The Talk 'nearing deal' with Jerry O'Connell to join cast amid ratings plummet after host Sharon Osbourne's shock exit

THE Talk is "nearing deal" with Jerry O'Connell to make the actor a full-time cohost following Sharon Osbourne's stunning exit.

The movie star had previously been guest cohosting alongside Sheryl Underwood, Amanda Kloots, and Elaine Welteroth for the show's Men of May special.


Jerry, 47, is close to joining The Talk, a person with knowledge of the conversations told TheWrap.

Another source told the outlet negotiations between Jerry and the program have been on and off for a few months.

The Sun was first to report the comedian was “in final negotiations” to replace Sharon after she shocked the TV landscape by walking away from the show following an on-air fight with co-host Sheryl.

At the time, our insider claimed the staff felt “hiring a straight white male" would "get the show more backlash.”

The source previously said: “Some staff wanted Sharon replaced by a female Latina star like Eva Longoria, Gina Rodriguez or Gloria Estefan. That door should be opened. It’s time for a Latina voice to have a platform."

Elaine, who back in March filed a complaint about the program's "racially insensitive and hostile" set, also “fought” for a Latina woman to “join the show.”

However, another insider previously told The Sun: "The hosts are having a ball on set and behind the scenes with Jerry. They have even posted about it on social media."

While it seems Jerry will soon have a new job, he had already topped the list of potential full-time hosts.

The Sun previously reported Jerry was the “frontrunner” to replace Sharon, though Sheryl and Elaine were not on board with the new addition.

The source claimed: “On camera everyone is lovey-dovey and laughing together, but off camera Sheryl and Elaine have raised some serious concerns.

"Sheryl thinks Jerry is fine for the Men of May month producers planned, but beyond that she feels we are telling the audience that women cannot behave themselves and be friends… "

Though Jerry is a big name, the insider added: “The truth is that no one can replace Mrs. O. Sharon was the centerpiece of the show.”

The Talk's shocking shakedown kicked off when Sharon, who was on the panel since the show's debut, addressed her decision to stand by her longtime friend Piers Morgan's criticism of Meghan Markle, resulting in an on-air fight with Sheryl on the March 10 episode.

Sharon, 68, felt Sheryl, 57, was insinuating she is racist because of her decision to support her friend.

The show would go on take a month-long hiatus to conduct an internal review, however, network CBS would soon announce Sharon was done with the show.

MORE SHAKEUPS

In April, panelist Carrie Ann Inaba was out for two weeks because of side effects from her various autoimmune conditions.

She then announced she was taking a leave of absence from the show.

Her temporary exit came amid her alleged feud with Sheryl.

Amid all the chaos, the once popular TV show suffered its lowest ratings ever last month.

According to Soap Opera Network, The Talk hit last place in the Women 18-49 demographic for daytime broadcast ratings.

The Sharon-less show came in at number 13 with a 0.2 rating, that's 0.04 less than the previous week and 0.01 less than last year.

ABC’s competing talk show, The View, beat it by a few spots, coming in at number 6, with a 0.36 rating, which is up from both the previous week and last year.

The View also lost a longtime cohost recently, as Megan McCain announced she was leaving the show after four seasons on the panel.

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