Sherri Shepherd Reacts to Sharon Osbourne’s Controversial Conversation with Sheryl Underwood on The Talk

Sherri Shepherd is sticking up for Sheryl Underwood amid the extended hiatus of The Talk.

The View alum, 53, said in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment published Tuesday that she believes Sharon Osbourne crossed a line in her controversial conversation with Underwood, 57, earlier this month.

During the March 10 episode of The Talk, Osbourne, 68, defended her friend Piers Morgan after he faced backlash for making controversial remarks questioning the validity of Meghan Markle's discussion on mental health during her recent interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Osbourne's defense of Morgan led to an intense exchange on The Talk with Underwood, who pushed back on Osbourne's downplaying of Morgan's comments.

Their conversation quickly turned emotional when Osbourne told Underwood to "educate" her and warned her not to cry during the episode.

Shepherd told Yahoo! Entertainment that she was particularly struck by Osbourne telling Underwood how to express herself emotionally.

Christopher Willard/Freeform via Getty; Randee St. Nicholas/CBS via Getty Sheryl Underwood, Sharon Osbourne

RELATED: Sharon Osbourne Denies Calling Former The Talk Co-Host Holly Robinson Peete 'Too Ghetto'

"It crosses a line when you're a grownup and somebody tells you what you can and cannot do emotionally. When they tell you: You are not allowed to cry," Shepherd said.

Had she been in the same situation, Shepherd said her response would be: "Um, I'm grown. I'm raising children. This is a job for me, the way it is for you. So how dare you tell me how I can act?"

"I think that was definitely crossing the line. I would expect an apology to be forthcoming because you're two grown women," Shepherd said.

Vincent Sandoval/Getty Images; Angela Weiss/Getty Images

She also touched on her relationship with her former co-hosts on The View, saying that if they did "get into spats, an apology came right away because we cared about each other."

Osbourne apologized days later for her "panicked" remarks during the tense episode, which also prompted CBS to launch an internal review into "all matters related" to the episode.

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Sharon Osbourne

RELATED: Sharon Osbourne Denies New Allegations of Racism and Bullying as The Talk Extends Hiatus

The British TV personality has also been the subject of claims that she used racist, homophobic and bullying language in her interactions with former co-hosts Holly Robinson Peete, Leah Remini, Sara Gilbert and Julie Chen – all of which she has denied.

Of Osbourne's denial, Shepherd told Yahoo!, "It's a little bit hard to say, 'I'm not racist,' when you get other reports from credible people," which she called "pretty damning."

She added, "People see you defending [Morgan], who has made comments that were racial in nature ... That's a little bit hypocritical."

"I think every situation is different. I really do. And that's why they're having an investigation," Shepherd said.

RELATED VIDEO: The Talk Goes on Hiatus After Sharon Osbourne's Heated Exchange with Co-Host Sheryl Underwood

Reps for the network previously told PEOPLE in a statement, "CBS is committed to a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace across all of our productions. We're also very mindful of the important concerns expressed and discussions taking place regarding events on The Talk. This includes a process where all voices are heard, claims are investigated and appropriate action is taken where necessary."

Shepherd also voiced her concern for Underwood because "she had to speak in very slow and measured terms, and to talk to Sharon while Sharon was going off."

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"I think that's a hard thing to have a woman talk to you in that kind of way. As well as a trigger for a lot of women who have to be in this situation of someone treating you like you're less than," she told Yahoo!, adding that she believes Underwood "wouldn't have a job" had roles been reversed.

Underwood touched on the conversation on The Steve Harvey Morning Show on March 12.

"I just wanted to be a better example for people that are working just a regular old job, that had to compose themselves," she said. "We are the only race of people that carry the race wherever we go, and we're responsible for that."