Sheryl Underwood Leads "The Talk" Conversation About Racial Healing

“The Talk” is back — minus one host — Sharon Osbourne. The Emmy-award-winning daytime talk show returned today following several weeks hiatus since Sheryl Underwood and Sharon Osbourne had a heated discussion around racism and commentary by Piers Morgan, which Osbourne defended. During the hiatus CBS revealed Osbourne would not be returning to the show.

Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty

At the top of Monday’s “The Talk,” host Sheryl Underwood shared a message from backstage as the show returns since the week of March 10.

“It’s time for an episode of ‘The Talk’ that will be unlike any other we’ve had before.” Underwood adds, “As you may know, during our break, Sharon decided to leave ‘The Talk.’ We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing. Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we’ll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable discussing important issues and having difficult conversations. By the end of the hour, we want everyone to feel empowered and ready to move forward.”

Watch the clip below:

FIRST of all… YASSSSSSS to Sheryl and this new wig. We like it we like it. We are loving that big boss energy she’s radiating too.

During the episode, Underwood went on discuss the emotionally charged, on-air conversation with Sharon Osbourne on March 10, along with expert on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice Dr. Donald E. Grant.

“I didn’t want to escalate things with Sharon, because I thought I was having a conversation with a friend, but also, I knew I had to be an example for others to follow. I didn’t want to be perceived as that angry Black woman, and that really scared me. I didn’t want to be that and I wanted to remain calm and focused. It’s difficult to go back to that day because I just feel the trauma. I feel fearful, a little apprehensive.”

It was pretty clear for everyone that was watching, that Sheryl was doing everything in her power to remain calm and not come across ass angry.

Fellow host Elaine Welteroth added:

“I just want to acknowledge you, Sheryl, on-air for how you handled the situation. I think it’s important for people to really know the strength and willpower it takes to maintain that kind of composure in that situation. And I think for me, I was just really entering that conversation with the hope of finding a common ground and I didn’t feel like I was heard, which saddened me because part of the reason I joined this show with all of these diverse, beautiful, intelligent women was because I thought that we had an opportunity here and I think we do have an opportunity here to have conversations that help show people how to bridge these divides in our country and that we can do it with empathy.” She adds, “So I was hoping to steer the conversation away from a debate about who’s racist, who’s not, what’s racist, what’s not and talk really about what does it mean to be anti-racist, because that’s a more productive conversation.”

Watch the clip below:

Hit the flip for more clips from today’s episode of “The Talk”.

Source: CBS Photo Archive / Getty

Elaine Welteroth also gave her take on the March 10th episode, making sure to address any false narrative that she or Sheryl went on the attack during the March 10th episode:

“I think when you go back and watch what happened in that episode, you will see two Black women walking the same tightrope that Black women are walking every single day in the workplace. As Sheryl said, we knew we had to stay composed in that situation, even in the face of someone who was A, not listening, and B, who went off the rails into disrespect when we were maintaining our respect within the context of this very complex, charged, emotional conversation.” Welteroth adds, “There have been a lot of false narratives that have been spun in the aftermath of what happened on that episode…this is the first time that I have had the opportunity to speak. And I think it’s really important that we have the opportunity to say that the false accusations that are swirling in the press that frame Sheryl and I as some kind of, you know, people who attacked a woman on air, and were part of some sort of, you know, conspiracy, that is absolutely, categorically false.”

Elaine also took the conversation back to its origin — the Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle, noting that Markle’s impact is larger than just her own personal experience, she’s symbolic of how women of color everywhere find themselves mistreated and then subjected to further harm after their experiences are dismissed:

“I really think it’s bigger than Meghan Markle and Piers Morgan. I really think it’s important that we are able to see these pop culture examples, including what happened here on our show, as sort of a mirror that’s reflecting back patterns and you know, troubling experiences and dynamics that play out in everybody’s life…For me, I think a lot of women see themselves in Meghan Markle and her experience of being silenced, and then not being believed when she came forward with her truth, totally dismissed.” Welteroth adds, “I think when you deny a woman, or a woman or color, their truth and their experiences, you’re not just denying them, you’re denying that of every woman and woman of color who sees themselves in this person’s story.”

Listen, Elaine Welteroth cannot be f***ed with when it comes to breaking down social issues in pop culture. She is the QUEEN of that thing…

Did you catch today’s episode? What do you think about the discussion? Were all of your questions answered?

Who do you think the show will hire next to fill Sharon’s seat? Who do you want to see on there?

“The Talk” airs Monday – Friday at 2:00 PM, ET, 1:00 PM, PT on CBS.