Kelly Osbourne Addresses Comment About Latinos Cleaning Toilets: ‘Cringe’

Kelly Osbourne, 39, is finally speaking about her infamous 2015 comments on “The View” about Latinos. Receiving backlash at the time — and accusations of being racist — Osbourne now looks back: “It’s the most cringe moment of my entire life.” Saying she received “death threats,” the television host says she is “not the person [she] was before that incident.”

You may remember back in 2015, around the time when Donald Trump, 77, was running for president, when Osbourne said these very-questionable comments on “The View”:

While she could have been trying to make a point about the importance of Latinos’ contributions to the United States — her comments had the opposite effect. “If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?” Immediately, co-host Rosie Perez, 59, gasped, “That’s not…” while replying, “Latinos are not the only people doing that.”

In that moment, Osbourne seemed to realize her mistake, backtracking: “You know what I mean? In a sense that… I didn’t mean it like that, come on.” However, the damage was done. Many people were rightfully insulted, sending a wave of backlash against the British host.

At the time, Osbourne took to her Facebook page to defend her comments. “I want to start by saying I ALWAYS take responsibility for my actions,” she wrote in August 2015. “In this particular case I will take responsibility for my poor choice of words but I will not apologize for being a racist as I am NOT.”

“I whole-hearted fucked up today. I don’t want to bullshit anyone with lame excuses,” she continued. “It is my hope that this situation will open up a conversation about immigration and the Latin community.”

It was pretty much a mess. However, more than eight years later, Osbourne is finally digging deep into that “cringe” moment, saying it is “the worst thing” she has ever done.

Today, Osbourne admits she “hurt a lot of people” with her comments, saying, “It came out so wrong”

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne is finally reflecting on her comments on “The View” — a moment that still lives rent-free in our heads and our social media timelines.

Well, it turns out that the viral moment lives rent-free in Osbourne’s head, too. “Oh my God, I died. It hurt a lot of people, and that to me, is by far makes it the worst thing I’ve ever done,” she explained. “Words are so powerful. And to be labeled as something you’re not is really difficult. But it happened. There’s nothing I can do.”

She also explained to the outlet what she may have really meant when she said that comment. “This whole country is built on immigrants,” she stated. “And if you stop people from coming into this country who do the jobs that make this country exist and thrive and flourish, who’s going to do all the jobs that you don’t want to do yourself?”

Still, the TV personality admits: “It came out so wrong.” She added, “I feel very strongly that Latin American culture is the backbone of America.”

Osbourne also reflected on the person she was back in 2015. “It was a really, really hard time in my life. I had just been in rehab,” she revealed. “My anxiety disorder, my depression disorder, childhood trauma… I was drinking to numb the pain of everything. I was a trash can when it came to drugs.”

Describing herself as “a really broken, scared person” at the time, she said that the online backlash to her comments changed everything for her. “[The incident] kick-started me taking a long, hard look at myself and the things that I don’t like and the things that I’d like to change.”

She also said she “hates” the viral clip, and would like to go back in time to tell herself: “You think you know everything and you know nothing. Nobody wants to hear [your] opinion on this.”

Osbourne even called her 2015 self “a self-righteous little c*nt,” so there’s that, too.

Moreover, the TV host spoke about learning more about her white privilege over the past years. “[In the U.S.], it’s like, if you’re white, you’re privileged, period.”

That same sentiment has caused her to reflect on raising her voice about racism. “Nobody wants to hear from a white person about race. No one,” she explained. “It is time for us to accept the change that’s happening, and embrace it and support it, rather than being scared and feeling like someone’s taking something away from you.”

“It’s time to sit down and shut up. If you’re not supporting it, shut up.”

While Osbourne has definitely changed her tune about the incident, her infamous comments continue to pop up on social media. In fact, her “cringe” moment on “The View” has recently become an entire TikTok trend. And if you’re not sure what we’re talking about, here’s one hilarious take on the trend:

With this trend, many TikTok users are using Osbourne’s comments as a template — all to make funny remarks about daily life. As another TikToker posted, “If you kick every man out of this country, who do you think is going to make all the bad podcasts, Spotify?” And… LOL:

While we take a moment of silence to reflect on the internet’s creativity, we’re wondering — has Osbourne seen this TikTok trend yet? Actually, she has. The star told Rolling Stone that while the moment still makes her wince, she appreciates the humor around it.

“To see people be creative with it does put a smile on my face,” she described. “It turns something so ugly into something funny.”

Taking the TikTok trend in stride, she said, “Even though I’m the butt of the joke, I’m still laughing.” However, it seems like her viral video will always be a tough watch for her: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hate myself a little bit more each time I see it.”