Many watch the show ‘The Talk’ because of their willingness to discuss numerous topics that concern politics, celebrity gossip and major issues in the country such as sexism and racism.
Each episode, the hosts converse about the various topics for that show, and each shares their opinions and thoughts. It is not often that the host finds themselves in a heated discussion.
On the Wednesday, March 10 episode, hosts Sharon Osbourne and Sheryl Underwood were the subjects of a heated discussion about racism and alleged racist remarks by Piers Morgan, an English broadcaster and journalist.
After the interview hosted by Oprah Winfrey with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Morgan shared on “Good Morning Britain” that he did not believe anything that Markle discussed in her interview.
However, a major topic that Markle and Harry discussed was the royal family’s concerns about her then–unborn child’s skin color. The couple shared that the family was worried that Archie’s skin may be darker due to Markle’s ethnic background. Markle felt that this was racist of the family as they also did not want to provide security for the child nor give him the title of “prince.”
On The ‘Talk,’ Morgan’s comment was discussed, and Osbourne became extremely defensive toward Underwood as Underwood attempted to explain why Morgan’s comments were racist and not okay to say.
Osbourne told Underwood, “Educate me, tell me,” regarding the issue of racism and the comments Morgan made.
Osbourne’s demand toward Underwood is problematic because Osbourne seemed not to want to believe or understand on her own the problem with her friend Morgan’s comments.
Andreas Jackson, a senior exercise science major, said, “I believe that as a person of color, we are not obligated to inform others of history and acts that can be considered racist. I do not see a problem in asking friends that of color, ‘What is the issue? or what can I do?’
“However, in the scenario with Sharon Osbourne, if one is to ask questions concerning racist, there has to be a better attitude of wanting to learn and become better, versus what happened which was defensive feelings of being attacked.”
Just like any other topic, it is necessary that we continue to educate ourselves by reading articles, watching documentaries and acknowledging the injustice that is happening in our country today rather than relying on people of color to tell us the acts that are wrong and hurtful.
“I think it’s important to educate ourselves so that we don’t base our opinions off something that we heard that could be biased rather than coming up with an opinion that is completely our own,” said Gary Newsome, a senior mass communication major.
Similarly, Jake Lane, a junior human nutrition major, said, “It is also important for people in positions of privilege to go out of their way to understand what other people are going through as opposed to just relying on headlines.”
Since the episode of ‘The Talk’ aired, Underwood has talked on ‘The Steve Harvey Show’ about the incident and claimed that the conversation was “a blessing” because she was able to explain on national television why Morgan was wrong so that others can learn from him.
Underwood went on to explain that conversations like the one with Osbourne happen in private frequently for people of color, and she was happy that this educational conversation happened on the show.
Additionally, Osbourne released an apology on Twitter saying that she promised to “learn, listen and do better.”
As for Morgan, he left “Good Morning Britain” and, as of March 20, still has not released a statement or apology.
The hope is that those who have watched this specific episode of ‘The Talk’ and were able to hear the reasoning from Underwood will understand the wrongness of Morgan and will begin, or continue, to educate themselves through their own research.
It is crucial that we continue to do this in order to stop the injustice and racism that has persisted for too long.
Graphic by Katelyn Miller
