"What would you say to people who may feel that while you're standing by your friend, it appears you gave validation or safe haven to something that he has uttered that is racist, even if you don't agree?"

Said Sheryl Underwood, quoted in "'The Talk' goes on hiatus after Sharon Osbourne defends Piers Morgan/On Wednesday's episode of 'The Talk,' Sheryl Underwood and Sharon Osbourne got into a heated exchange" (NBC). 

I hope you have a sense of how convoluted that is. The accusation of racism against Piers Morgan is already flimsy, but Sharon Osbourne is getting intimidated for saying something supportive about her friend — as if the new rule is that you have to proactively denounce people, or you yourself will become the target. Not only is the first person (Morgan) denied a fair hearing, but the second person (Osbourne) — the one who tries to slow things and ask to look carefully at the accusation — is deemed an accomplice. 

We saw that term "cancel adjacent" the other day. Osbourne is caught on camera experiencing the terror of being cancel adjacent.

Osbourne said: "I feel like I'm about to be put in the electric chair because I have a friend who many people think is racist, so that makes me a racist."

From the NBC article:

Osbourne said she didn't believe Morgan's rejection of Meghan's admission of mental health struggles was racist. Osbourne then pivoted, claiming she was being unfairly called a racist.

While trying to go to break, Underwood became tongue-tied. As she said, "Well we'll be right back," Osbourne shot back at Underwood. "Well what?" she asked. "Well what?"

Osbourne continued to press Underwood once the show returned from break. "I will ask you again Sheryl. I've been asking you during the break. I'm asking you again. And don't try and cry because if anyone should be crying, it should be me," she said. "This is the situation. You tell me where you have heard him say ... educate me, tell me when you have heard me say racist things! Educate me, tell me!"

Underwood's response contains no basis for the accusation of racism:

Underwood explained.... "To not want to address that because she is a Black woman, and to try to dismiss it or to make it seem less than what it is, that's what makes it racist"...

Ironically, Underwood's reliance on her own intuition — Morgan seemed racist to her — is the same approach to coming up with an opinion that Morgan used — Markle seemed like a liar to him.

ADDED: To put things back in proportion:

With @OzzyOsbourne at @BSTHydePark 2014 #fbf pic.twitter.com/sf8jJw9vlW

— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) March 5, 2021