Sheryl Underwood Speaks Out After Sharon Osbourne Exits 'The Talk'

Sheryl Underwood is addressing several accusations Sharon Osbourne made about her co-host after exiting "The Talk." 

In a three-part series on her podcast titled "Sharon Walks Away," Underwood denied allegations that she had ignored Osbourne, who had reportedly reached out to her following their heated on-air discussion about racism, and also spoke out about Osbourne's claims that the network had instigated their exchange.

During their conversation, Osbourne defended her friend Piers Morgan and his controversial comments about Meghan Markle following her interview with Oprah Winfrey. Underwood explained that some of Morgan's statements could be seen as racist, to which Osbourne argued that her co-host was suggesting she herself had been racist. Things soon turned emotional, with Osbourne telling Underwood at one point: "Don’t try to cry. If anyone should be crying, it should be me."

A rep for Osbourne later told People that she had reached out to Underwood, but her former co-host denied the claims during her appearance on the podcast. Underwood also dismissed Osbourne's allegations to Variety that CBS executives had set up the conversation about Morgan, explaining that none of the questions came from higher-ups and that she was trying to be mindful about framing things "in a way that was not perceived as attacking."

"In my gut, I thought this was going to go left," she recalled. "And so I wanted to put it in its proper order, be very calm, but there were a few people that criticized me on that — 'Why do you give any f**k about somebody's feelings? They give no f**k about yours.' It's not about the reaction of the person, it's about me and who I'm trying to evolve and mature to be." 

Underwood added that although she and Osbourne became close friends, she heard rumors about her former co-host, which she chose to ignore at the time.

"I automatically just fell in love with her because I just like her. And I heard things and I was like, 'They got nothing to do with me.' My thing is I'm going to get to know you first," Underwood said. "I had heard things, and I got phone calls of this and that and so what I said to those people, I said, 'Thank you for the information.' Because listen, in this business you've got all types of personalities, right?" 

Although she did not elaborate on what she had heard about Osbourne, Underwood did admit that "in hindsight" some of these things were later confirmed. 

Commenting on the ordeal, Underwood said she felt disappointed by her friend's behavior. 

"I still love the Osbournes, from what I've known of them," she said. "I don't know anything other than what I've experienced with them, and this thing that has happened is disappointing to me. And maybe people don't want to hear me say, 'I still love the Osbournes.' I'm not saying I liked being treated the way I was treated," she added. "I'm very disappointed. And I'm just trying to navigate my feelings about that because it was a trauma." 

Related Stories:

• 'The Talk' Staffers Have Turned on Sharon Osbourne
• Osbourne Off 'The Talk' After Inquiry Into Racism