Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy; born 9 October 1952)[1] is an English television personality, businesswoman and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and first came into public prominence after appearing on The Osbournes, a reality television show that followed her family's daily life. Osbourne later became a talent show judge on television shows such as the British and original version of The X Factor, from 2004 to 2007, returning in 2013, and again from 2016 to 2017. She also was a judge on America's Got Talent from 2007 until 2012.
After the success of The Osbournes and The X Factor, hosting her own chat shows and securing advertising contracts, Osbourne was ranked as the 25th richest woman in Britain on the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List.[2] Osbourne and her husband have an estimated joint wealth of £410 million. Sharon Osbourne is credited with reviving her husband's heavy metal career by founding the summer Ozzfest tour.[3] She is one of five co-hosts of the daytime series The Talk. Osbourne is one of the original hosts from its launch in October 2010. In September 2014, it was announced that Osbourne would become an occasional panellist on the British lunchtime television programme Loose Women as part of the show's relaunch. On both shows, Osbourne and co-hosts/panellists discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip.
Early life
Sharon Rachel Levy was born on 9 October 1952 in London, United Kingdom, as the daughter of Don Arden (born Harry Levy, 1926–2007), who was an English music promoter and rock and roll entrepreneur, and his wife, Hope (née Shaw, 1916–1999).[4][5] She has a brother, David.[6] She describes herself as of Irish and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.[7]
Osbourne revealed she was surrounded by violence during her childhood and that it was a normal occurrence to see her father threatening someone, or brandishing a firearm.[8] Osbourne's father, Don Arden, was a rock and roll entrepreneur who managed Black Sabbath and fired Ozzy Osbourne from the group. Levy began dating future husband Ozzy Osbourne in 1979 after Black Sabbath fired him and took over his management from the Arden organisation.[3] Levy coordinated the recruitment of a backing band (Randy Rhoads, Bob Daisley, and Lee Kerslake) for the recording of the Blizzard of Ozz album and helped Ozzy launch what became a successful solo career.[3] Arden resented his daughter for dating Ozzy and managing his career.[9] In her memoir, Osbourne relates that he had robbed her, once tried to kill her, and once told Ozzy that she had tried to seduce him, in an effort to turn Ozzy against her.[5] She soon lost contact with her father and did not speak to him for 20 years.[10] In an interview in 2001, she commented that her father has never seen her children and that "he never will".[3] Osbourne had told her children that their grandfather was dead, but they unknowingly saw him for the first time when Osbourne was shouting abuse at him on a street in Los Angeles.[11] When asked who she was shouting at, she replied Tony Curtis.[5] They were reunited in 2001 and he then had a role in their reality show, The Osbournes.[10] In August 2004, Osbourne stated her father had Alzheimer's disease and she paid for his care in the last years of his life.[5]
Osbourne's relationship with her mother was also damaged. At the age of 17, Osbourne lost her virginity and realized two months later that she was pregnant. By her account, pressure from others, principally her mother, influenced her decision to have an abortion, which Osbourne has described as the biggest mistake in her life.[12] While visiting her parents on a later occasion, her mother's dogs attacked her and it was some time before her mother appeared to call them off. She was pregnant at the time and subsequently lost the baby.[9] According to a 2009 article in The Guardian, Hope Arden was a cold woman who became even stranger after a serious car accident, something which Osbourne said "unhinged her". When Osbourne was informed of her mother's death, she said "Oh, what a shame" and simply put the phone down
A series of high-selling albums and world tours followed through the 1980s, eventually bringing about Ozzy's popularity. In 1996, Osbourne created the Ozzfest summer touring festival.[3] It went on to become a regular rock occasion and celebrated a 10th anniversary in 2006. By 2007, the ticket prices had reached £76 ($150)[13] and Osbourne announced that the tickets would be free to allow more people the opportunity to attend the concert. Prior to the founding of Ozzfest, Osbourne approached Lollapalooza, another rock/pop festival, to request that Ozzy play at that year's festival, only to be rejected and told that Ozzy was "uncool" and too drugged up. It was then that she decided to launch her own festival.[3] Controversy ensued when she pulled the plug on Iron Maiden's set three times in one performance. She also harassed the singer Bruce Dickinson, and threw eggs at the band.[14]
