Sharon Osborne, who co-hosts the CBS show 'The Talk', landed in hot soup after allegations of racism emerged over hurling racist tirades against her former co-host of the same show Julie Chen, who is Asian-American. It is alleged that Osborne referred to Chen as ''Slanty eyes'' and repeatedly launched insults against her Asian looks.
A contributor for the New York Magazine, Yashar Ali, was the first to blow the lid on Osborne's race row by tweeting, ''Sharon Osbourne, co-host of the CBS daytime panel show 'The Talk' would frequently refer to then-co-host Julie Chen, who is Chinese American, as "wonton" and "slanty eyes," according to multiple sources.''
As soon as the tweet was out, American singer Holly Elizabeth Robinson Peete, who is black and former co-host of the show, tweeted that Osborne once refused to allow her on the talk show due to her blackness and was called a ''ghetto''. ''I'm old enough to remember when Sharon complained that I was too 'ghetto' for #theTalk ... then I was gone,'' she tweeted and continued, ''I bring this up now bc I was mortified watching the disrespectful condescending tone she took w/her co host who remained calm & respectful because ... she HAD to.''
However, Osborne fired back at Peete's accusations claiming she never uttered the words mentioned and is facing a conspiracy to oust her from the show. ''Never in my life did I utter the words that Holly was 'too ghetto' to be on the Talk, as well as not having her fired.''
If these allegations weren't damning enough, Sharon Osborne is also accused of sexism as she referred to her co-host Sara Gilbert, who is a lesbian, as a ''p***y licker'' and ''fish eater''. While all these co-hosts left the show respectively, Osborne is the only figure to remain on the show since 2010.
Sharon Osborne's Attorney Rubbishes Racist Accusations
Infuriated by the accusation pinned against her, Sharon Osborne, via her attorney, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Robinson Peete demanding to delete her tweet within 24 hours or face litigation. However, the tweet still remains online and Osborne's next legal step is awaited.
Since then, Osborne opened up to Variety, calling the accusations nothing but a lie. ''It's an absolute lie—a 110 percent lie. I cannot have anyone fired and that is not a term I use. That's not in my vocabulary. I don't speak like that. The only ghetto I know is the Warsaw Ghetto, and I think that's the only time I've ever referred to something like that,'' she said.
