Sharon Osbourne is quitting ‘AGT’ after NBC axes Jack
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Sharon Osbourne is quitting “America’s Got Talent” after a nasty dispute with NBC involving her son, she told The Post.
The long-time TV judge, 59, is fuming over how the network’s new reality TV series “Stars Earn Stripes” cut ties with son Jack, 26, after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Producers of the “Stars Earn Stripes” show — which will pit celebrities against one another in military training exercises — fired Jack by e-mail two days before he was to report to work, then lied about it to the press, Osbourne claimed.
“I just can’t be fake,” she said. “It’s discrimination, and it was badly handled.”
After a series of heated exchanges with NBC brass over the issue, Osbourne said, she has decided not to return next season to top-rated “AGT.”
“It’s time to move on,” she said.
While Osbourne remains under contract, “They can’t make me do something I don’t want to do,” she insisted. “All they can do is stop me from being a judge on another network for five years.”
Osbourne said ‘AGT’ producer Simon Cowell had tried to make peace between the network and his longtime friend but that she’s not budging.
Things first turned ugly in June when Jack appeared on his mother’s daytime series “The Talk,” claiming he was fired from the military-style competition because of his newly disclosed condition.
But at a “Stars and Stripes” press conference in LA last month, producer David Hurwitz heaped fuel on the fire, insisting that Jack was never hired to begin with.
“He was somebody we were in talks with,” Hurwitz said.
Both Osbournes admit his 50-page contract was never formally signed.
But they contend that all parties were moving forward on a good-faith, verbal commitment, which is commonplace in the industry.
“I was working without a signed contract right up until the live shows started on ‘America’s Got Talent,’” Osbourne noted. “Everything is done at the last minute. We took six months to negotiate back and forth.”
Jack was first contacted by NBC in April.
After coming to what he considered a binding agreement to participate, he received an e-mail May 18 from Chuck LaBella, the network’s vice president of Talent Relations.
“We are looking forward to working with you,” it said. “I am happy you are going to be in the NBC family.”
A month later, Jack went public with his condition.
Sharon Osbourne provided The Post with an e-mail she said she got from NBC soon after, just two days before Jack was due to report to work in June.
“Regretfully, we cannot move forward with Jack’s participation,” it said.
An NBC rep acknowledged that serious discussion had been taking place for many weeks and that all parties were hopeful he would join the show. A phone message was left in early June, but in the interest of time, it was necessary to follow up by e-mail, the rep said.
“An NBC executive did initially leave a message for Ms. Osbourne,” the rep said. “However, when we received no return call we sent an email in the interest of time. Further Ms. Osbourne was offered the opportunity to discuss the situation with another NBC programming executive but declined.”
According to producer Hurwitz, “The rigors of the show were too intense for him.”
Jack — who successfully completed a 30 mile, 16 hour endurance race in January — said he offered to purchase his own insurance policy but that producers declined.
Osbourne claimed that an NBC executive offered to pay Jack his full appearance fee to smooth things over but that she refused.
“He didn’t want the money,” Osbourne said. “He wanted his gig. It gave him something to look forward to when he was diagnosed.
“Think of the good that it could have done to show other people who have this [condition] that your life is not over.”
A network rep said: “Sharon has been a valuable part of the NBC family. We regret any misunderstanding and wish Jack well.”
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