Sharon Osbourne supports Julie Chen leaving 'The Talk' after Les Moonves controversy: 'So awkward for her'

Sharon Osbourne stood by her former 'The Talk' co-host Julie Chen in a recent interview. (Getty Images)

While Sharon Osbourne is not a fan of ousted CBS CEO and chairman Leslie “Les” Moonves, she is publicly standing by her former “The Talk” co-host, Julie Chen for supporting her husband.

As previously reported, Chen left “The Talk” shortly after her husband was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. Moonves resigned from his high-powered position at the network after at least 12 women came forward to accuse him in a pair of New Yorker articles authored by Pulitzer Prize-winner Ronan Farrow.

Chen resigned from “The Talk” by way of a pre-taped message to fans. Speaking on SiriusXM’s “Jim and Sam Show” Osbourne, 66, revealed that the other women on the panel were kept mostly in the dark about Chen’s decision.

“We didn’t speak during the break or she didn’t call and say, ‘I’m having to go.’ That tape was delivered, and that was it,” said Osbourne. “We were going back and forth and thinking, ‘She’s sticking by her husband and the things that we discuss on the show, it would be so awkward for her. I don’t know how she could come into a conversation and give an opinion... If she thinks her husband wasn’t guilty, but this one’s guilty.’ Do you know what I’m saying?”

Osbourne stopped short of criticizing Chen, noting that she understands the tough position the allegations put the “Big Brother” host in. She explained that Chen, while an accomplished TV personality in her own right, would likely have trouble working as a CBS employee after being married to its former boss.

“And too, when your husband has been the boss and he’s run everything, and when you come in, everybody is doing an invisible curtsy,” Osbourne explained. “And then you come in and if you want a cappuccino, ‘Oh actually, you have to pay for that now.’ You can’t go back to being an employee, because it wasn’t like she was an employee.”

Still, despite the turmoil that Chen’s exit and Moonves’ alleged behavior brought to “The Talk,” Osbourne notes that she supports her friend’s decision to stand by her husband for their kids and marriage.

“I love Julie. Julie’s the best, you know, and her marriage is her marriage. And she’s standing by him, and I do respect her for it,” she said (per People).