Sharon Osbourne Says Meghan Only Talks to Those With 'Certain Bank Balance'

Sharon Osbourne has accused Meghan Markle of only befriending people whose wealth is "over a certain bank balance."

The outspoken TV personality, 70, was permanently suspended from CBS's The Talk in 2021 after getting into a heated debate about racism with fellow panelist Sheryl Underwood, stemming from a discussion about the Duchess of Sussex.

Following the release of her Fox Nation documentary series Sharon Osbourne: To Hell and Back, which covers the fallout from the incident, Osbourne told Newsweek that she is standing by her views on Meghan, who left the U.K. with her husband Prince Harry after quitting the royal family in January 2020.

"I've never met her in my life," Osbourne told Newsweek of Meghan. "But she mixes with the royalty of showbiz, put it that way... I think that you have to be over a certain bank balance for her to talk to you.

"It's all the wealthiest of the [wealthy] in the industry that she hangs out with. And there's nothing wrong with that at all. God bless you. But she does tell some porky pies [lies]. Put it this way, she's surrounded by very, very, like how can I do this politely? It's the cream of the cream in Hollywood music, film, everything she's surrounded by."

She went on to accuse Meghan and her team of having written "letters to people or texted to people that say bad things about her. It's like, who the f*** are you to tell me? She's hardly a victim."

At the time of Osbourne's confrontation with Underwood, 58, she was defending her friend, Piers Morgan, who said in March 2021 that he didn't "believe a word" of Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

During the interview, Meghan spoke of having had suicidal thoughts before stepping down from her duties and also told Winfrey that an unnamed royal had expressed "concerns" about the complexion of her baby when she was pregnant.

"I very much feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend, who many people think is a racist, so that makes me a racist?" Osbourne said at the time, before asking Underwood to "educate" her.

Osbourne parted ways with the network soon after and has since embarked on a new chapter, hosting a show on Rupert Murdoch's U.K. channel TalkTV, where she has joined Morgan, 57, as a star signing.

New York Post columnist Morgan, who is a frequent critic of Meghan, also exited his hosting job on U.K. TV show Good Morning Britain after his rant against the former Suits star generated an influx of viewer complaints.

Now speaking with Newsweek, Osbourne accepted that California native Meghan was treated "very harshly" by the U.K. press when she first moved to London.

"I think that the British press did treat her very harshly when she came," said Osbourne. "I can remember one headline, which was very, very ugly.

"And who knows what goes on in a family. Does every member of every family get on? No. [...W]ho knows what goes on in a family or a marriage? I always say nobody ever knows."

Osbourne also said that she was in favor of Meghan attending Queen Elizabeth II's September funeral in London, adding: "She should be there to support her husband. Of course she should."

Explaining the relentless focus on Meghan, Osbourne went on: "This American goes to England, marries a prince, and do they [live happily ever] after? No. So it bought a lot of attention to this couple, a lot of attention, which goes on and on as we speak. And it's like you're either a royalist, or you agree with Harry and Meghan."

Newsweek has reached out to representatives of Meghan for comment.