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‘The Talk’ Co-Host Explains How Show Is ‘Evolving’ Following Sharon Osbourne Exit

The Talk, the day-time chat show, is “evolving” after it lost its 11-year co-host Sharon Osbourne, co-host Amanda Kloots says. Carrie Ann Inaba announced on Monday, April 26, that she is also taking a leave of absence from the show to focus on her health.

“A lot of times, we look at television shows, and there’s this mask of perfection, and life is not about perfection,” Kloots told E!. “It is actually about how you deal with imperfections and learning to thrive in those imperfections and being resilient. So I think that when you watch The Talk now, you’re seeing a show that’s evolving and changing and growing. And I think that’s a beautiful thing.”

Osbourne left after defending her friend, controversial British newsman Piers Morgan last month. Morgan called out former princess Meghan Markle after her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey where she slammed the British royal family and culture surrounding it. Critics called his comments insensitive and racist, which is what upset Osbourne.

She and The Talk co-host Sheryl Underwood got into a heated debate over the backlash. This set off a chain of events that caused a chasm to form among the hosts. The Talk went on immediate hiatus, culminating with Osbourne leaving the show a week later.

She told Bill Maher on Real Time with Bill Maher, “I’ve been called so many things in my life,” she says. “I am so used to being called names, but a racist, this is one I will not take.”

Maher sided with Osbourne in the dispute.

‘The Talk’ Struggles in Ratings After Shake-Up

Though the show has had a revolving door of hosts over the years, Osbourne was one of the few constants. Since her departure, The Talk has floundered in the ratings and its direction without its defacto leader. Though Kloot said producers are looking at fixes.

“We miss her here, and I definitely miss her here,” she told E!. “I think that she did what was right for her, but I still miss her every day. We press on, and we press forward, and we’re doing a good job of holding down the fort. And we have lovely guest co-hosts every day, which is very fun because they bring in new energy—just different, exciting things.”

According to Kloot, the show took “a month of leadership and race training” and had “conversations behind the scenes” after the incident. She added that she was proud of the April 12 return episode. Further, she said that the co-hosts value “the importance of listening and really seeing people instead of kind of turning a blind eye.”

The show seems split since Osbourne’s departure, and it appears her friendship with Underwood is over.

Underwood said the experience gave her post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I feel like I’ve been in, like, PTSD because it was a trauma,” Underwood said, “and I feel like I want to get past this because I really wanted to get back to work with my friends and my colleagues and the crew…but I also wanted to get back to the audience.”