“It Had to End”: The Exact Moment the Osbournes Knew Their Reality Show Was Over

Roughly three decades after changing rock ‘n’ roll forever with his pioneering heavy metal band, Black Sabbath, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne made rock history yet again with the debut of his family’s early 2000s reality show, The Osbournes. The expectedly chaotic and hilarious series lasted four seasons, starting with its MTV premiere in March 2002. The expletive-filled show followed Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne. Ozzy and Sharon’s eldest daughter, Aimee Osbourne, denounced the show.

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Despite protests from the oldest Osbourne sibling, the rest of the family forged ahead until its final episode in March 2005. Two decades later, in an interview with Metal Hammer, the matriarch described the moment she knew the reality show had run its course.

Sharon Osbourne Said The Show Had To End

As is almost exclusively the case with reality shows, the spectacle drew audiences in even more than the actual storylines. While The Osbournes did feature notable shake-ups in the family, including Sharon Osbourne’s cancer diagnosis and Ozzy Osbourne’s near-fatal ATV wreck, the show’s main premise was to highlight the family’s attitude, antics, and interpersonal dynamics. For American viewers, the beeps covering up the family’s rampant profanity use overpowered virtually every conversation. The show was funny, dramatic, shocking, and, during its first season, the most-viewed series in MTV history.

But all good things must come to an end. In a 2025 interview with Metal Hammer, Sharon said, “It was a great experience. But it had to end. It was something that you couldn’t keep going on and on and on because it wasn’t the real world, you know? It’s the bulls*** world where people you don’t even know will invite you to Russia for a party and fly you there, and they want to show you off that you came to their party in Russia. I mean, we got invited to the White House. It’s like, ‘Why the f*** do you want to talk to us? It’s nice for you to invite us. But what the f*** do you want to talk to us about? It’s not the real world. It was time to get back to reality.”

The Osbournes was the first reality show of its kind to center around a rock star with a massive legacy that preceded the television series by multiple decades. The show helped pave the way for similar programs like KISS’ bassist’s Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Growing Up Twisted, featuring Twisted Sister’s Dee Snyder, and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels, featuring the Poison vocalist.

The Rock Family Had A Love-Hate Relationship With The Show

Ozzy Osbourne and his family’s reality show, The Osbournes, undoubtedly introduced the 20th-century rock icon to a new, younger audience. But this wasn’t a celebratory documentary about a heavy metal pioneer. It was a reality show. And with that genre comes storylines, gaffs, and talking heads that blur the line between celebrating and mocking its subjects.

During a 2023 episode of The Osbournes podcast, the former Black Sabbath frontman spoke to his son, Jack: “I remember you came up to me one day and said, ‘Dad, let me ask you a question. Do you like people laughing at you or with you?’ I said something like, ‘As long as they’re laughing, I don’t give a s***.’ But you know, it honestly did make [me think], ‘They’re laughing at me.’”

Ultimately, the family agreed that the positive experiences that came from their brief stint in reality television outweighed the negative. As for whether they would ever consider rebooting the show? “Never in a million years,” the Osbournes’ patriarch said.

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