Andy Cohen Says Sharon Osbourne Should Have “Talked It Out on the Air” Instead of Letting CBS Pull ‘The Talk’

Andy Cohen is wading into the Sharon Osbourne controversy. During an interview with Australian radio show The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Wednesday, Cohen said that Osbourne, who is currently being investigated for allegedly making racist comments about her The Talk co-hosts, should have continued “talking” instead of letting the scandal spiral. “What they should have done with the Sharon Osbourne thing, is go back, get back on the horse the next day, talk it out on the air,” said the Bravo star.

When asked about Osbourne’s alleged conduct at The Talk, Cohen told The Kyle and Jackie O Show hosts that the controversy “concerns” him. He added that Osbourne and her co-hosts should just “keep talking” about their issues rather than allow CBS to place the show on hiatus. “Now we’re investigating [The Talk] and we’re investigating what happened,” said Cohen. “It’s like, just keep talking.”

Host Kyle Sandilands agreed, saying, “The only way to get through a tide of shit is to keep talking about it and keep being real and honest with each other.” Added Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, “Now it’s just going to be awkward. They can’t come back from this now.'”

Last week, Osbourne got into a heated argument with co-host Sheryl Underwood when she defended Piers Morgan’s remarks about Meghan Markle (Morgan later quit Good Morning Britain after facing backlash for minimizing Markle’s mental health struggle).

A few days later, former The Talk host Holly Robinson Peete claimed that Osbourne said she was “too ghetto” to appear on the show, prompting CBS to launch an investigation and cancel the show’s Monday and Tuesday broadcasts.

On Tuesday, journalist Yashar Ali published a bombshell report alleging that Osbourne called former co-host Julie Chen “slanty eyes” and “wonton” and lesbian actress Sara Gilbert a “pussy licker.” Osbourne has denied the reporting — “Sharon is disappointed but unfazed and hardly surprised by the lies, the recasting of history and the bitterness coming out at this moment,” said her publicist in a statement — but the escalating controversy led CBS to extend The Talk‘s hiatus until next week, at the earliest.

In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Osbourne doubled down on her denial and dismissed the accusations as “crap” and a “pile-on.” Said The Talk host, “Everyone’s got an opinion or a story like the wonton story. It’s like fuck off with your fucking wonton story. Fuck off.”

Where to stream The Talk