Ozzy Osbourne Says He’s ‘Deeply Nervous’ About Returning to TV
Ozzy Osbourne will star in the upcoming BBC reality series Home to Roost, but the Black Sabbath singer admitted that returning to TV makes him "deeply nervous."
The 10-part show will focus on Osbourne and his family as they settle back into life in rural Buckinghamshire, England. Last year, Osbourne revealed that after 25 years of living in the U.S., he'll be moving back to the U.K. on account of rampant gun violence, among other reasons. "I don't want to die in America," he said at the time. Osbourne is familiar with leading his life in front of TV cameras. The Osbournes - which featured Ozzy, his wife Sharon and their children Kelly and Jack - premiered on MTV in 2002 and was one of the network's most successful programs.
But it came at a price. "There is rock 'n' roll fame, which is pretty intense, but that Osbourne level was just unbelievable," the singer recently said on his Sirius XM radio channel [via The Daily Mirror]. "The kids paid for it. They all ended up doing drugs. Jack got clean and sober on that show, Kelly messed up on that show, I was messed up and Sharon got cancer."
The show ended in 2005. "I am not sorry I did it, but after three or four years, I said, ‘Do you know what? We’re going to lose somebody because it is getting too crazy,'" Osbourne explained.
The Osbournes helped launch a television career for Sharon, who, at various points in the following years, had a talk show, served as a judge on The X Factor in the U.K. and appeared on many other programs. In 2021, she announced her decision to leave the popular daytime show The Talk following a heated conversation that took place on-air about race. She was also accused of making other racist comments. (CBS launched an internal investigation into the matter.) Osbourne defended his wife at the time, saying, "All I can tell you is that if my wife was slightly racist I would tell you. She's possibly the most unracist person I've ever met."
Osbourne said he initially disliked the idea of allowing TV cameras back into the family's personal lives for Home to Roost, but his wife persuaded him. "I said, 'We are not having all that again,'" he noted. "But she said it is only for a bit. It gave Sharon a new career. She has become the television person in our family. "
"I'm delighted that the Osbournes will be sharing this next chapter in their lives with BBC viewers in what promises to be a funny, moving and honest insight into their new life in the U.K.," Clare Sillery, Head of Documentary Commissioning for BBC, said in a statement [via The Hollywood Reporter].
Osbourne also noted that although health issues continue to complicate his day-to-day life, he hopes to perform onstage again eventually. "I still have a lot in the tank. I'm determined to get back on the stage again," he said. "I'm still in recovery, and I have a goal. And my goal is to get back on stage. It's the driving force in me. I miss my audience. I miss doing gigs. I miss my crew. I miss my band. I miss the whole thing."