Sharon Osbourne has apologized after she leapt to the defense of Piers Morgan during a heated racism discussion with The Talk co-star Sheryl Underwood

Sharon Osbourne has apologized after she leaped to the defense of friend Piers Morgan during a heated exchange with Sheryl Underwood on her CBS panel show The Talk.

Sharon, 68, who is the wife of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, hit out at critics on Wednesday after they questioned her support for embattled British TV personality Piers Morgan, who came under fire earlier this week for his personal attacks on Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Sharon stood by her decision to support her friend Piers, telling viewers of her CBS panel show The Talk that she shouldn't be criticized. She said, “I feel even 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.”

But she has since issued a lengthy apology via her Twitter account to anyone she offended, after the racism discussion which saw her lash out at her co-star came under fire.

She said that she’d been “reflecting” on the incident and wanted to apologize to any Black viewers she had offended.

You can read her apology in full below...

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For anyone who missed the segment, co-host Sheryl Underwood, who is Black, gently pushed back. Sheryl said, “I've never seen anything come out of you other than, ‘If I don't know, I'm willing to learn. If I come off a certain way, I stand corrected.“”

She went on to ask Sharon, “What would you say to people who may feel that while you’re standing by your friend, it appears you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don't agree?”

Sharon, who also tweeted her support for Piers, said she didn’t believe Piers’ rejection of Meghan Markle’s admission of mental health struggles was racist, before turning to claim she was being unfairly called a racist.

Sheryl became tongue-tied while trying to go to a break in the show, but when she said “Well we'll be right back” Sharon shot back by asking her co-host, “Well what?“ and repeated, “Well what?”

But Sharon was keen to continue the conversation when the show returned. “I will ask you again Sheryl. I’ve been asking you during the break. I’m asking you again. And don't try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be me,” she said. “This is the situation. You tell me where you have heard him say... educate me, tell me when you have heard me say racist things! Educate me, tell me!”

Piers stormed off the set of ITV's breakfast show Good Morning Britain earlier this week and declared that he had quit after his co-star Alex Beresford told him off for continuing to “trash” Meghan Markle. Following this disagreement, Morgan walked off set and did not return for 10 minutes.

It comes after Piers stated about the Duchess of Sussex after watching Prince Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview, “I’m sorry, I don't believe a word she said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn't believe it if she read me a weather report. The fact that she's fired up this onslaught against our Royal Family I think is contemptible.”

His comments prompted more than 41,000 complaints to watchdog Ofcom and he later quit the show. 

Meanwhile, Sheryl, explained how his instant rejection of Meghan's mental health claim comes off as less than genuine. She clarified, “To not want to address that because she is a Black woman, and to try to dismiss it or to make it seem less than what it is, that's what makes it racist.”

And in trying to calm Sharon down, Sheryl told her, “But right now, I'm talking to a woman who I believe is my friend and I don't want anybody here to watch this and think we are attacking you for being racist.”