Sharon Osbourne Management
In light of her success managing her husband, Osbourne branched out into managing other acts by creating Sharon Osbourne Management. The new company, with Osbourne as its sole employee, managed artists such as Gary Moore, Motörhead, Lita Ford, The Smashing Pumpkins,[3] and Coal Chamber. She co-managed a band called Cube, with Cud guitarist Mike Dunphy. Cube were signed to Polydor Records but had limited success. She has also turned down career guidance requests from Fred Durst, Guns N' Roses, and Courtney Love.[3]
Television career
Early work (2002–2007)
Osbourne gained celebrity status as one of the stars of MTV's reality show, The Osbournes, which followed her family's daily life and had a national audience. As the person who negotiated with MTV to screen the show, she is often credited with bringing about her husband's emergence from heavy metal icon into mainstream celebrity. The show began airing in early 2002, and when, in July 2002, Osbourne was diagnosed with cancer, she insisted that filming should continue. The final episode of the show aired in the US on 21 March 2005. MTV's British affiliate has been airing the show since 2003. The show brought MTV its highest ratings ever in both America and Britain.[15]
The Osbournes' Beverly Hills home (made famous on the show) has since been sold and the Osbournes have taken up residence in another home in Beverly Hills. Her Beverly Hills home was later seen in The X Factor during series two. The show saw that Osbourne was responsible for the livelihood of 12 dogs and employs a dog walker named Cherie. From the mid-1990s until the end of The Osbournes in 2005, she was primarily based in Los Angeles with the rest of her family. Osbourne earned an estimated £11.5 million from The Osbournes.[2]
In 2009, she was included in Yahoo!'s Top 10 TV Moms from Six Decades of Television for the time period 2002–2005.[16] In 2003, Osbourne became the host of her own television talk show, The Sharon Osbourne Show, which was syndicated to various US channels and also shown in the UK on Sky One. The show was meant to be a reflection of her personality and home life – similar to her reality show but with the inclusion of guest interviews and performances. During the episodes, she conducted some of her interviews on a giant bed. However, the ratings were never successful[17] and critics panned her inability to perform the basic tasks required of a talk show host, such as reading cue cards and conducting interviews. The show was canceled in early 2004 after one season.[18]
In 2006, UK TV network ITV commissioned a new chat show, initially to be called Mrs Osbourne Presents, but eventually just named The Sharon Osbourne Show. Osbourne signed a deal with ITV for a reputed £2 million.[19] The show began on Tuesday 29 August 2006, and was scheduled to run for six weeks in the 5 pm weekday timeslot. The premiere episode proved a close competition as the show received 1.9 million viewers with 17% share – 400,000 viewers (and 3% share) ahead of Richard & Judy on Channel 4. Her second show attracted 2.1 million viewers.[20] However, ratings appeared to decrease after Channel 4 moved its game show Deal Or No Deal, hosted by Noel Edmonds, into the timeslot, with Osbourne managing 1.2 million viewers compared to Deal Or No Deal's 2.9m.[21] Channel 4's The New Paul O'Grady Show returned on Monday 25 September 2006 with 2.3 million viewers compared to Osbourne's 1.6 million.
Osbourne was a judge and mentor on the UK's The X Factor every year, from 2004 through to 2007. In the first series she mentored the 16–24s and chose Roberta Howett, Cassie Compton and Tabby Callaghan to represent her in the live rounds of the show. The best placed of these was Tabby, who finished third overall. The final was contested between Simon Cowell's act Steve Brookstein and Louis Walsh's act G4, with Steve winning. Osbourne's outburst against Steve on the night of the final is widely credited with helping him to win, although according to her autobiography he was well ahead at all stages of the voting.[citation needed]
In the second series she mentored the 25-and-overs, and selected Andy Abraham, Brenda Edwards, Chico Slimani and Maria Lawson to contest the final rounds. Andy Abraham finished in second place to Louis Walsh's act Shayne Ward. During this series, the judges were again required to bring the selected candidates to their homes. Osbourne chose her Beverly Hills home as a suitable location, which saw Osbourne inviting her neighbours and husband Ozzy Osbourne to attend live performances by the candidates. During Chico's performance, he jumped into her functioning fountain with a live microphone, and proceeded to splash water.
Osbourne also appeared in the spin-off show The X Factor: Battle of the Stars. She was not required to choose her celebrity singing contestants but was selected to manage the 16–24s which were made up of Nikki Sanderson, Matt Stevens and Michelle Marsh.
