Andy Cohen has weighed in on Sharon Osborne’s ‘Megan Markle race row’ which saw her CBS program The Talk temporarily taken off-air.
Sharon, 68, was accused of being racist after she defended her friend Piers Morgan in the wake of his comments about Megan Markle’s Oprah interview.
Discussing the saga on Thursday, Andy said he believes that Sharon should never have been taken off-air.
‘Keep talking’: Andy Cohen (left) has weighed in on Sharon Osborne’s (right) ‘Megan Markle race row’ which saw her CBS program The Talk temporarily taken off-air
‘In my mind, 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. Keep talking,’ the reality TV producer told told Australian radio program The Kyle And Jackie O Show.
‘Now we’re investigating [The Talk] and we’re investigating what happened. It’s like, just keep talking,’ he continued.
Radio host Kyle Sandilands agreed, adding that ‘just keep talking’ has always been his mantra when it comes to controversy.
Advice: ‘In my mind, 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. Keep talking,’ the reality TV producer told told Australian radio program The Kyle And Jackie O Show
‘It’s the only way to get through a tide of s**t is to keep talking about it and keep being real and honest with each other,’ he said.
Kyle’s co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson questioned whether it’s now too late for Sharon to return to The Talk.
‘Now it’s just going to be awkward. They can’t come back from this now.’
What happened: Piers (pictured), a former presenter on CNN and Daily Mail editor at large, was critical of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to speak to Oprah Winfrey, in an interview that aired on Sunday night in the U.S. and on Monday in the U.K
It comes amid fears Sharon may never return to The Talk after CBS launched a probe following her on-air spat with co-host Sheryl Underwood over Piers’ comments about Megan Markle.
Last week, Piers left the Good Morning Britain show after saying he didn’t believe a word Meghan said in her Oprah interview, in which she revealed she’d considered suicide during her time as a senior royal.
Sharon Tweeted in support of Piers shortly after his departure from Good Morning Britain was announced, saying: ‘I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.’
Details: He accused Meghan and Harry (both pictured) of damaging the royal family and seeking publicity on their own terms – without accepting the responsibility and scrutiny which come with their position
Solidarity: Sharon Tweeted in support of Piers shortly after his departure from Good Morning Britain was announced, saying: ‘I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you’re paid for your opinion and that you’re just speaking your truth.’ Pictured together in 2017
Addressing the Tweet on-air, Sheryl asked Sharon: ‘What would you say to people who may feel that, while you’re standing by your friend, it appears that you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don’t agree?’
Sharon hit back, saying she felt like she was being placed on ‘the electric chair’ for having him as a friend.
She asked her co-hosts to show her what Piers had said that was racist.
‘If anyone should be crying, it should be me’: Discussing her Tweet on The Talk, Sharon said she felt like she was being placed on ‘the electric chair’ for having him as a friend
At one point Sharon said to Sheryl: ‘Don’t try to cry. If anyone should be crying, it should be me.’
Sharon said in an ET interview that she felt blindsided by Underwood when she was questioned on-air last week about her support for Morgan and his right to free speech.
In the fallout from the on-air clash, CBS cancelled The Talk’s episodes for Monday and Tuesday and the show was due to return on Wednesday.
However, CBS has since confirmed The Talk will not be back until next week while an investigation is carried out.
Blindsided: Sharon said in an ET interview that she felt blindsided by Underwood when she was questioned on-air last week about her support for Morgan and his right to free speech
