Months after Sharon Osbourne was essentially forced to step down from her gig cohosting “The Talk” for defending her friend Piers Morgan from claims of racism, rumors are swirling that CBS executives are close to officially signing her replacement.

The person they reportedly have in mind may surprise you.

Heartthrob Jerry O’Connell In Talks To Replace Sharon Osbourne On ‘The Talk’

Sources told E! News that actor Jerry O’Connell of Jerry Maguire fame is in advanced talks to replace Osbourne.

O’Connell first stole hearts as Vern in the movie Stand By Me.

More recently the 47-year-old actor starred in The Secret: A Dare To Dream opposite Tom Cruise’s under-the-radar ex Katie Holmes. The romance was based on the 2006 best-selling book “The Secret”.

Jerry O’Connell’s heartthrob status was further solidified when he landed Rebecca Romijn, supermodel and ex-wife of Uncle Jessie himself John Stamos.

They have twins and their marriage is still going strong after 15 years. Rebecca Romijn posted a cute throwback photo of the happy couple for the 14th anniversary.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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If Jerry O’Connell replaces Sharon Osbourne, he will be the first man to cohost on “The Talk”. That’s quite a feat given the daytime talk show first premiered in 2010.

Sharon Osbourne Ousted From ‘The Talk’

Osbourne left the show after an episode went off the rails back in March. During the controversial episode, the sassy Brit dared to defend her friend Pierson Morgan from claims that he is racist simply for criticizing Meghan Markle.

“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 as the situation escalated. 

Weeks later, after an internal investigation, CBS announced that Sharon Osbourne was leaving the show.

Backstory: Sharon Osbourne Breaks Down As She’s Attacked On ‘The Talk’ For Defending Piers Morgan

CBS Releases Statement

“The events of the March 10 broadcast were upsetting to everyone involved, including the audience watching at home,” the network said in a statement at the time. “As part of our review, we concluded that Sharon’s behavior toward her co-hosts during the March 10 episode did not align with our values for a respectful workplace.”

CBS went on to focus on training programs that would promote “equity, inclusion and cultural awareness” for the hosts, producers and other crew members.

“Going forward, we are identifying plans to enhance the producing staff and producing procedures to better serve the hosts, the production and, ultimately, our viewers,” the statement continued. 

O’Connell has cohosted “The Talk” over 25 times over the years. Sources say that he would bring something new and different to the panel should he replace Osbourne.

“He will bring a very different energy than Sharon did to set,” one insider said, adding that O’Connell is “such a nice person.”

Sharon Osbourne Sticks To Her Guns

As for Sharon Osbourne, she’s defiantly stuck to her guns in the wake of the Piers Morgan scandal. 

“I am so used to being called names, but a racist is one I will not take,” she said back in April. “I’m doing just fine. What about the people that are cut from the knees down who can’t afford to get lessons now on what’s politically correct? What happens to them? It’s not fair. It isn’t about being a racist. It’s maybe not knowing what is correct and woke for your language that day. It changes from day to day, what is correct.”

What happened to Sharon Osbourne is a symptom of a much larger cultural issue in America. She was not the first and certainly will not be the last outspoken celebrity to find herself in the cancel culture crosshairs.

While she may deserve to still be on “The Talk”, we expect many viewers would gladly welcome the ever charming Jerry O’Connell to their screens.

Maybe he’s just what is needed to get daytime TV back on track.

Related: ‘The Talk’ Ratings Plummet After Sharon Osbourne’s Exit – Now Lowest-Rated Daytime Program

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