In the third series of The X Factor in 2006, she was mentoring the 25-and-overs, and selected Ben Mills, Dionne Mitchell, Robert Allen and Kerry McGregor. Kerry and Dionne were voted out in a double elimination on 28 October, Robert was voted out on 18 November and Ben was voted out on 9 December, sending Osbourne out of the competition. During the filming of the third series, Osbourne lived at the Dorchester Hotel in central London.
Osbourne was criticised for her outbursts on the show, where before a live show in series three she reportedly spoke out against Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? presenter Chris Tarrant, who was in the show's audience prior to filming. Tarrant had made a joke about Ozzy Osbourne to which Sharon Osbourne took offence, but most of her outburst focused on criticising Tarrant's recent infidelity to his wife Ingrid from whom he was in the process of separating.[22] It was rumoured that Simon Cowell, fellow judge and creator of the show, was displeased with her performance in series three, and was thinking of replacing her and Louis Walsh for the next series.[23] However, it was confirmed that Osbourne had been contracted to return for the fourth series of the show.[24]
She then appeared in the fourth series along with judges Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and new judge, Dannii Minogue.[25] However, on The Paul O'Grady Show, aired on 23 October 2007, Osbourne confirmed she would return on the next episode and stated that it is part of her personality to say things in the heat of the moment and not to contrive anything that she says. Two weeks into the live shows, a number of happy slapping videos of Emily Nakanda appeared in the media, apparently showing her beating another teenaged girl.[26] On 17 November, Alisha Bennett was voted out of the competition, leaving Osbourne with no acts halfway through the competition.[27]
Later work (2007–present)
Osbourne joined the judging panel on the second season of America's Got Talent, along with Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff, replacing the singer Brandy.[28] Osbourne later worked on the show with Howie Mandel and Howard Stern as judges and Nick Cannon as host.
The season premiered in the United States on 5 June 2007. In her first episode, Osbourne came into a conflict with Piers Morgan when she felt he judged a child contestant too harshly. She threatened to leave the show in the middle of filming, saying "I didn't sign up for this", but was talked out of it. The incident was shown on air.[29] Osbourne has since stayed with the show for its third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons. The new season was announced in a promotional video shown during a commercial break for season seven's second live show. Osbourne initially stated that she will not return for the season,[30] but later said that she was staying with the show "for now".[31] Following this, she announced she was quitting after a dispute with NBC and the producers of Stars Earn Stripes involving what she believed was disability discrimination against her son Jack.[32]
On 6 June 2008, it was announced in a statement on behalf of Osbourne that she has decided to step down as an X Factor judge after four series on the show.[33] The statement read "Sharon would like to thank the wonderful British public for their enormous support during what's been an exciting ride. She would also like to take this opportunity to thank Simon Cowell and ITV while wishing them all the best for the next series."[34] A spokesman from ITV commented "She has been a tremendous judge and mentor on the programme, but we respect her wish to leave and wish her the very best."[35] Osbourne was replaced by Cheryl Cole.
Osbourne hosted the second season of Rock of Love: Charm School with co-hosts Riki Rachtman and Daniella Clarke on VH1. Osbourne had a physical altercation on 13 December 2008 with contestant Megan Hauserman on the reunion special for the show after Hauserman made derogatory statements about Osbourne's husband, Ozzy. Hauserman reportedly filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department[36][37] and has since filed a lawsuit against Osbourne, claiming battery, negligence and infliction of emotional distress.[38] In 2011, Osbourne reached a settlement with Hauserman.[citation needed] In July 2008, Fox announced that the Osbourne family would be hosting a new variety show titled Osbournes: Reloaded (working title was Osbournes: Loud and Dangerous).[39] The show started filming at CBS Studios in Hollywood in December 2008 before a live audience. The show premiered in March 2009.[40] Fremantle Media North America is producing the show. The show was canceled after its premiere episode.[citation needed]
During an interview on Piers Morgan's Life Stories, broadcast on 22 February 2009, Osbourne admitted that the reason for her departure from The X Factor was her relationship with Dannii Minogue.[41] She stated "I didn't enjoy working with her at all and didn't fancy the prospect of spending six months sitting next to her."[42]
In March 2010, Osbourne appeared on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice, coming in third place.
Osbourne co-hosts The Talk, which is a talk show that premiered 18 October 2010. This decision came after CBS canceled the soap opera As the World Turns. The show is similar to The View and seeks to address motherhood and other contemporary issues.[43] In September 2010, Osbourne made a return to The X Factor at the Judges' Houses round of series 7 where she assisted Louis Walsh at Adare Manor, County Limerick, Ireland to pick the final 3 contestants of the Over 28s category,[44] Then in September 2012, she joined Louis again this time in Las Vegas, for the 9th series Judges Houses segment of the competition, to help him choose his final 3 groups.[45] Osbourne will be the last original co-host following the resignation of fellow co-host and series creator Sara Gilbert.
On 27 May 2012, it was reported Osbourne was in talks with The X Factor bosses to return as a judge and replacement for Kelly Rowland, who announced she would not return for the show's ninth series.[46] However, Osbourne turned down the role and the role went to Nicole Scherzinger.
Osbourne has expressed interest in reprising her role on the judging panel, notably in September 2012, when she said that she would 'love' to return for the show's tenth series.[47] Media outlets reported in December 2012 that X Factor producers had approached Osbourne for a return in 2013, reportedly to replace Tulisa.[48] In April 2013, the show's creative director Brian Friedman said that he was "confident" of Sharon Osbourne's return, following her departure from America's Got Talent and replacement by Heidi Klum.[49] It was later announced by ITV that Osbourne would indeed be returning for the tenth series of the show, replacing Tulisa.[50] She returned to the judging panel alongside Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, and original panellist Louis Walsh.[51] During the live shows, she mentored the Over 25s category which included Lorna Simpson, Shelley Smith and Sam Bailey. Bailey was eventually announced as the winner of the show on 15 December, marking Osbourne's first victory as a mentor in the show's ten-year history.[52] Osbourne did not return for the eleventh series of The X Factor UK and was replaced by Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.
In 2014 and 2017, Osbourne appeared as a guest panellist on ITV's daytime programme Loose Women.
On 1 June 2016, it was announced that once again, Osbourne will be returning to The X Factor for the show's thirteenth series to replace Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. This time, alongside Louis Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger and Simon Cowell. She once again mentored the Over 25s category, choosing Saara Aalto, Relley C and Honey G as her final three contestants. Aalto went on to become the series' runner-up.
Media appearances
In January 2003, Osbourne and the rest of her family hosted the 30th Annual American Music Awards.[53][54] The night was marked with constant "bleeping" due to some of the lewd and raunchy remarks made by both Osbourne and Ozzy. Additionally, the night was met with some controversy, as critics panned their hosting and presenter Patricia Heaton walked out midway in disgust.[55]
In January 2005, she was contracted to feature in a television advertising campaign for UK supermarket chain, Asda and later in 2007, Osbourne became the new face of Galabingo when she was featured in television advertisements promoting the gambling website.[56] She has co-hosted one of the Royal Variety Performances with Jonathan Ross. Osbourne appeared in Days of Our Lives, It's a Boy Girl Thing.
On Friday 15 June 2007, Osbourne guest hosted The Friday Night Project with Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr. Osbourne also made a cameo appearance on 23 June 2007 in an episode of the science fiction series Doctor Who. The episode "The Sound of Drums" saw her appearing in a spoof party political broadcast, which featured testimonials from British celebrities such as Osbourne and the band McFly showing their support for Mr Saxon to become Prime Minister.[57]
On 20 February 2008, Sharon Osbourne co-hosted the 28th edition of the BRIT Awards at Earls Court in London, along with her husband and daughter Kelly.[58] During the awards Osbourne caused controversy and sparked complaints by calling Vic Reeves, who was presenting one of the awards, a "piss head" and a "bastard" after he appeared to be drunk, although he claimed that he was having trouble reading the autocue.[59] On 22 August 2008, Osbourne took part in the 2008 MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival in Scotland.[60] In 2009 she co-hosted WWE Raw with her husband Ozzy.
On 1 April 2010, Sharon Osbourne (along with Kelly Osbourne) joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the LGBT community as part of her True Colors Fund. The organisation campaigns to urge straight people to stand up with the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community and stop discrimination. Other names included in the campaign are Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Mraz, Elton John, Judith Light, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Kardashian & Clay Aiken. Anna Paquin is also part of the campaign and came out as bisexual. This news clogged the Give A Damn website.[61]
Osbourne has a recurring voice role as Mama Hook in the animated television series Jake and the Never Land Pirates, which was broadcast in 2012.[62]
In 2016, Osbourne appeared in two videos for PETA, explaining why she gave up wearing fur and encouraging others to do the same.[63]
Autobiographies
Sharon Osbourne's first autobiography, Extreme (co-authored by Penelope Dening), was published in October 2005 and tells of her difficult childhood growing up with her father, Don Arden, and also documents the highs and lows of her marriage to husband Ozzy Osbourne, shedding light on areas of her life previously not commented on. Domestic violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, affairs, bribery, colon cancer, robberies, a plane crash, therapy, and cosmetic surgery are also documented in the autobiography.[11]
Published by Time WarnerBooks, it went to Number 1 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List (UK) where it remained for 15 weeks and sold over 621,000 copies in hardback, becoming the biggest-selling autobiography since British records began, beating the previous record set by David Beckham's autobiography by 100,000 copies.[64] In March 2006 it won Biography of the Year at the British Book Awards. The autobiography has proceeded to sell in excess of two million copies which has become the most successful female autobiography ever.[11]
Osbourne later released another autobiography named Survivor, the title coming from surviving cancer. It was released in 2007. In August 2013, Osbourne announced on Twitter that her third autobiography named Unbreakable, would be released on 10 October 2013.
Awards and recognition
In 2002, Sharon Osbourne and husband Ozzy were invited to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner by Fox News Channel correspondent Greta Van Susteren for that year's event.
Sharon Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne were honoured for their contribution to the music industry at a ceremony in London when the couple won a Silver Clef Award.[65]
Osbourne was voted "the most amazing woman of 2003", according to a poll published by Handbag.com, a website for women, taking almost a third of the votes cast. More than 7,000 votes were cast in a range of categories.[66]
During Osbourne's time battling cancer, she attended an award ceremony to collect a gong for the success of her family's television show The Osbournes. She attended the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles with her daughter Kelly Osbourne, to receive the best reality television show award.[67]
In late 2004, Osbourne attended the Woman of the Year awards in London to collect an award that she had previously won at the 2002 event, but was unable to accept due to illness.
Osbourne was voted Freemans Celebrity Mum of the Year in 2006, fending off competition from Jordan, Kate Moss and the Duchess of Cornwall.[68]
In 2006, Osbourne's autobiography won Biography of the year at the British Book Awards.[69]
There is a wax figure of Osbourne at Madame Tussauds.
She is an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.[70]
Public image
On the Sunday Times Rich List 2006, Osbourne was listed as the 44th richest woman in Britain and the 60th richest woman on the 2007 list. In the overall British list in 2006, Osbourne and her husband appeared together as the 554th richest people with a combined wealth of £100 million.[71] As of 2008, the couple was ranked as the 724th richest people in Britain with an estimated joint wealth of £110 million.[72]
Osbourne has sent her son or daughter's feces in Tiffany boxes on more than one occasion to people she felt had unreasonably criticised her or her family. When a journalist criticised her teenage children, Osbourne sent a box of excrement with a note saying, "I heard you've got an eating disorder. Eat this."[73][74]
The popular British comedy Dead Ringers, features and spoofs Osbourne (played by Jan Ravens) quite prominently alongside her husband (played by Jon Culshaw). Also, she was spoofed by impressionist Ronni Ancona on Alistair McGowan's Big Impression and was also featured in comedy 2DTV. On Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler played her on "Celebrity Jeopardy!" skit on 14 May 2005.
Sharon Osbourne appeared in season nine of Celebrity Apprentice. On 16 May 2010, she was fired during the double elimination round. Impressionist Francine Lewis performed an impression of her in the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent.
Personal life
Sharon Osbourne (then Sharon Levy) met her future husband Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, at the age of 18, while working for her father, Don Arden, who was managing Black Sabbath at the time. When Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, Sharon started to date him and took over his management as a solo artist. The two were married in Maui, Hawaii, on 4 July 1982.[75] Together, Sharon and Ozzy have three children: Aimee, Kelly and Jack.[76]
For years, the Osbourne marriage was plagued by alcohol, drug use, and violence, with Osbourne having even been arrested for driving while intoxicated. The couple used to physically fight regularly and, according to Osbourne, they would "beat."[3] She has described herself as "a beaten woman" when she was at the hands of husband Ozzy where he once knocked out her front teeth. She once retaliated by throwing a full bottle of scotch at his head.[5] The most notorious incident arose in August 1989, when Ozzy was arrested for attempted murder after he had returned from the Moscow Music Peace Festival, and tried to strangle Osbourne in a haze of alcohol and drugs.[3] After the incident, he spent six months in rehabilitation as a result of his actions, after which time, Osbourne said she regained her strength in their relationship and did not press charges.[77]
In July 2002, after colon cancer claimed the life of Reagan Erin Marcato, the mother of her daughters' friend, then-18-year-old son Robert, Osbourne told the BBC that she had adopted Robert;[76] however, when he was later sent to live with his father following a nervous breakdown, Osbourne denied having legally adopted him.[78]
Health
In 1999, Osbourne lost 100 pounds (45 kg) after lap-band surgery (adjustable gastric band). Osbourne commented that being large was an essential part of her persona when she worked for her father and that being larger, she made a more dramatic entrance.[5] On 26 October 2006, she went on the Howard Stern Show and revealed that she gained 15 pounds in the last year and would be having her plastic band removed.
In July 2002, Osbourne had surgery for cancer.[77] She announced it was colon cancer and had spread to her lymph nodes and was more serious than originally thought.[79] She survived the disease against a 33% survival prognosis. Despite battling cancer, she insisted that the MTV cameras document her illness during the filming of the second season of The Osbournes. When Osbourne's hair fell out during her subsequent treatment, her wigs were custom made by Cher's wigmaker.[5] Ozzy Osbourne admitted that he "fell apart" during her treatment and recovery,[80] and it was revealed that her son, Jack Osbourne, tried to commit suicide because of his depression stemming from his mother's condition.[81]
In August 2004, she founded the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars Sinai Hospital. In addition, she was the honoured guest at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's 2003 Fall Gala,[82] where she spoke of her struggle against cancer. Osbourne has lent her support to design limited edition T-shirts or vests for the 'Little Tee Campaign' for Breast Cancer Care which donates money for breast cancer research.[82]
Osbourne has freely admitted to having extensive cosmetic surgery. As well as documenting this in her autobiography, she appeared on Dr. Phil on 14 December 2006, and commented on everything that had been surgically changed on her body to improve her appearance. She stated that she had had a full rhytidectomy, abdominoplasty, mastopexy, as well as many other procedures, but commented that she would not have any surgery performed on her eyes or lips.[83] She has admitted to spending £300,000 on plastic surgery.[84]
In early November 2012, Osbourne revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy after learning she had a gene that increases the risk of developing breast cancer.[85]
Household incidents
In 2004, Osbourne's home in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, was burgled by a man who stole gems worth £2 million. The burglar managed to get away with the gems despite being put in a headlock by Ozzy. Items taken during the burglary included wedding rings, an engagement ring, pearl and diamond necklaces, a large 52 carat (10 g) sapphire ring and two pairs of diamond earrings. After the incident, Osbourne appeared on Crimewatch and offered a reward of £100,000 for the return of her valuable jewellery.[86]
In March 2005, there was an incident in the Osbournes' mansion in Jordans, Buckinghamshire. Ozzy and Sharon were forced to flee their mansion when a blaze broke out as they slept. They were not injured but had to be treated for smoke inhalation.[87] In 2006, another fire broke out at the Osbourne's mansion; however, none of the family was at home.[88]
Political statements
In 2016, Osbourne voted for Brexit in the referendum regarding the issue. She subsequently stated in an interview with the Sunday Times that there had been too much foreign immigration into England, and that its society was being adversely affected by it.[89]
In September 2019, in widely reported comments made in an interview with The Sun, Osbourne said of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, "Oh my God, I hate him so much. I want to hurt him; I want to physically hurt this man. He is the most arrogant, ugly fuck. I want to hurt him. Oh my God, he is revolting; so ugly, inside and out. This ugliness oozes from him, he's repulsive."[90]
Controversies
Iron Maiden
At Iron Maiden's last Ozzfest performance, on 20 August 2005 at the Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in San Bernardino, California, several negative events took place, allegedly the fault of Sharon Osbourne. Osbourne's actions were reportedly in retaliation to lead singer Bruce Dickinson slighting reality TV, with claims that this was an attack on Ozzy Osbourne himself.[91]
During the first Iron Maiden song, several members of the front row of the crowd (reportedly a combination of Osbourne's entourage and a few members from other bands persuaded by Osbourne or her entourage) were reported to have bombarded the band with eggs, bottle caps, and ice.[91] Some reports also say that Sharon's daughter, Kelly, was throwing objects at the band. During three of Iron Maiden's songs, the PA system was switched off, cutting power to Dickinson's microphone and the band's instruments.[91] In audio captured during the concert, it is reported that Dickinson can be heard accusing the festival's organisers of deliberately cutting off the band's power. Also unknown to Iron Maiden, played secretly through the PA at the very beginning and end of their set was a tape with the chant "Ozzy – Ozzy – Ozzy".[92] On Iron Maiden's departure, Sharon made a few statements on stage in front of the 40,000 people in attendance. She told the audience that while she "absolutely loved Iron Maiden," she thought lead singer Bruce Dickinson was a "prick"[91] and had "disrespected Ozzfest since they began their stint with the tour." Her words were met with booing, and soon afterwards she walked off the stage.[93]
Iron Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood, issued a statement shortly after the debacle condemning the attack on the band as "vile, dangerous, criminal and cowardly" as well as disrespectful to fans who had paid to see the band perform "a full unhindered performance.".[92] Dickinson later denied making a personal attack on Ozzy Osbourne; "Did I have a go at Ozzy and Black Sabbath? No. Why would I? But I do find The Osbournes TV series loathsome, and the whole cult of reality TV celebrities disgusting."[94]
The Smashing Pumpkins
In 2000, Osbourne resigned from managing The Smashing Pumpkins by releasing a memo which said, "It was with great pride and enthusiasm that I took on management of the Pumpkins back in October, but unfortunately I must resign today due to medical reasons ... [The Smashing Pumpkins frontman] Billy Corgan was making me sick!!!" In an October 2008 interview, Osbourne revealed that she and Corgan had recently made up: "I saw him at the Scream Awards. We hadn't seen each other since that whole thing in Germany. The first time we ran into each other and we hugged and kissed and laughed."[95]
The Talk
In July 2011, Osbourne and some of her fellow The Talk panelists were criticised for their conduct when discussing the story of Catherine Kieu. Osbourne described Kieu's cutting off of her husband's penis and putting it in a garbage disposal as "quite fabulous", Osbourne also laughed about the incident with her fellow panellists and members of the audience. Osbourne's cohost Sara Gilbert offered the counterpoint "Not to be a total buzz kill, but it is a little bit sexist. If somebody cut a woman's breast off, nobody would be sitting laughing.", Osbourne replied by saying "It's different".[96] Osbourne later apologised for her behaviour, stating "she was sorry she offended people" and that she "did not condone genital mutilation".[citation needed]
Osbourne's co-hosts on The Talk, Leah Remini and Holly Robinson Peete were released from their contracts in 2011.[97] Osbourne spoke of their dismissals in December 2011 on The Howard Stern Show, stating: "Some people don't really know who they are, and you have to know who you are when you're in something like this. You can't pretend to be something you're not. You have to know your brand. You can't be all things to everyone."[98][99] Remini later protested her dismissal and leveled accusations aimed at Osbourne through a series of tweets.[100][101][102][103]
Fired assistant revelation
In 2019, Osbourne appeared on the British panel show Would I Lie to You? in which guests make statements about themselves and fellow panelists decide whether it is true or a lie. She claimed that during a house fire[104] she made her assistant go back into the house to save pieces of art. She also claimed that she ripped an oxygen mask off the assistant and gave it to her dog. She then proceeded to fire him when he did not find the situation funny, believing he might have lung damage from smoke inhalation, saying “he showed absolutely no sense of humour” during the fire. After the usual deliberations by fellow panelists, she confirmed the incident to be true.[105][106][107] The clip of Sharon's story on the show that was uploaded by the official BBC YouTube Channel was met with an overwhelmingly negative reception.[108][109]
Bibliography
Biography
Extreme (Sphere, 2006) ISBN 978-0-7515-3766-6
Survivor (Sphere, 2008) ISBN 978-0-7515-4054-3
Unbreakable (Sphere, 2014) ISBN 978-0-7515-4294-3
