Sharon Osbourne has discussed the phenomenal impact of trailblazing 2000s reality TV show The Osbournes, admitting that the show got so popular that even rock's first family began to feel a little out of their depth. Speaking to Metal Hammer in their latest issue, Sharon says that while the show was a blast to film, it just wasn't built to last forever.
“It was a great experience," she tells Metal Hammer editor Eleanor Goodman. "It was something that we could all do as a family. Apart from my eldest daughter [Aimee], who didn’t want to be a part of it. It was a great experience, but it had to end. It was something that you couldn’t keep going on and on and on because it wasn’t the real world, you know?
“It’s the bullshit world where people you don’t even know will invite you to Russia for a party and fly you there, and they want to show you off that you came to their party in Russia," she explains when pressed on why the show didn't feel like the real world. "I mean, we got invited to the White House. It’s like, ‘Why the fuck do you want to talk to us? It’s nice for you to invite us, but what the fuck do you want to talk to us about?’ It’s not the real world. It was time to get back to reality.”
Despite being diagnosed with cancer in 2002, Sharon chose to continue filming the show, even documenting her recovery during season two. When asked why she decided to continue with the show, Sharon responds:
“Because I didn’t want my kids and my husband to know how sick I was. When you say ‘cancer’, everybody always thinks ‘death’. And you’ve got to remember it was 23 years ago. At that point, cancer wasn’t the same as it is now. So everybody always thought it was a death sentence and I didn’t want my kids to have fear constantly surrounding them. I didn’t want it. And I thought, ‘Fuck it.’”
Read more from Sharon in the new issue of Metal Hammer, out now. Order your copy online.
The Osbournes would ultimately run for four seasons and conclude in 2005. This summer, Ozzy Osbourne will play his final ever show alongside his Black Sabbath bandmates at a historic farewell event taking place at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham. The star-studded show, titled Back To The Beginning, takes place on Saturday July 5 and will also feature appearances from Metallica, Pantera, Gojira, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Halestorm and many more.
