Home/Interviews/Sharon Osbourne: British Invasion and America's Got Talent
Love Miami™|Interviews

Sharon Osbourne: British Invasion and America's Got Talent

Music manager, cancer survivor, and television personality Sharon Osbourne spoke with Premier Guide Miami about returning to America's Got Talent, how her battle with cancer changed her perspective, the British invasion of American TV, judging Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel, and why she's harder on contestants than ever before.

Daedrian McNaughton
Daedrian McNaughton
Share

From the Vault · 2011

This is an archival piece from the Premier Guide Miami collection. The coverage, context, and details reflect the time it was originally published.

Sharon Osbourne said it plainly: "Cancer stopped me from being so selfish in thinking that the business I work in is the most important thing in the world…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

As top music manager and wife to heavy metal music guru Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne has reinvented herself as a TV star — former judge of X Factor UK, America's Got Talent, and now talk show host on The Talk. This official badass and cancer survivor returned to America's Got Talent taking on the roles of judge and mother hen to the contestants and her fellow panelists Piers Morgan and Howie Mandel. Daedrian McNaughton of Premier Guide Media caught up with Sharon to judge Piers and Howie, discuss how her battle with cancer changed her life, and get her take on being a Housewife of Beverly Hills.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Will we see you on the Beverly Hills Housewives?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Oh God, you'll never see me on the Beverly Hills Housewives because I have never been a housewife, ever. I have always worked. From the age of 15, I have always worked. And I've never been a woman that spends her day deciding am I going to go for a facial or a pedicure — and that is the amount of your day. So that's not me.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Who were you inspired by the most on America's Got Talent?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Two seasons ago, we had a lady opera singer who had survived cancer and chemotherapy. And she had her dream of wanting to sing. Barbara, her name is. And she did it. She actually came second or third. And I just thought that she was a great inspiration for everyone that's got a dream.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: You're a cancer survivor and so is my mom. How did that experience change your life?

SHARON OSBOURNE: It did change my life because it stopped me from being so selfish in thinking that the business that I work in is the most important thing in the world — because it is not. And in the big picture, it's just a little grain of sand. And when you work with amazing people that dedicate their lives to saving others, it makes you realize that we're very unimportant when there are doctors and nurses that just dedicate their whole lives to helping other people. So it makes you feel very small.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: There's a British invasion on TV with you, Nigel, Simon Cowell, Piers. What is your next conquest?

SHARON OSBOURNE: There is a kind of British invasion here. I think it happens every decade. But I just think that Americans love English accents — that's all it is. And I think that America, for English people, has always been the ultimate goal for any entertainer — to make it in America. Many come over and try and make it. And many go home again. But I'm blessed that I'm in the lot that has made some sort of dent here. And I love this country. I don't ever want to go back to live in England. My home is here.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Were you satisfied with Martyn's work on your apartment?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Yes. As far as Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the interior designer — he's quite fabulous. And especially as a person, he's a very, very good friend of mine.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is the secret to looking good at your age?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Oh my God, no. Overweight — 25 pounds overweight. Don't work out. Had a great surgeon. And I suppose the face has lasted pretty good. That's it. But I don't have any secrets at all.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Of all the bands your husband toured with, which is your favorite?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Of all the bands that have opened for my husband, my favorite and the one I'm most proud of is Metallica.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: As a judge, what can we expect from you this year?

SHARON OSBOURNE: I am definitely harder than I've been in previous years. And I'm actually comfortable in that position of being a little more judgmental and not so tolerant — really making it about the talent and not about somebody's life story.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is the hardest part of being a judge?

Love Miami

Love Miami covers the city's conversations — the interviews, the creative voices, the tastemakers and innovators who define South Florida's cultural identity. This is the pillar where Miami speaks for itself.

SHARON OSBOURNE: Well, there is more that goes along with being a judge because everybody's got a dream and you don't want to destroy somebody's dream. You don't want to humiliate them publicly. But then at the same time, you don't want to give somebody false hope. You don't want to destroy somebody either. And dreams keep a lot of people going. You try not to destroy people at that point.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Of all the judges on America's Got Talent, who would you live with?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Nick is a great catch but I think Mariah would beat the hell out of me, so that wouldn't work. And Piers is funny, funny, funny — that dry sense of humor. But his wife's pregnant right now, so I wouldn't want to upset her by moving in. And Howie wouldn't want to touch me, so that wouldn't be fun. So I'd probably stick to my husband.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What's your take on sitting next to Howie Mandel as a judge?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Well, I know Howie because he's my neighbor. And he's just the funniest, naughtiest guy that I've met in years. And it just made me so happy when it was announced he was doing the show. We literally live next door to each other.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: With talents like Michael Grimm and Jackie Evancho, is the bar set higher for contestants this season?

