“The Talk” returns with new episodes on Monday, the first to air since co-host Sharon Osbourne left the show last month, beginning with a “discussion about race and healing,” CBS said Friday.
The April 12 episode of the daytime talker, which counts Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth among its remaining co-hosts, will feature guests Donald E. Grant, an expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and nationally acclaimed trauma therapist and life coach Anita Phillips. Grant will be “offering advice on how to have these difficult conversations,” while Phillips “will share her expertise on how to heal after a painful event or conversation.”
During “The Talk’s” March 10 show, Osbourne came to the defense of longtime friend Piers Morgan after he was criticized for making disparaging comments about Meghan Markle. Some critics, including Underwood, said Morgan’s words where racially motivated (Markle, whose mother is Black, is biracial), leading to an on-air meltdown in which Osbourne said she felt like she was “about to be put in the electric chair” for having a racist friend.
Soon after the discussion, “The Talk” went on hiatus as CBS launched an internal review into the on-air comments about racism and allegations of racially insensitive behavior behind-the-scenes at the show. A few weeks later, on March 26, Osbourne exited the show.
“The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” CBS said in a statement at the time of Osbourne’s exit. “As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace. We also did not find any evidence that CBS executives orchestrated the discussion or blindsided any of the hosts.”
“At the same time, we acknowledge the Network and Studio teams, as well as the showrunners, are accountable for what happened during that broadcast as it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race,” the statement continued.
Osbourne apologized for her behavior during that March 10 discussion, writing in a lengthy statement on Twitter that she “panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive & allowed my fear & horror of being accused of being racist take over.” However, she has taken a more combative stance in subsequent interviews, blaming the show’s producers for intentionally blindsiding her with the segment about Morgan, calling it “the biggest set up ever” in an interview with ET before her “Talk” exit.
During an episode of Underwood’s podcast, which was released over the weekend as part of a three-installment discussion about Osbourne’s exit from “The Talk,” she said that “none” of the questions she asked Osbourne that day came from producers or executives. You can read more about that here.
See the full “The Talk” schedule for its first week back in the post-Osbourne era below.
Monday, April 12
THE TALK returns with a discussion about race and healing; expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice Dr. Donald E. Grant will offer advice on how to have these difficult conversations; nationally acclaimed trauma therapist and life coach Dr. Anita Phillips will share her expertise on how to heal after a painful event or conversation (n)
Tuesday, April 13
Television host Elizabeth Vargas (n)
Wednesday, April 14
Actor Dylan McDermott (n)
Thursday, April 15
Actress Elizabeth Perkins (n)
Friday, April 16
Singer and nominee Mickey Guyton discusses co-hosting the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards; actress Lorraine Toussaint (CBS; THE EQUALIZER) (n)
“The Talk” airs Monday-Friday from 2-3 p.m. ET/1-2 p.m. PT on CBS.