Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Report: Sharon Osbourne Quitting America’s Got Talent over Alleged NBC Discrimination of Her Son.


The New York Post reports Sharon Osbourne is leaving the judges' panel of America’s Got Talent following a dispute with NBC involving her son, Jack. The 59-year-old wife of rock star Ozzy Osbourne is apparently “fuming” over how the network’s new reality series Stars Earn Stripes cut ties with their son after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis earlier this year. According to the New York Post, Osbourne claims that the producers of Stars Earn Stripes -- which will show celebrities taking on military training exercises, fired Jack by email two days before he was due to report for work, then lied about it to the media. Jack had appeared on his mother’s CBS daytime show, The Talk, back in June, claiming he was fired from a project -- he didn't disclose which one -- because of his medical condition. At a press conference for Stars Earn Stripes last month, producer David Hurwitz insisted that Jack had not been hired for the show, adding, “He was somebody we were in talks with.” Entertainment Weekly has published a statement by NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt that reads, “First, we have the deepest affection for Sharon Osbourne and consider her to be part of the NBC family....[A]s a company that cares deeply about the health and safety of everyone on our shows — especially one like Stars Earn Stripes that requires dangerous water stunts, strenuous physical activity, and uses live ammunition — we required all potential participants to undergo medical vetting to ensure that they could safely participate.  Although we did not ask Jack to participate in the competition, we were able to offer him two substantial alternative roles on the show, both of which he declined. This network does not discriminate on any basis.”
Regarding her position on AGT, Sharon Osbourne tells the New York Post that the show’s producer Simon Cowell has tried to make peace between her and the network but she says she won’t change her stance on the subject, insisting, "It’s discrimination, and it was badly handled."

No comments:

Post a Comment