Sharon Osbourne 'Believes' CBS, Gayle King Are 'Trying To Protect' Meghan & Harry Relationship As 'Talk' Future Remains Uncertain: Source
It might not be accusations of racism that get Sharon Osbourne fired from CBS, but rather her accusations questioning the nature of the relationship between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Gayle King and CBS, OK! has learned.
“Sharon believes that CBS and Gayle King are trying to protect their relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Gayle has invested years developing a ‘friendship’ with the couple, which is now paying off," the source tells OK!.
"Thanks to the big Oprah [Winfrey] interview [which aired on CBS] and Oprah’s appearance the following morning on Gayle’s show, CBS This Morning beat both Good Morning America and The Today Show. Which is why Gayle is happy to be the mouthpiece for Harry and Meghan," the source added. (As OK! previously reported, King dished about a call she had with Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, and revealed that Harry's initial chats with dad Prince Charles and older brother Prince William were "not productive.")
The tension between the hosts has even left CBS staffers split between Team King and Team Osbourne, OK!'s source dishes.
"CBS News has always looked down its nose at celebrity gossip. But that’s what the viewers want. Gayle has worked very hard to establish herself as a serious journalist, but in doing so she has never been able to deliver big ratings, until she started gossiping about Harry and Meghan,” adds an insider. "Some people at CBS think Sharon’s theory is 100 percent correct, while others think it is a silly story Sharon has concocted to blame Gayle and others for her mistake."
The alleged feud between King and Osbourne comes as they have both been making headlines for their actions following Harry and Meghan's tell-all, which aired Sunday, March 7, on CBS.
Osbourne has been on the receiving end of backlash after she defended Piers Morgan's freedom of speech following his thoughts on Harry and Meghan's interview. Meanwhile, King has been deemed the couple's "PR mouthpiece" for constantly defending the two.
As OK! previously reported, Osbourne defended Morgan on Twitter, telling him: "I am with you. I stand by you," after he came under fire for doubting Meghan's claims during her interview. Her questionable defense of the embattled host rolled over onto the Wednesday, March 10, episode of The Talk, which resulted in a heated exchange between Osbourne and cohost Sheryl Underwood.
During the uncomfortable chat, Underwood questioned how Osbourne could defend someone who "uttered" something "racist" in regards to Harry and Meghan's interview.
Osbourne had a meltdown on the show, telling Underwood: “I very much feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think is a racist, so that makes me a racist? What does it gotta do with me?" She had another meltdown after the episode.
She accused CBS of blindsiding her with the segment about Morgan because they were the ones who wanted the tough questions asked on air, according to Osbourne.
- Piers Morgan Won't Back Down! Commenter Slams Gayle King For Being Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's 'PR Mouthpiece,' Still Says Oprah Interview Filled With 'Lies'
- Piers Morgan Claims Royal Family Thanked Him For 'Standing Up For Them,' Invites Meghan Markle & Prince Harry For Sit Down
- Secret Snob? Sharon Osbourne Insists Meghan Markle Befriends Only 'Wealthy' People
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As OK! reported, The show has since launched an investigation into the claims of racism and put the live episodes on pause until they figure out what to do next. In light of Osbourne defending Morgan, several racially charged allegations have come out against her.
On the other hand, King has stuck by Harry and Meghan's side since their shocking tell-all — during which they cited the royal family's "lack of support" as one of the reasons they decided to step away from royal life.
In a segment that aired on CBS This Morning, King revealed a recent conversation she had with the Duke of Sussex and disclosed that Harry finally spoke to his father, Prince Charles, and older brother, Prince William.
King further explained that the couple wanted to deal with their issues with the royals "privately," however "false stories" that painted Meghan as a villain continued to be released. "All they wanted all along was for the royals to intervene and tell the press to stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slant," King added. "And until you can acknowledge that, I think it's going to be hard to move forward."
King also claimed on the CBS This Morning segment that "Meghan has documents to back up everything that she said on Oprah's interview. Everything."
During the couple's interview with Oprah, Meghan revealed she had "very clear and very scary" suicidal thoughts. As OK! previously reported, the Duchess of Sussex said she "went to the institution, and I said I needed to go somewhere to get help."
However, the Suits alum claimed she was told she couldn't seek assistance because "it wouldn’t be good for the institution."
After King revealed the conversations Harry had with his family members, Morgan slammed the brunette beauty, advising her to "do [her] job as a journalist and ask them about all the lies they told in @Oprah’s interview" rather than acting as her "Sussex friends’ PR mouthpiece to facilitate their ongoing public trashing of our Royal Family."
Morgan didn't stop there. He also bashed Underwood on Twitter for "calling me a racist for disbelieving Meghan Markle — without producing a shred of evidence that I've ever said or written anything racist about her," referring to Underwood's conversation with Osbourne.
