By now, Sharon Osbourne’s departure from America’s Got Talent has set off a wave of controversy in light of some potentially dickish behavior from NBC. Osbourne claims that she’s leaving her position as a judge on the show after her son Jack Osbourne was fired from a spot on fellow NBC reality show Stars Earn Stripes after recently being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in June. "I just can’t be fake," she told The New York Post about her refusal to stay on AGT.
However, the show’s producer David Hurwitz has a rather different account of the event. Hurwitz claims that Jack was never even hired in the first place, that he was only a celebrity-contestant that they were in talks with, but was never officially signed on. "Prior to us making our final decision," said Hurwitz, "it was found that the rigors of the show were too intense for him."
So who’s telling the truth here? Is this a case of a network crudely firing someone because of a medical condition, or is this just another example of A-list celebrity vanity? Osbourne claims that, from her own experience, deals are typically done in "good faith," and that this was one of those deals, though it's somewhat reasonable that a television network might be a bit nervous to hire a contestant with a known medical condition, especially one as serious as multiple sclerosis.
Still, the most pressing matter is whether or not Sharon’s exit from AGT will have some sort of devastating impact on the show’s pecking order. Osbourne has been with the hit televised talent show since its second season, and has judged with other celebrity judges such as Jerry Springer, David Hasselhoff, and current AGT panelists Howie Mandel and Howard Stern. Losing a veteran of your popular show is pretty bad, worse when it’s at the forefront of an ugly controversy, and Sharon herself might be kept from judging gigs on any other network since she is still under contract with NBC for another five years.
Sharon’s departure from AGT is just another instance in a revolving door of celebrities looking to provide their own criticism for a bunch of wannabe-stars: Just a couple of weeks prior, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler left their gig with American Idol to pursue their music careers (translation: they weren’t paying them enough) and will be replaced by Mariah Carey, and even Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are getting in the judging spirit by joining up with The X Factor. Basically, it's a demented celebrity-draft where networks pay to have any music celebrity that’s hot at the moment.
Either way, it’s bad news for everyone involved; though NBC has at least shown some tactfulness: "Sharon has been a valuable part of the NBC family," an NBC representative told the Post. "We regret any misunderstanding and wish Jack well."
What do you think? Should Jack have been fired from Stars Earn Stripes? Let us know in the comments below.
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