The Talk will finally return on Monday following Sharon Osbourne’s exit from the show after her racism and homophobia controversy last month.
On Friday, CBS announced the new episode on April 12 will start with a “discussion about race and healing” from remaining co-hosts Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots, and Elaine Welteroth. Per The Wrap, Diversity expert Donald E. Grant will join the exchange and serve up some “advice on how to have these difficult conversations.”
Related: Ozzy Osbourne Breaks Silence On Sharon’s Racism Scandal & The Talk Ousting
Life coach Anita Phillip will also make an appearance to “share her expertise on how to heal after a painful event or conversation.”
As you may recall, Osbourne faced backlash for defending her friend Piers Morgan after he received criticism over controversial comments made about Meghan Markle. On the March 10 broadcast, Underwood and Osbourne got into a heated debate over whether the longtime journalist’s words were racially motivated. The exchange quickly became emotional, with Osbourne saying she felt like she was “about to be put in the electric chair” for having an allegedly racist friend. The 68-year-old later apologized for her “panicked” defense of Morgan.
However, the incident led to the daytime talk show inciting a months-long hiatus as the network launched an internal investigation into the comments made on-air and other insensitive comments made by Osbourne off-air.
Following the controversial sit-down with Underwood, the MTV reality star had also been accused of multiple incidents of racism, homophobia, and bullying on the set of The Talk. She has since denied all allegations.
In March, journalist Yashar Ali published a report documenting times in which Osbourne used racial slurs and homophobic language directed at former colleagues Julie Chen and Sara Gilbert. Prior, Holly Robinson Peete also claimed the TV personality had called her “too ghetto” to be on the show, which she said played a role in her leaving.
Ultimately, CBS revealed that Osbourne would step away from the show:
“As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts. At the same time, we acknowledge the Network and Studio teams, as well as the showrunners, are accountable for what happened during that broadcast as it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race.”
It will be interesting to see what the co-hosts will have to say about the whole situation — and if they’ll be able to recover from it going forward. Are U planning to watch The Talk on Monday, guys? What do U hope they will discuss in the conversations? Sound OFF in the comments (below)!
[Image via The Talk/YouTube]
The post <i>The Talk</i> Finally Returns Monday For More Discussions About Race Following Sharon Osbourne’s Controversy & Exit appeared first on Perez Hilton.
