Ozzy was a rock star and reality TV dad: Look back at iconic moments from 'The Osbournes' Mary WalrathHoldridge and Mike Snider, USA TODAY July 23, 2025 at 6:27 AM After Ozzy Osbourne helped mold the sound of heavy metal, he became a reality television star.
- - - Ozzy was a rock star and reality TV dad: Look back at iconic moments from 'The Osbournes'
Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Mike Snider, USA TODAY July 23, 2025 at 6:27 AM
After Ozzy Osbourne helped mold the sound of heavy metal, he became a reality television star.
The Black Sabbat frontman, 76, died on July 22, his family announced in a statement Tuesday. But Osbourne was a pioneer in more than rock music; his stint on reality television set the stage for every such show that followed, ultimately winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality Program for "The Osbournes."
The show, packaged like a sitcom about Ozzy and his family, premiered on MTV in March 2002 and offered a glimpse into the domestic life of the "Prince of Darkness" himself, his wife Sharon, and their two children, Kelly and Jack. It was dubbed MTV's most viewed series ever in its first season.
Naturally, the family's on-camera antics were less "Full House" and more "Crazy Train," though Ozzy's habit of bellowing his wife's name in many episodes (Sharon!) was vaguely reminiscent of something out of the Flintstones (Wilma!), though with much more colorful language.
While Osbourne later told New Music Express in 2013 that he regretted doing the show, the series has gone down in the annals of entertainment history and inspired the explosion of celebrity reality television. Countless iconic moments were born from the venture — so much so that some are still referenced in pop culture today.
Ozzy's catchphrase and doggy dilemma
Ozzy is known for bellowing his wife's name, "Sharon," throughout the series, including during "Bark at the Moon" (season 1, episode 2), when he's upset that the family's pets are tearing up the furniture, pooping, and peeing in the house.
"It's not like a little squirt, he must have an extra tank," he said of one of the family's dogs, adding: "I'm not picking up dog (expletive). I'm a rock star!"
He later spoke directly to the dog's butt, asking it not to poop anymore. Though initially resistant to the family's suggestion of calling a dog trainer — "You don't need to hire a dog therapist! You just need to wake up at 7 a.m. and open the (expletive) door," Ozzy exclaimed — the Osbournes eventually ended up bringing in a pro for help.
Neighborly feud
In "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" (season 1, episode 4), the Osbournes enter into a noise battle against their neighbors. How does one manage to be loud enough to tick off the family of one of the hardest musicians of all time? By singing folk music early in the morning, of course.
Jack blasted Sabbath tunes to compete with the noise until he and Sharon decided to kick things up a notch, throwing bagels and an entire ham into the neighbor's yard. The feud ends, at least temporarily, when the police arrived at the Osbournes' home and advised the family to call them next time instead of wasting good food.
The Osbournes vs. OB/GYN
In the same eventful episode, Kelly bemones her older sister, Aimee (who refused to participate in the show), taking it upon herself to book her a gynecology appointment. Ozzy, who appeared less in the moment like the man who played to sold-out stadiums and more like a befuddled father unsure of how to comfort his daughter, responded: "Tell her to book me a gynecologist appointment, I wouldn't mind."
"All you have to do is say (expletive) off when the vagina doctor calls," he added, before the conversation turned to him inquiring about Kelly's sexual activity — a conversation no teen girl wants to have with her dad.
Presidential address
In "What Goes Up" (season 2, episode 1), Ozzy and Sharon attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where President George W. Bush recognized Ozzy from the podium.
"What a fantastic audience we have tonight. Washington power brokers, celebrities, Hollywood stars, and Ozzy Osbourne," Bush says. Ozzy stood, raised his arms, and blew a kiss toward the stage before thanking host Greta Van Susteren, telling her it was the "best night of my life."
Bird rescue
When Ozzy tried to feed the family's pet bird in "Must Come Down" (season 2, episode 3), the animal reacted in a way that made the rock icon think it required medical attention.
"This bird is having a seizure. This (expletive) bird is going into a seizure!" he yelled.
When the bird (which he called a parrot) relaxed, Ozzy took it out of its cage and brought its beak to his mouth to transfer food like a mother bird — a tense scene for anyone familiar with the tale of Osbourne biting off the head of a bat.
Sharon Osbourne's cancer diagnosis
In a rare break from its predominantly reverent tone, a segment of "It Must Come Down" touched on Sharon's newfound colon cancer diagnosis, which she seemed to take in stride with her characteristic sense of humor.
We followed Sharon as she has a chest port implanted and recovered from her first treatment while Ozzy is away on a tour and "on a detox," according to his wife. We also witnessed Ozzy's struggle with sobriety on the road after a stint of what Sharon called "self-medicating" due to the stress of her diagnosis.
"She's my whole world," he said at one point, while Kelly described finding out about her mother's diagnosis as a feeling like "something stabbing me."
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne smile as they pose in front of some of their belongings to be auctioned in Beverly Hills, California, November 26, 2007. A portion of the proceeds from the two-day auction of property from the Osbourne's homes will benefit the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program.That one argument over Christina Aguilera
In perhaps one of the show's more dramatic moments, Kelly and Jack resorted to full-on fisticuffs after Jack danced with Kelly's arch nemesis, Christina Aguilera, in "What A Boy Wants" (season 2, episode 11).
"When you hate someone, I hate someone!" she told her brother, who insisted Aguilera had nothing but nice things to say about Kelly. "You just wanted to say you danced with Christina Aguilera," Kelly said before both siblings hurled a string of insults at one another.
After the two exchanged a few pushes and slaps, Sharon intervened, later telling Kelly she would regret the time the two spent arguing. The two hug and make up by the end, much to their mother's delight.
ATV anarchy
In "The Accidental Tourist" (season 3, episode 5), Ozzy suffered an accident while riding an ATV on the family's English estate.
Cameras followed Ozzy as he zipped around the property at high speed until the scene went black, cutting to an image of him lying unconscious on the ground. His bodyguard knelt over him, shouted his name, and asked if he could breathe. In a dramatic cliffhanger ending, viewers heard "he stopped breathing for a while" as an ambulance pulled up to the home.
In the following episode, "The English Patient," the family patriarch leaves the hospital in a neck brace after three weeks, telling cameras he "died twice" and was put on "life support."
"I'd never died before," he said.
Jack later explained that his father suffered a collapsed collarbone, pinching his main artery, which had to be repaired, as well as a punctured lung and "cracked neck." Ozzy later said that he also suffered several broken ribs.
He eventually flew back to Los Angeles at the end of the episode, where he was overjoyed to see his family. He and Sharon agreed to take a break from working unless they find a project they can work on together, saying they've wasted too many years being apart.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Osbournes': Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack's iconic MTV moments
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