Sharon Osbourne may have left The Talk, but according to a source, she has walked away with a hefty pay check. Photo / AP
Sharon Osbourne may have left The Talk, but according to a source, she has walked away with a hefty pay check. Photo / AP
Sharon Osbourne has reportedly received a staggering payout after leaving The Talk.
The embattled host of the CBS daytime show will not return after she was widely criticised for her comments defending Piers Morgan. Now a source has revealed the payout she will receive.
The insider told the New YorkPost's Page Six: "Sharon is walking away with a US$5million to $10m minimum payout ($7m to $14m) and was able to spin that it was her decision [to leave the show]."
Sharon Osbourne may have left The Talk, but according to a source, she has walked away with a hefty pay check. Photo / AP
And details of her exit agreement have been revealed. According to the source, Osbourne is free to speak out about her side of the story.
"Sharon will talk when she is ready," the source added. "She still wants to give her side of the story. She has been on that show for 11 years and knows all the secrets."
The controversy was sparked when Osbourne had an on-air argument with Sheryl Underwood. A debate had ensued and the panel debated whether Morgan's comments about Meghan Markle were racist.
"I will ask you again, Sheryl – I've been asking you during the break, and I'm asking you again. And don't try and cry, because if anyone should be crying, it should be me," Osbourne said in the now-viral exchange.
"You tell me, educate me, when you have heard [Piers] say racist things. Educate me! Tell me!"
Osbourne received backlash after the exchange and a wider investigation into allegations of racism at the show began. CBS put the show on hiatus after the incident.
Sharon Osbourne defended her friend Piers Morgan. Photo / AP
Former co-host Holly Robinson-Peete claimed Osbourne told producers she was "too ghetto" for The Talk. And a source who spoke to Page Six claimed Osbourne's co-host Elaine Welteroth and her hairstylist made official complaints, alleging the show's set had a "racially insensitive and hostile environment".
CBS launched an internal review since the episode of The Talk aired. Osbourne later reflected on her comments and issued a statement apologising.
"After some reflection, after sitting with your comments & sitting with my heart, I would like to address the discussion on The Talk this past Wednesday. I have always been embraced with so much love & support from the black community & I have deep respect & love for the black community."
Morgan had a dramatic exit from his Good Morning Britain hosting job after a heated discussion about his opinions on Meghan Markle, and later resigned from the position after thousands of complaints. He stormed off set and publically wrote about his support for Osbourne recently.
He wrote in a piece for the Mail on Sunday: "What's happened to Sharon and me in the past fortnight isn't really about Ms Markle."
"It's about a far bigger issue than one delusional Duchess, and that's everyone's right to be free to express our honestly held opinions, forcefully and passionately if we feel like it."
