Piers Morgan has spoken out in defense of Sharon Osbourne after it was revealed by CBS that she had quit the US chat show The Talk after a heated row with co-host Sheryl Underwood.
Underwood and Osbourne clashed on the March 10 episode of the show after Sharon was questioned for speaking out in defense of Morgan, following his criticism of Meghan Markle and her interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this month.
On Friday, CBS revealed in a statement that "Sharon Osbourne has decided to leave 'The Talk,'" adding that the presenter's "behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace."
Watch Morgan make his controversial comments below:Now, writing a column in the Daily Mail, Morgan has stated that Osbourne is "paying a heavy price in America for supporting [him]".
After detailing the heated on-screen row between Osbourne and Underwood, Morgan writes: "Disgracefully, Sharon was bullied into making a groveling public apology the following day for getting angry with Underwood, but of course, this hasn't placated her woke tormentors from continuing to tear her to pieces."
He also revealed that 68-year-old Osbourne had told him that she "feared" the show was "trying to get rid of her".
The backlash also reportedly led to Osbourne hiring extra security at the Los Angeles home, after Morgan claims she was "being bombarded with death threats".
"This new woke tyranny is as illiberal and dangerous as the fascism it professes to despise," Morgan said.
The 55-year-old former Good Morning Britain host went on to say that Osbourne's treatment "illustrates why there was no point in me saying sorry and how demented cancel culture has become."
Osbourne had originally defended Morgan in a tweet following the fall-out of the Harry and Meghan interview, in which she wrote: "@piersmorgan I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you're paid for your opinion and that you're just speaking your truth."
Underwood addressed the tweet with Osbourne on the March 10 episode of The Talk, to which she said: "I feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist."
Osbourne then challenged Underwood to explain where she had heard Morgan "say racist things".
"It is not the exact words of racism, it's the implication and the reaction to it," Underwood replied.
Issuing an apology after the episode, Osbourne said that she had "felt blindsided" and had let her "fear and horror of being accused of being racist take over".
However, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Osbourne described herself as a "sacrificial lamb", claiming that she had not been sufficiently prepared by The Talk's producers.
"I wish we could go on and have an adult conversation calmly and work it out but I don't know whether we can," she added.
CBS' review into the incident added that it did not find any evidence to validate Osbourne's claims that the controversial discussion had been "orchestrated" by producers - but the network did acknowledge that the studio teams and producers were "accountable for what happened during that broadcast" because "it was clear the co-hosts were not properly prepared by the staff for a complex and sensitive discussion involving race".