SHARON OSBOURNE: You strive to get better and better. And their level of professionalism was very, very high. So you don't want to go down from that level — you want to go above it. So yes, it sets the bar very high.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: You have multiple projects going on this year. How do you keep up?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Well, I don't. I mess up on a lot of things. You think that you can handle it all and you can't. Certain things fall through. And I'm going to have to review my next year because I definitely packed it too tight this year. You can't do it all at the same level — something has to suffer. I think I'm a work in progress. But I try to be a better person. As far as my personal goals in life, I've reached them all. I never wanted to be the head of a huge organization. I never wanted to be number one at everything. But I've had amazing life experiences and amazing opportunities. I've been blessed personally.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What impact do you think these talent shows have on young people?

SHARON OSBOURNE: I was talking about this just this morning because I listened to a speech from MTV by the brilliant Reese Witherspoon. When she accepted her award, she said something so true — that you can make it, you can be a success without making a sex tape or without being in a reality show. It's really about talent. It's about knowing your craft and learning your craft and determination. And I admire her so much. Because it's all about talent. A lot of people might make it through reality shows in the short term — you get there very quickly. But ultimately you have a short career. It doesn't last long. You have your five minutes, as Andy Warhol would say.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: You have done reality series and talent shows — what do you find different in judging America's Got Talent from the shows you've been involved in before?

SHARON OSBOURNE: The difference — and the thing that I love about America's Got Talent — is that it's not just singing. The element of surprise is still there for me because you never know what somebody is going to do when they come on to audition. And that's what I love. You don't get one singer after another, which I think can be a bit monotonous. How many times can you hear another rendition of Hallelujah or Hero? It's refreshing in the fact that you can hear a little girl that sings like an angel with an unbelievable operatic voice, and then you can have the best drag queen in the world — all on the same show. You can see somebody on a bike jumping across makeshift bridges on the stage, and then somebody flying on a trapeze. So you're never bored with it because there's always something different. The next act is totally different from the one you've seen before.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Has the show improved over the years?

SHARON OSBOURNE: Well, I think each season gets better and better. And of course I'm going to say the show is better this year than ever because I'm on it — I'm not going to put down the show I'm on. But truthfully, it really is packed with an unbelievable array of talent in all different genres of art. It's amazing. And I'm so proud to be a part of the show. Last year I think the show was spectacular. And this year it's just as good.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: As the oldest on the show, do you find that you fall into the motherly role for these contestants?

SHARON OSBOURNE: I suppose so, because I am the oldest. So I think it's something that comes with age — I will gladly take on that title. When the younger contestants are on, it takes so much courage to get up there and perform anyway, let alone when you've got really young kids doing it. And I always think, oh my God, if that was my kid out there, how would I want them treated by a judge? So I always think of them as being my kids. And so you have to be very, very careful when it comes to kids.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar .

The PGM Edit

Love Miami

Sharon Osbourne on osbourne — this is the kind of conversation Premier Guide Miami was built to have. Follow us for more Love Miami.

Premier Guide Miamipremierguidemiami.com
Related Reading
Weekend Notebook: October 23–26
Play Miami™

Weekend Notebook: October 23–26

Play Miami™

14th Annual South Beach Seafood Festival at Lummus Park, October 21–25, 2026

FLIBS 2026: Floating Pickleball, Helicopter Shuttles, and 50+ Boat Debuts at the World's Largest In-Water Boat Show
Play Miami™

FLIBS 2026: Floating Pickleball, Helicopter Shuttles, and 50+ Boat Debuts at the World's Largest In-Water Boat Show

F1 on Water: The E1 World Championship Returns to Biscayne Bay for Its Season Finale — Tom Brady, LeBron, and Will Smith Are Team Owners
Play Miami™

F1 on Water: The E1 World Championship Returns to Biscayne Bay for Its Season Finale — Tom Brady, LeBron, and Will Smith Are Team Owners

Independent.

·

Unsponsored.

·

Always Free.

Premier Guide Miami has never accepted payment for editorial coverage. Our story →