Cosby's No Fan
Of MTV's Ozzy
Comic says family is 'sad'
By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO
Daily News Staff Writer
Bill Cosby, who headed America's favorite family in the 1980s on "The Cosby Show," doesn't think much of today's wildly popular reality TV clan, "The Osbournes."
"All of you [media] need to stop with this Ozzy Osbourne," the legendary comedian said in an interview that airs tonight on "Access Hollywood" (WNBC/Ch. 4, 7:30). "This is a sad, sad family. It is a sad case. The children are sad and the parents are sad. And this is not entertainment."
"The Osbournes," which chronicles the home life of the addled heavy metal rocker, his wife and two of their children, became a surprise hit for MTV after its launch in March.
The Osbournes have since become regulars on talk shows, are heavily covered in magazines and have even been praised by conservative politicians who cite them as an example of a loving, united family. They are also guaranteed a $7 million payday from MTV for a second season of episodes.
But Cosby, who portrayed a funny but firm father on the NBC series that was the No. 1 prime-time show for four consecutive years, isn't impressed.
"I'm telling you that ["The Osbournes"] is a sad thing. It's like laughing at Tiny Tim," he said. "It is the kind of entertainment that you look at but wouldn't want in your home. And I don't like to look at things like that."
For those too young to remember, Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) was the ghoulish-looking singer and ukulele player who was briefly a TV fixture in the late '60s and had his wedding on "The Tonight Show."
An MTV spokesman had no response to Cosby's remarks.
Cosby is actually an extended member of the MTV family himself these days. Reruns of "The Cosby Show" air in prime time on Nick at Nite, which is part of MTV Networks. The series has become Nick at Nite's highest-rated program.
END NY DAILY NEWS REPORT
I think Cosby is right-on. The Osbourne family is a sad case. Certainly it's out of line to lionize these pathetic people.
This has been the basis for reality tv for 30 years now. Anyone remember The Loud family on PBS's An American Family?
One of the kids left home to become a gay man in the Chelsea Hotel, their marriage fell apart, the house was in danger of burning up in the seasonal California fires...
For those too young to remember, Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) was the ghoulish-looking singer and ukulele player who was briefly a TV fixture in the late '60s and had his wedding on "The Tonight Show."
Looks like Codebreaker had the right take all along (or else this journalist missed it too). Maybe the Cos really is a racist if he wouldn't have Tiny Tim come into his home...