Sheryl Underwood is getting candid about last month’s explosive episode of The Talk that led to Sharon Osbourne’s exit from the CBS daytime show.
On Monday’s return episode, Underwood said she felt traumatized by the experience, but noted that she refused to lash out at the time because she feared being viewed as an “angry Black woman.”
“We haven’t been together at the studio since the week of March 10 and as you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave The Talk,” the comedian and actress said at the top of the show.
“We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing,” she added.
Underwood was then joined on set by co-hosts Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth. Special guests Donald E. Grant, an expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and Anita Phillips, a trauma therapist and life coach, were brought in to help guide the conversation.
Related Story: Sharon Osbourne Goes Off on Sheryl Underwood During ‘The Talk’ Racism Debate
Grant led the discussion by asking Underwood how she felt while the events that day were taking place.
“Well I didn’t want to escalate things with Sharon because I thought I was having a conversation with a friend, but also I knew I had to be an example for others to follow because I didn’t want to be perceived as the angry Black woman — and that really scared me. I didn’t want to be that,” she said. “It’s difficult to go back to that day because I just feel the trauma. I feel fearful, a little apprehensive.”
Grant told her, unfortunately, many Black women experience similar feelings in the workplace.
As previously reported, the fallout from the heated Underwood and Osbourne conversation led to the show being put on a month-long hiatus, with Osbourne leaving following an internal investigation by CBS.
The investigation came after Osbourne cursed and pointed a finger at Underwood while they discussed British TV personality Piers Morgan, who criticized Meghan Markle for her tell-all March 7 interview.
Underwood said Morgan’s comments on British TV could be perceived as racist. Osbourne disagreed and eventually lost it on-air.
On March 26, CBS announced its investigation found Osbourne’s behavior “did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.”
Watch the video below for more of Underwood’s conversation with Grant, as well as how Welteroth said she processed the experience.
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