Sharon Osbourne first made it big in showbiz as a top music manager in the music industry, most notably with
Ozzy Osbourne (whom she married in 1982) as her most famous client. But in the 21st century, she has reinvented herself as a TV star, particularly on reality TV. First, there was the
Emmy-winning series
"The Osbournes" (in which she starred with Ozzy, their kids Jack and Kelly from 2002 to 2005), and then she was a judge on
"The X Factor" U.K. from 2004 to 2007.
She has been a judge on
"America’s Got Talent" since the show’s second season in 2007. And in 2010, she became a co-host of the appropriately named daytime chat show
"The Talk." Osbourne took time out of her hectic schedule to do recently do an interview with journalists via a telephone conference call. During the interview, she candidly revealed how she is handling such a busy career with balancing a home life; which "America’s Got Talent" contestant has inspired her the most so far; and how being a cancer survivor changed her life.
Piers Morgan said in an interview recently that he felt that you were a much harder judge this season than in some of the past years. Do you agree with that? And do you think that might be because of the fact that you’ve seen so many different styles of acts before in the past?
Yes. I think probably I am definitely harder than I’ve been in previous years. And I’m actually comfortable in that position that I’m in right now of being a little more judgmental and not so tolerant and really making it about the talent and not about somebody’s life story.
Are you stricter with musical acts, based on your music background? And out of all the bands that your husband, Ozzy Osbourne, has toured with, who would you say is the most talented?
When it comes to music, I guess I am a lot stricter. I do require that they have to be at a certain level to be taken seriously. And of all the bands that have opened for my husband, my favorite and the one I’m most proud of is Metallica.
Given so much attention in 2010 surrounding "America’s Got Talent" Season 5 winner Michael Grimm and "America’s Got Talent" Season 5 runner-up Jackie Evancho, what type of impact do you think they had on Season 6?
A lot because, you know, you strive to get better and better. And their level of professionalism was very, very high. So you don’t want to go down from that level. You want to go above that level. So yes, it sets the bar very high.
What is the hardest thing about being a judge on "America’s Got Talent"?
Well there is more that goes along with being a judge because everybody’s got a dream and you don’t want to destroy somebody’s dream. You don’t want to humiliate them publicly. But then, at the same time too, you don’t want to give somebody false hope. But you don’t want to destroy somebody either. And dreams keep a lot of people going. And you try not to destroy people at that point.
Between your work with "America’s Got Talent" and "The Talk" and the music industry and writing, how do you keep everything so balanced?
Well, I don’t. I mess up on a lot of things. You think that you can handle it all. And you can’t. Certain things fall through. And I’m going to have to review my next year because I definitely packed it too tight this year. You can’t do it all at the same level. Something has to suffer.
How do you look so amazing? Do you have any special diet or secrets on that?
Oh my God, no. God, I wish I did. [I’m] 25 pounds overweight. I don’t work out. I had a great surgeon. And I suppose the face has lasted pretty [well]. That’s it. But I don’t have any secrets at all.
What else is there that you would like to accomplish or pursue?
I think to be a better person. I think I’m in work in progress. But I try to be a better person. As far as my personal goals in life, I’ve reached them all. I never wanted to be the head of a huge organization. I never wanted to be number one at everything. But I’ve had amazing life experiences, amazing opportunities. I’ve been blessed personally. But I strive to be a better person.
There’s a invasion of British judges on TV talent contests with you, Nigel Lythgoe, Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Les Goodman. What is your next conquest? And were you satisfied with Martin Lawrence Ballard’s work on your apartment?
There is a British invasion here. I think it happens every decade. But I just think that Americans just love English accents. That’s all it is. And I think that America, for English people, has always been the ultimate goal to any entertainer is to make it in America.
Many come over and try and make it. And many go home again. But I’m blessed that I’m in the lot that has made some sort of dent here. And I love this country. I don’t ever want to go back to live in England. My home is here. I love the country.
And as far as Martin Lawrence Ballard, the interior designer, he’s quite fabulous. And especially as a person, he’s a very, very good friend of mine.
With so many talent shows on TV, what type of impact do you think they’re having on young people, in terms of hope and opportunity?
I was talking about it this morning because I listened to this speech from the [2011] MTV [Movie Awards] … by Reese Witherspoon. When she accepted her award, she said something which is so true: "You can be a success without making a sex tape or without being in a reality show." It’s really about talent. And it’s about knowing your craft and learning your craft and determination.
