Sharon Osbourne Reached Out To ‘True Friend’ Sheryl Underwood Before ‘The Talk’ Firing

She is officially no longer a part of the panel on “The Talk” after her heated altercation with co-host Sheryl Underwood on March 10, but Sharon Osbourne isn’t sitting back when it comes to Underwood’s claims that they haven’t spoken since that broadcast.

Osbourne, who landed in hot water after defending her friend Piers Morgan over his comments about Meghan Markle and her interview with Oprah, released screenshots of messages she sent to Underwood on March 12 and 18 respectively, showing she reached out to apologize after their on-screen argument.

In the messages, posted by The Daily Mail, Osbourne referred to Underwood as a “true friend” who she didn’t want to lose and apologized for their heated conversation and insulting language she used off-camera as well, before referencing their time together on the show.

“You know me. You know how I've always had your back. We’ve outlasted everyone on this show and that’s because we’ve always been a team and had each other backs. I consider you a genuine friend,” the messages read.

The text messages were released after Underwood stated on her podcast that she had never received an apology from Osbourne and stated they hadn’t spoken since that day (the show went on hiatus pending a review, which ultimately led to Osbourne leaving the series).

“I not only sent these messages to Sheryl but I apologized to her in person in her dressing room,” Osbourne told The Daily Mail. “Why are you saying I never apologized Sheryl? What are you trying to do to me? Why are you trying to destroy my reputation? Just be honest. Tell me.”

As the situation continued to unfold in March, other sources connected to the show had since come forward to share that they also had experiences with Osbourne, or knew of other instances, where she used derogatory terms and comments to describe some of her co-workers.

A report by Yashar Ali, which Osbourne has decried was false, stated that she had previously referred to Julie Chen (who left the show in 2018 after her husband, Les Moonves, left CBS over allegations of inappropriate conduct), as “wonton” and “Slanty Eyes” and also referred to Sara Gilbert (who is a lesbian and left the show in 2019) as a “fish eater” and other derogatory terms related to her sexual orientation.

Holly Robinson Peete, who left the show after its first season, also spoke up and claimed Osbourne had a hand in her departure from the show, saying she was “too ghetto” for it.

The show, which premiered in 2011, started with Chen, Gilbert, Osbourne, Peete, Leah Remini and Marissa Jaret Winokur, who is Jewish. The latter three left the show after the first season and were replaced by Aisha Tyler and Underwood. Tyler left the show after the seventh season and was replaced by Eve, who left the show in 2020. Carrie Ann Inaba joined in 2019, while Marie Osmond joined the panel for the 10th season.

The current panel consists of Underwood, Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth.