Cheryl Underwood had a tough childhood but overcame it with the support of her twin sister, who tragically passed away shortly after they were born prematurely.
As Cheryl has processed her past, she’s also faced new issues in the public eye. She’s had several conflicts with celebrities and sparked controversy online, making it seem like she’s not too popular in Hollywood.
Now, back to Cheryl. “The Talk” has been both a blessing and a curse for her since she joined in 2011. The show has given her a platform to share intimate details about her life, but it’s also a place where she’s landed in hot water multiple times.
In a 2013 episode, the co-hosts talked about a comment from supermodel Heidi Klum, who mentioned keeping her children’s shaved afro hair in a Ziploc bag. Cheryl responded controversially, saying, “Why would you save afro hair? You can’t weave in afro hair. You don’t see us saying, ‘Look here what I need is this curly nappy bead.’”
When Sara Gilbert, her co-host, shared that she kept a lock of her son’s hair after his first haircut, Cheryl responded, “Which is probably some beautiful long silky stuff.” This comment immediately sparked backlash. Nikki Walton of CurlyNikki.com, a blog about natural hair care, interviewed Cheryl to give her a chance to explain her remarks. During the interview, Cheryl admitted that she knew her words on “The Talk” would be misunderstood.
Cheryl clarified that she finds saving any kind of hair unpleasant and insisted she was not criticizing natural hair. Regarding her comparison of “curly nappy beady hair” to “some beautiful long silky stuff,” Cheryl said, “I made a mistake. I will own up to that mistake. I’m going to talk to God and change the way I articulate things and be more aware.”
Cheryl emphasized that she does not have self-hate issues and is not ashamed of her blackness. Despite this, a year later, she was still facing backlash, with online users calling her hurtful names. “A lot of people said that I was an Uncle Tom,” Cheryl shared. To make amends, she decided to film an episode of “The Talk” without her wig. “I am so sorry to my community and my people for hurting you. I’m asking you for forgiveness,” she said.
After the success of “The Original Kings of Comedy,” a spin-off called “The Queens of Comedy” was created, featuring Mo’Nique, Sommore, Adele Givens, and Laura Hayes. During an episode of “The Talk” where hosts shared their deepest secrets, Cheryl revealed she was once asked to join “The Queens of Comedy.” However, she turned it down because she wanted to know all the details of the deal upfront. After the film’s success, Cheryl said that when Mo’Nique started working on other projects, producer Walter Latham called her to discuss the possibility of joining the remaining comedians on tour.
Cheryl shared that she was invited to join a conference call about a potential deal and called in a bit early. To her shock, she overheard Sommore, Adele, and Laura talking badly about her. “I heard them commenting on my appearance, questioning my skills, and wondering why I was even involved. What do we need her for? And that’s how I remember it,” she said. After staying on mute and listening to the whole conversation, Cheryl hung up, feeling stunned and hurt. She then called the producer to tell him the project wasn’t right for her but wished the women all the best.
“To this day, they don’t know I was on that call. And you might ask, ‘Why bring it up now?’ Because I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Cheryl explained. In response, Adele went on the Ricky Smiley Morning Show and called Cheryl’s story a blatant lie, saying that the conversation never took place and that they were never on a conference call about Cheryl.
The drama intensified when the producer of “The Queens of Comedy” released a statement on the Ricky Smiley Show, confirming that Cheryl was never invited to join the tour. Later, in an interview with 96.3 The Block, Adele mentioned that she and Cheryl had worked together on a project after Cheryl’s public statements. Adele kept things civil but maintained her distance. “You have to protect your space when someone invades it with false claims,” Adele said. She also told Humor Mill TV that she was seeking legal advice to sue Cheryl for defamation of character. As of now, it’s unclear if Adele has gone through with the lawsuit.
During an interview with The Breakfast Club, Sommore addressed Cheryl’s recent statements. She clarified that Cheryl was never considered to be one of the Queens of Comedy. Instead, Cheryl was being considered for a different project, where female comedians would perform stand-up for inmates. Sommore confirmed that Cheryl had overheard their conversation about this project.
Sommore also shared that two weeks before Cheryl’s story on “The Talk,” they both attended Steve Harvey’s annual Hoodie Awards. At the event, Cheryl performed a skit and invited all the comedians on stage. Cheryl and her co-host on “The Talk,” Sharon Osbourne, were close friends until a very public disagreement strained their relationship.
The fallout began when Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, revealed to Oprah Winfrey that a royal family member had expressed concerns about her unborn child’s skin color. Meghan also said that palace officials refused her requests for mental health support when she had suicidal thoughts. Piers Morgan responded on “Good Morning Britain,” stating that he didn’t believe Meghan. His comments led to a heated on-air exchange with his co-host, causing him to storm off the set and eventually resign.
On “The Talk,” Sharon defended Piers, leading to an emotional conversation with Cheryl, who tried to explain that dismissing Meghan’s claims was racially insensitive. The heated exchange included Cheryl’s remark, “While you’re standing by your friend, it appears that you give validation to something that he has uttered that is racist.” Sharon responded, “How can I be racist about anybody or anything in my life? How can I?”
After this tense episode, the show went on hiatus, and the network conducted an investigation into Sharon’s behavior. Sharon ultimately quit the show. Cheryl later discussed Sharon’s departure on her podcast, stating that Sharon hadn’t reached out to her after their heated exchange. Cheryl even shared her phone call history to prove it. In response, Sharon told the Daily Mail that she had apologized to Cheryl in person and shared screenshots of text messages she sent over several days. Sharon asked, “Why are you saying I never apologized, Cheryl? What are you trying to do to me? Why are you trying to destroy my reputation? Just be honest. Tell me.”
Sharon vs. Cheryl: The Truth Comes Out
In a dramatic twist, Sharon claimed she had reached out to Cheryl, while Cheryl insisted she hadn’t heard from Sharon at all. The controversy was finally addressed when Cheryl admitted on an episode of “The Talk” that she had indeed received text messages from Sharon. However, Cheryl added she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to respond because of the network’s investigation.
When “The Talk” returned from its hiatus, Cheryl began the show by encouraging viewers to process what happened during the argument so they could all heal. The episode featured a socio-cultural analyst, and Cheryl shared that she wanted to move past the PTSD she experienced from the confrontation. Piers Morgan stirred the pot by retweeting a clip from the episode and calling Cheryl a “shameless fraud.”
George Lopez’s Controversial Joke
During a stand-up show in Phoenix in February 2017, comedian George Lopez made a controversial joke, saying, “There’s still two rules: don’t marry somebody black and don’t park in front of our house.” A woman in the audience stood up and started shouting, prompting George to call her the B-word multiple times.
Lopez then gave her two options: “shut the F up or get the F out.” He ultimately made the decision for her and had her kicked out of the venue. After footage of the incident went viral, the woman’s friend reached out to Fox News, explaining that she wasn’t a heckler. The woman, who is black and Mexican, had stood up and jokingly shouted in response to Lopez’s joke, highlighting her unique position.
George apparently misunderstood the woman’s reaction to his joke, thinking she was offended when she was actually just joking back. This incident was discussed on an episode of “The Talk,” where Cheryl defended George. She said, “When you come into the venue, you have to expect what happens there. The person holding the mic runs the show.”
She added, “I’m all for supporting black women, but if you put yourself out there, you’re going to get called out. I would have said, ‘That’s why no one will marry you because of how you talk.'” Once again, Cheryl faced a lot of backlash for excusing George’s inappropriate behavior.
Many people are still upset with Cheryl for her past comments and actions, but the public disapproval hasn’t affected her career. In March 2022, she signed a multi-year deal with “The Talk” for seasons 13, 14, and 15. It seems that being controversial has worked out well for her.