'The Talk' Star Sheryl Underwood Has 'PTSD' After Explosive On-Air Fight With Sharon Osbourne

On Monday, during the CBS daytime talk show's first episode since Osbourne's exit from the show following a heated exchange with Underwood regarding race, Sheryl told viewers she felt she had been experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder since the ordeal.

"We need to process the events of that day and what's happened since so we can get to the healing," Underwood said at the top of the episode. "Over the next hour, we will honestly discuss what occurred and explore some of our feelings. And we'll also show you how anyone can become more comfortable with discussing important issues and having difficult conversations."

Underwood and fellow co-hosts Carrie Ann Inaba, Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth spoke candidly with an expert on diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, Dr. Donald E. Grant, and a trauma therapist and life coach, Dr. Anita Phillips. The special guests led the hour-long discussion about how to have respectful conversations about sensitive topics and heal when lines are crossed.

For her part, Underwood said, "I feel like I've been in like PTSD because it was a trauma. And I feel like I want to get past this because I really wanted to get back to work with my friends and my colleagues and the crew … but I also wanted to get back to the audience."

Underwood said she made a conscious effort to try to remain calm during the verbal altercation, during which Osbourne claimed she was being branded a racist for defending friend Piers Morgan after he accused Meghan Markle of lying about her negative experiences with the royal family.

"I didn't want to escalate things with Sharon because I thought I was having a conversation with a friend," Underwood explained. "But also, I knew I had to be an example for others to follow because I didn't want to be perceived as the angry Black woman. And that really scared me."

"I didn't want to be that, and I wanted to remain calm and remain focused," she added. "And it's difficult to go back to that day because I just feel the trauma. I feel fearful, apprehensive."

Welteroth backed Underwood, saying she felt Osbourne had gone "off the rails into disrespect" during the explosive fight.

Following the emotionally charged episode, Osbourne tweeted out a lengthy apology. She claimed to have apologized to Underwood directly as well.

Initially, Underwood said she never received a personal apology, prompting Osbourne to come forward with screenshots showing unanswered messages allegedly sent from Shanon to Sheryl.

During Monday's show, Underwood confirmed Osbourne did, in fact, text her but that she didn't answer because she wasn't sure if she was allowed to given the network's ongoing internal investigation into the matter.