Sharon Osbourne says feud with Simon Cowell is 'over': 'It was business, not personal'
Sharon Osbourne has no beef with Simon Cowell. “The Talk” co-host confirmed their feud is over, days after the “America's Got Talent” judge declared they buried the hatchet over the phone. (Although, Osbourne says that part isn't entirely true.)
"Well, we were never, for me, not, not friends. Because for me, it was business, not personal," Osbourne, 66, said on Monday's episode. "And there's a huge line."
Osbourne continued, "That's what happens when you work with people that you like. You fall out business-wise, but for me, I say what I feel at the time, and for me, it's over. And because I said certain things about, and to, Simon, doesn't mean I hate him forever, just for that second I don't like him... I never use the word hate when I talk about people. He's okay, it's just, I don't want to work with him."
In 2018, Osbourne abruptly exited “The X Factor” U.K. before the live shows. (According to Deadline, she had signed a three-year deal in 2016.) Her departure came less than a month after she criticized the competition show to Howard Stern, calling the contestants "little s****" and their singing "f***ing karaoke." British reports claimed she was let go because of the interview, but in March, Osbourne said it was Cowell who had her fired — because she was “too old.”
"I turned down a judge [gig] on The Masked Singer," she claimed seven months ago. "I was signed on to do [X Factor]. I was signed to go to England, and then Simon Cowell changed his mind and thought I was too old.”
Recalling the conversation, she alleged, "Simon Cowell goes, 'She’s old. We need somebody young.' So if you want young, fire yourself." As her co-hosts cheered, Osbourne added, "And get rid of those man [bleep] and you’ll be fine." (Sources close to Cowell denied at the time she was fired because of her age.) She ended with a message to Cowell: "Call me tomorrow, we’ll discuss it."
Last week, Cowell told The Mirror that he did, in fact, reach out.
"I phoned her up the other day and said, 'Look, I’ll be honest with you. How could I criticize you for being mouthy when it’s the reason I hired you in the first place?!' Sharon gets a bit carried away but deep down she’s got real affection for the shows," he explained. "There will be other versions of these shows, I am sure, and she is always welcome back. If ever she had an issue, I’d be on a plane in five seconds, she’d do the same for me."
On Monday's episode of “The Talk,” Osbourne said the two haven't spoken on the phone in over a year. "The 'other day' was May 2018!" she exclaimed, but added, "I don't have beef with anyone... I say what I feel and then it's gone."
Sheryl Underwood asked her co-star, "Sharon, how much money does Simon Cowell have to pay you to come back and do his show and be his friend?"
"You can't buy a friend,” Osbourne replied. “It's like buying love — you can't buy a friend. Sure, he can buy me [professionally]. He can give me what he paid Robbie Williams out of his own money... It would be about seven million, so love you, baby."
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