CBS’s The Talk is going on hiatus following co-host Sharon Osbourne’s defense of Piers Morgan during last Wednesday’s episode of the show. Osbourne, 68, defended her friend Morgan following backlash for his controversial remarks questioning the validity of Meghan Markle’s comments during her recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. Osbourne’s defense of Morgan led to an intense exchange with co-host Sheryl Underwood, 57, who pushed back on Osbourne’s downplaying of Morgan’s comments. Osbourne apologized days later for her remarks on air. CBS confirmed that The Talk would be taking a brief hiatus while the network conducts an internal investigation into the argument.
Morgan, 55, faced widespread criticism for comments he made about the Duchess of Sussex on Good Morning Britain, and after his co-host Alex Beresford called him out on-air, Morgan stormed off set. It was later announced that Morgan would be leaving the ITV morning news show. Osbourne defended Morgan on Twitter, writing at the time, “I am with you. I stand by you.” After her initial show of support for Morgan on Twitter, Osbourne said that she had been accused of being racist during Wednesday’s episode of The Talk. Underwood pushed back, asking: “What would you say to people who may feel that while you’re standing by your friend, it appears you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don’t agree?” Early on Friday morning, Osbourne shared a statement on Twitter apologizing for any harm she may have caused in supporting Morgan.
The Talk airs live at 2 p.m. ET on weekdays, also features co-hosts Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth.
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