Sharon Osbourne in reality show battle with NBC
LYNN ELBER
The Associated Press | Published: August 7, 2012 | Modified: August 7, 2012 at 3:35 pm
The Associated Press | Published: August 7, 2012 | Modified: August 7, 2012 at 3:35 pm
LOS ANGELES — NBC defended itself Monday against Sharon Osbourne's claim the network discriminated against her afflicted son in casting a new reality show.
The "America's Got Talent" judge told The New York Post that she's quitting the show because NBC fired her son, Jack Osbourne, by email two days before he was to co-star on the reality show "Stars Earn Stripes."
Jack Osbourne, 26, was diagnosed recently with multiple sclerosis.
In a statement Monday, NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said the network "does not discriminate on any basis."
All potential contestants for "Stars Earn Stripes," which puts celebrities through arduous military-style exercises, had to undergo medical vetting, Greenblatt said. He cited medical privacy in declining to discuss Jack Osbourne specifically.
"Stars Earns Stripes," which debuts Aug. 13, requires "dangerous water stunts, strenuous physical activity, and uses live ammunition," Greenblatt said.
Jack Osbourne was offered two alternative roles on the show but declined both, said Greenblatt, who made an effort to smooth things over with the Osbourne clan, including patriarch-rocker Ozzy Osbourne.
