MEET THE JUDGES: Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne returns as judge on 'America's Got Talent' (Photo: NBC)

The original “real housewife” of rock and roll, Sharon Osbourne was only 15 when she took her first job answering phones for her father Don Arden’s management company.

Forty-something years later, she oversees her own firm (clients have included Lita Ford, Smashing Pumpkins, and of course, rocker husband Ozzy). Sharon is also a veteran film and television producer, reality TV star, daytime chat show host and, of course, beloved judge on America’s Got Talent.

“Shaaaaaarrrron” (as Ozzy calls her) burst into American living rooms in 2001 as the level-headed, but foul-mouthed matriarch on MTV’s The Osbournes – which also featured daughter Kelly and son Jack and scored the network its highest ratings ever.

She cashed in on her fame by hosting several talk shows and appearing as a judge on the U.K. version of “X-Factor”.

Sharon has also hosted VH-1’s Rock of Love: Charm School and appears daily with Sara Gilbert, Leah Remeny, Julie Chen and Holly Robinson-Peete on the CBS daytime series The Talk.
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Trivia

- Sharon is credited with reviving her husband’s heavy metal career by founding the Ozzfest Tour.

- She was ranked as the 25th richest woman in Britain on the 2009 Sunday Times Rich List.

- Sharon and the rest of her family hosted the 30th Annual American Music Awards In 2003.

– Her autobiography, Extreme, has sold more than two million copies.

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