Sharon Osbourne got a payday of up to eight figures from CBS as she exited “The Talk” last week amid allegations of racist behavior, a source told Page Six.
“Sharon is walking away with a $5 to $10 million minimum payout and was able to spin that it was her decision [to leave the show],” the source said.
A different source said that, under her departure agreement, Osbourne is not only getting big bucks, but she is free to speak out. “Sharon will talk when she is ready,” the source said. “She still wants to give her side of the story.
She has been on that show for 11 years and knows all the secrets.”
CBS announced that Osbourne quit “The Talk” Friday.
The departure comes two weeks after she got into an on-air argument with her co-host Sheryl Underwood over Osbourne’s defense of pal Piers Morgan, who was forced off his own show in Britain for too strongly attacking Meghan Markle’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Page Six exclusively revealed last week that Osbourne had lawyered up, and was being represented by top entertainment attorney Jeremiah Reynolds — and that she “wasn’t going down without a fight … She knows where all the bodies are buried.”
The source said Osbourne’s lawyers negotiated a soft statement about her departure from CBS that leaves the door open for her to continue her TV career at other networks.
“Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave ‘The Talk,’” the release from CBS read. “The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home.”
Page Six exclusively reported that the internal investigation was kicked off when host Elaine Welteroth and her hairstylist complained about an allegedly “racially insensitive and hostile environment” on the show following the March 10 broadcast.
After the heated on-air debate, Osbourne tweeted a lengthy apology in which she said she does not “condone racism, misogyny or bullying.”
“I should have been more specific about that in my tweet,” she continued, referencing her original defense of Morgan online. “I will always support freedom of speech, but now I see how I unintentionally didn’t make that clear distinction.”
Then a bombshell report citing multiple sources, including former “The Talk” co-host Leah Remini, claimed Osbourne used racist slurs when talking about others on the show.
It was alleged that she referred to Julie Chen, who is Chinese American, as a “wonton” and “slanty eyes” and to former co-host Sara Gilbert, who is lesbian, as a “p—y licker.” But Osbourne responded that the allegations were “crap, all crap.”
“Everyone’s got an opinion or a story like the wonton story. It’s like f–k off with your f–king wonton story. F–k off,” Osbourne said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
A CBS spokesperson said, “False, inaccurate or untrue. Take your pick.” A rep for Osbourne declined to comment.
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