Sharon Osbourne says she can’t find any work across the pond.
On an episode of ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother that aired in the UK on Thursday, March 7, Osbourne, 71, claimed that she had been “banned in America” due to her firing from The Talk in 2021 after accusations of racist behavior behind the scenes.
“I got banned in America,” Osbourne told her Celebrity Big Brother housemates Lauren Simon and Louis Walsh. “I did nothing wrong.” When asked by Simon if she could find work in the US, Osbourne shared, “I can legally…but nobody will employ me because they say I am racist.
Simon responded to this by noting that Osbourne is Jewish, to which the Osbournes alum replied, “I know, and that’s what I said to them!” She continued, “They think we don’t know what it’s like to be picked on. I wouldn’t pick on anyone because of their race or religion, ever.”
Sharon Osbourne Through the Years: From Ozzy Osbourne Marriage and Beyond
In March 2021, Osbourne defended her friend and media personality Piers Morgan for his comments about Meghan Markle’s CBS interview, in which she discussed experiencing racism and suicidal thoughts. Morgan’s comments, wherein he questioned the validity of Markle’s statements, were met with backlash from the public.
“Did I like everything he said? Did I agree with what he said? No,” Osbourne said on The Talk at the time. “Because it’s his opinion. It’s not my opinion… I support him for his freedom of speech, and he’s my friend.”
Osbourne’s co-host, Sheryl Underwood, responded, “While you are standing by your friend, it appears that you are giving validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist.”
The former X Factor judge came to her own defense in response to Underwood. “I feel like I’m about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist,” she said.
Following these comments, Osbourne was further accused of racist and homophobic behavior behind the scenes of The Talk. Though she denied these allegations, she was fired from the show shortly after.
“The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” CBS said in a statement at the time. “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.”
Sharon! Howie! Every ‘AGT’ Judge Through the Years
Osbourne previously claimed in April 2022 that her career suffered a major blow after the Talk debacle. (She had been with the daytime talk show since 2010.)
“They said to me, ‘You are on permanent suspension. We don’t think that you’re repentant enough. And we will decide whether you ever come back,’” the TV personality told The Sunday Times. “And I said, ‘Well, who’s going to make that decision?’ And they said, ‘We can’t tell you.’”
Osbourne also shared that while her career in the U.K. was not affected by the controversy, the well of opportunities in the U.S. seemed to dry up instantly.
“My phone as far as my TV career [in America was concerned] was nonexistent, not one call. Nothing,” she said at the time. “In England and Australia, it never changed. Here it was like I was dead.”
