Sharon Osbourne Discloses Her Own Issues With NBC Amid Gabrielle Union's AGT Exit
'The Talk' co-host Sharon Osbourne, 67 disclosed her experiences with NBC amid the controversial firing over AGT (America's Got Talent) judge Gabrielle Union.
She said on Monday's show of 'The Talk' that "it's hard" to speak on the matter in a way that accurately reflects everyone's separate experience.
"Everybody's experience on a show is different, and I was at that show for six years. I didn't get let go," Osbourne said, explaining that it wasn't the show itself that pushed her to leave, but that it was instead NBC. She was a judge on the talent competition from Season 2 through 7, announcing her departure in July 2012.
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Osbourne: Was It a Fair Decision For Union To Be Fired
Osbourne weighed in whether it was a fair decision for former AGT judge; Gabrielle Union to be fired.
"I left. And that's the truth. I left because of NBC, not because of the show. I had my own problems with the network," she said. "I don't know about any of her [Union's] concerns about the show."
She added, "Obviously, there wasn't anybody of color on the panel when I was there. So I honestly can't say. But when I was there it was, you know, a great show to work on," she continued.
"The crew and everybody was amazing to me — everybody except the network."
Sharon's Views on AGT
Osbourne disclosed her views on AGT.
"Obviously, there wasn't anybody of color on the panel when I was there. So I honestly can't say. But when I was there it was, you know, a great show to work on."
"The crew and everybody was amazing to me — everybody except the network."
In 2012, Osbourne dislosed that her reason for leaving AGT had to do with her son Jack Osbourne, telling The New York Post that Jack was set to work on a new reality TV series Stars Earn Stripes — which pit celebrities against each other in military-like training activities — but she said the network cut ties with him after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She said Jack was fired by email just two days before he was scheduled to report to work.
"I just can't be fake," Osbourne told the New York Post at the time. "It's discrimination, and it was badly handled."
Two Judges Not Returning Next Season
It was recently announced that Gabrielle Union, along with fellow "AGT" judge Julianne Hough, would not be returning for the second season of "America's Got Talent: The Champions," which premieres January 6.
Union had been fired after urging the show's producers to report an incident involving a racist joke to human resources and after producers told her multiple times that her hairstyles on the show were "too black." It's definitely discrimination without a doubt. She had been unfairly terminated and should file a complaint.