And I admire her so much. And when she gave her speech, I was like, "Right on!" Because, you know what? It’s all about talent.
And I think that a lot of people might make it through reality shows in the short term. You get there very quickly. If you’re successful in a reality show, you get that quickly. But ultimately, you have a short career. It doesn’t last long. You have your five minutes, as Andy Warhol would say.
If you had to live with either Piers Morgan, Howie Mandel or Nick Cannon, who would you pick and why?
That’s a hard question. It really is a hard question. Nick is a great catch but I think Mariah [Carey, his wife] would beat the shit out of me. So that wouldn’t work.
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And, Piers is funny, funny, funny and [has a] dry sense of humor. But his wife’s pregnant right now. So I wouldn’t want to upset her by moving in. And Howie, he wouldn’t want to touch me so that wouldn’t be fun. So I’d probably stick to my husband.
Do you have any ideas for any new reality shows? Or do you plan on starring in any more?
No. It was great to be the first one. It was great to be the one. And you could never go back. You know, I was there at the beginning of it all and made a mark. And that’s enough for me.
What do you think about working with Howie Mandel?
Well, I know Howie because he’s my neighbor. And he’s just the funniest, naughtiest guy that I’ve met in years. And it just made me so happy when it was announced he was doing the show. We literally live next door to each other.
How does judging on "America’s Got Talent" compare to the many other TV shows you’ve done? You’ve been on things like "The Celebrity Apprentice," "The Talk," "The X Factor." They’re all very different shows. What’s the difference for you?
The difference is and the thing that I love about "America’s Got Talent" is that it’s not just singing. The element of surprise is still there for me because you never know what somebody is going to do, the next act when they’re coming on to audition. And that’s what I love. You just don’t get one singer after another because I think it can be a bit monotonous …
You know, how many times can you hear another rendition of "Hallelujah" or "Hero"? It’s refreshing in the fact that you can hear a little girl that sings like an angel with an unbelievable operatic voice, and then you can have the best drag queen in the world — all on the same show. And it just shakes it up a bit. And that’s what makes us different from every other talent show.
You can see somebody on a bike jumping across makeshift bridges on the stage. And then you’ll see somebody flying on a trapeze. So you’re never bored with it because there’s always something different. The next act is totally different genre than the one you’ve seen before.
Can you compare the level of talent you’re seeing in the auditions in Season 6 of "America’s Got Talent" versus past seasons past?
Well, I think for our show, each season gets better and better. And of course I’m going to say the show is better this year than ever because I’m on it. I’m not going to put down the show I’m on. But truthfully, it really is packed with an unbelievable array of talent in all different genres of art.
It’s amazing. And I’m so proud to be a part of the show. Last year, I think the show was spectacular. And this year it’s just as good.
Which act or contestant inspired you the most out of all six seasons?
We had a lady opera singer who had survived cancer and chemotherapy. And she had her dream of wanting to sing. Barbara [Padilla, from Season 4 in 2009], her name is. And she did it … And I just thought that she was a great inspiration for everyone that’s got a dream.
Having raised three children of yourself, do you see yourself as the mother hen of the show?
I suppose so because I am the oldest [judge on the show]. So I think it’s something that comes with age. So I will gladly take on that title. When the younger contestants are on, it takes so much courage to get up there and perform anyway, let alone when you’ve got really young kids doing it.
And I always think, "Oh my God, if that was my kid out there, how would I want them treated by a judge?" So I always think of them as being my kids. And so you have to be very, very careful when it comes to kids.
Would you ever do a show like "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"?
Oh God, you’ll never see me on [that show] because I never have been a housewife, ever. So I have always worked. From the age of 15, I have always worked. And I’ve never been a woman that spends her day deciding, "Am I going to go for a facial or a pedicure?" And that is the amount of your day. So that’s not me.
How did being a cancer survivor change your life?
Yes. It did change my life because it stopped me from being so selfish in thinking that the business that I work in is the most important thing in the world because it is not. And in the big picture, it’s just a little grain of sand.
And when you work with amazing people that dedicate their lives to saving others, it makes you realize that, we’re very unimportant when there are doctors and nurses that just dedicate their whole lives to helping other people. So it makes you feel very small.
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