Sharon Osbourne apologizes after facing backlash for race comments
'I hope we can collectively continue to learn from each other & from ourselves,' she wrote in a long tweet.
Sharon Osbourne is backtracking after her fiery outburst on The Talk earlier this week.
In defending her friend, former Good Morning Britain personality Piers Morgan, Osbourne shouted over her colleagues on the CBS show she helms with them, including co-host Sheryl Underwood.
On Thursday, Osbourne tweeted a statement of apology.
“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,” she wrote. “I have always been embraced with so much love & support from the [B]lack community & I have deep respect & love for the [B]lack community.”
“To anyone of color that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said, I am truly sorry,” Osbourne continued. “I panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive & allowed my fear & horror of being accused of being racist take over. There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism so to feel associated with that spun me fast! I am not perfect, I am still learning like the rest of us & will continue to learn, listen and do better.”
“Please hear me when I say I do not condone racism, misogyny, or bullying. I should have been more specific about that in my tweet,” she wrote. “I will always support freedom of speech, but now I see how I unintentionally didn’t make that clear distinction.”
Read More: Sharon Osbourne tells co-host Sheryl Underwood to ‘educate’ her on racism in viral clip
“I hope we can collectively continue to learn from each other & from ourselves so we can all continue to pave the way for much-needed growth & change,” Osbourne maintained. “The community on this platform means a lot to me. I hope we can all hold each other up with accountability, compassion & love during this powerful time of paving the way for so much needed change.”
During the heated exchange Wednesday with Underwood, Osbourne cried and said that she felt like she was “about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is a racist, and that makes me a racist.”
She demanded Underwood to “educate her” about Morgan’s past racist statements about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
Underwood, a past president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., responded: “It is not the exact words of racism; it’s the implication and the reaction to it. To not want to address that because she was a Black woman, to try and dismiss it; that’s what makes it racist.”
“But right now, I’m talking to a woman who I believe is my friend,” Underwood continued, “and I don’t want anybody to watch this and (think) we’re attacking you for being racist.”
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