On Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, Maher supportively interviewed Sharon Osbourne about cancel culture. Osbourne was canceled after a decade from the CBS show The Talk — their knockoff of ABC’s The View — after getting in a tense exchange with black co-host Sheryl Underwood about her friend Piers Morgan and his criticism of Meghan Markle.
Maher said “You have to agree with everything Meghan Markle says or you are a racist, is this the standard now? Unless you agree with every person of color — that seems insane.”
“I’ve been called so many things in my life,” Osbourne told Maher. “I am so used to being called names, but a racist is one I will not take.”
“Yeah,” Maher replied. “It’s an insult, if you’re not one.”
The controversy went all the way back to 2003, when Osbourne had words with an Iranian-American talent agent over a raffled diamond necklace from her 25th anniversary party, where Osbourne reportedly called Tab a “Persian carpet c—.” Osbourne said the woman “crashed” the party, was not invited. Osbourne apologized, but it’s still being dragged out in wake of the new racism allegations.
After discussing this with Osbourne, Maher said “This idea and culture now that people need to ‘reeducate’ themselves, indoctrinate themselves I’m sorry, I’m 65, you’re 68. I know who I am! I don’t need reeducation,” Maher continued. “Do you need reeducation? 68, you’ve been around the world, you’re married to a rock star, you’ve been with all the A-listers and rock ‘n’ roll. Like, f— ’em. Like you need to, ‘Huh, race, tell me all about it.’ It’s fantasy.”
Ruing woke cancel culture. @MrsSOsbourne: “It isn’t about being a racist, it’s about not knowing what is correct and woke for your language that day.” @BillMaher: “You have two choices, if you’re white, you’re either a racist or a racist and you don’t know it.” #RealTime pic.twitter.com/rIev5H18y3
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) April 17, 2021
“I’m a fighter, I’m fine, I’m doing just fine but what about the people who are cut from the knees down and they can’t afford to go ‘get lessons’ on what’s politically correct and how to talk to people?” she said. “What happens to them? It’s not fair, it’s not fair because it isn’t about being a racist, it’s about maybe not knowing what is ‘correct and woke for your language that day because it changes from day to day — what is correct and what isn’t.”
Maher and Osbourne then discussed Robin DiAngelo’s controversial book White Fragility, which she was given and said she read. It’s touted as a manual for white people to learn they have “white privilege” and have been indoctrinated to think white is better, so stop denying you’re racist.
“You have two choices if you’re White, you’re either a racist — or a racist and you don’t know it. I’m not down with that,” Maher said. “I know who raised me, I know who my friends are. I know how I’ve treated people.”
“That’s right. And this thing is, you cannot blanket any race,” Osbourne replied. ”You cannot — there’s good and bad in every race. You don’t blanket.”