The Talk's Elaine Welteroth Addresses Leaked Audio Of Her Chat With Sharon Osbourne

Elaine Welteroth has issued a statement following the audio of her conversation with Sharon Osbourne that was leaked online.

In the audio, the 34-year-old journalist and co-host of The Talk is overheard comforting Sharon backstage and apologizes for how the conversation went over on air.

Click inside to see what Elaine shared about the leaked audio conversation…

Elaine addressed the audio in a statement, from ET. Here’s what she said:

“I thought we had closed the painful, public chapter of the controversy related to the March 10th show. Today, however, I learned that my private comments made moments after the incident from a place of compassion to a then-colleague (the most senior level co-host on The Talk) were recorded —without my consent or knowledge—and shared with the media,” she wrote. “I have refrained from speaking with the press or engaging in dialogue on this issue. I reluctantly wade into this now simply to ensure that, as a Black woman, I am not silenced or side-lined.”

Elaine continued, “What I am sharing today is consistent with what I have already shared on camera. Nothing has changed. It is not news that I did not call Sharon a racist and it is certainly not news that the way the show unfolded caught us all by surprise. None of us wanted that day to go how it did and I do not regret sharing these feelings in a private conversation with a colleague. I welcome fair, constructive dialogue and I am no stranger to tough conversations about race. But I will not be vilified for telling the truth, on or off-air.”

“To set the record straight, it was not a hot mic—I was unlawfully recorded without consent. And I never filed a complaint with HR against Sharon Osbourne or anyone else. I am disheartened, however, that my kindness has been taken out of context and weaponized in an attempt to absolve responsibility for someone else’s actions.”

Elaine concluded, “I was honored to join The Talk to add my voice to important and lively conversations. I am so excited about the next chapter with our new co-host Jerry O’Connell and I am grateful for the new perspectives he will bring to the show.”

Jerry joins the show as the first male host of the program after guest-hosting throughout the summer. He comes in just as Sharon left the program after 11 years, due to stress of the tense on-air conversation on race in April.