execs are furious that their Grammys night was interrupted by dealing with the show’s drama. Heads are going to roll.
“They may pay off Sharon the rest of her $5 million dollar contract and be done after she called out the network for making producers ambush her. But also possible she will not be let go.”
In a statement released by CBS on Friday, a spokesperson said: “We are committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace.
“All matters related to the Wednesday episode of The Talk are currently under internal review.”
