CBS extends 'The Talk' hiatus amid Sharon Osbourne investigation

CBS has again extended its hiatus for "The Talk" while the network continues to investigate co-host Sharon Osbourne's defense of what many considered racist comments by U.K. television personality Piers Morgan. Newsday has confirmed that the hiatus, which began March 15, will be maintained for at least a week. Reruns have aired in the interim and will continue.

In a March 9 tweet and on the daytime panel-discussion show the next day, Osbourne, 68, defended her friend Morgan, who had been rebuked by his "Good Morning Britain" co-host and others for his unrelenting criticism of the biracial Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The U.K. network ITV subsequently announced that Piers was exiting the program.

Osbourne, who had said on air she disagreed with Morgan's statements but supported his right to his opinions, apologized March 12 to "anyone of color that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said." CBS suspended new "Talk" episodes the following Monday and Tuesday, March 15-16, while reviewing Osbourne's comments as well as subsequent additional allegations of past racially insensitive remarks. The network initially extended the break to March 23 before this new addition.

Osbourne, the wife of heavy-metal music legend Ozzy Osbourne and the mother of reality-TV stars Jack and Kelly Osbourne, has not commented on social media in more than a week.

She told Variety in an interview posted March 13 that she had felt "blindsided" while shooting the episode, saying, "In my 11 years [on the show], this was the first time I was not involved with the planning of the segment."

When co-host Sheryl Underwood questioned her about Morgan's controversial comments, "I was just so hurt, caught off guard and stunned by what I was being asked and not prepared," Osbourne told the magazine. "I was honestly in shock."

Compounding matters, former co-host Leah Remini last week alleged past racist comments by Osbourne, telling journalist Yashar Ali that Osbourne had used an anti-Asian slur about fellow former co-host Julie Chen, and a homophobic term about series co-creator and former co-host Sara Gilbert. She said Osbourne also used two ethnic slurs in reference to Remini's Italian heritage. Ali's report additionally included anonymous claims against Osbourne.

Osbourne's publicist, Howard Bragman, responded in a statement last week, saying in part, "Sharon has been kind, collegial and friendly with her hosts as evidenced by throwing them parties, inviting them to her home in the UK and other gestures of kindness too many to name. Sharon is disappointed but unfazed and hardly surprised by the lies, the recasting of history and the bitterness coming out at this moment."

Morgan tweeted Friday in response to an anonymously sourced TMZ.com report saying that Osbourne has allegedly received death threats: "This is true, and so disgusting. The woke brigade are the new fascists. If you don't agree with them, they want to kill you."